Granted, Ovechkin has a higher slant of offensive-zone starts, beginning 59.8 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in Penguins’ zone, but Crosby’s not all that far behind at 53.2 percent. After blowing a 2-0 third period lead in Game 1, they needed to show that this wasn’t going to haunt them.
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The Predators and Jets finished the season with the two best records during the regular season, and the first two games indicate that this should be one of the most compelling series of the playoffs.
But with fresh memories of digging out of a 2-0 series hole against Columbus in the first round, Washington doesn’t sound like a team thinking, “Here we go again”.
Holtby stopped 19 shots for the win. Net minder Braden Holtby fired a pass up to Vrana, who passed on to Lars Eller.
“It’s huge, huge goal”, Ovechkin said.
“It’s a bit of an unfortunate play that he got hurt”, he said.
This series, no matter who wins it or loses it, is no longer about any of that.
“Who gets to four wins is who’s going to move forward”, captain Alex Ovechkin rightly pointed out, after the morning skate.
Pittsburgh’s players have been penalized 4.0 times per game in total this season, 4.0 per game over their last five games total, and 3.8 per game over their last five games as the visiting team.
Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh. Will Sullivan unleash the 6-foot-7, 250-pound Jamie Oleksiak on Wilson? The Capitals and Jets hope to return the favor when they play on the road in Games 3 and 4. We’ll see if they can buck that trend as the two teams get set for Game 3 on Tuesday night. Afterward, Aston-Reese threw his glove toward the Washington bench in anger.
The initial point of contact was hard to discern, even on replay. The head? Either way the tenor changed considerably.
“Everybody’s fine”, head coach Barry Trotz said Monday before the team chartered to Pittsburgh.
Maybe not. Officials conferred for several minutes before deciding to take no action against Wilson.
Pittsburgh lost because they got annihilated at the beginning of the game.
Stephenson tied the game shortly after the sequence and a crescendo of pushing, shoving and jawing followed. The Penguins celebrated. The Capitals protested. Ovechkin immediately shot the puck, placing it top shelf, past Matt Murray’s left shoulder 1:26 seconds into the game.
After blowing a two-goal lead in Game 1 of their second-round National Hockey League playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals found themselves with a two-goal lead at the start of the third period once again in Game 2. The Jets, of course, won the series opener in Nashville to steal that advantage. However, when they are the Playoff Penguins, when they are on, they are dominant, and nobody can come close to the talent that they have.
The champions have proven to be an impossible out during their current reign.
Holtby was the difference maker in a bad way in Game 1. The Capitals took game two by a score of 4-1 to even the series at 1-1. Washington is 3-8 in its last 11 meetings in Pittsburgh. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin (upper body) and left winger Carl Hagelin (face) are also questionable.
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There was no penalty called on the play.
