The Pittsburgh Penguins were the hottest team in the league down the final stretch. Trevor Daley tied the game at 1 later in the 1st period. They got one in the final 14 minutes, 13 seconds of the period, during which time the Penguins recorded 10 of their 12 for the period.
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But the Pittsburgh Penguins have been the best team in this second-round, best-of-seven series.
The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and the Capitals’ T.J. Oshie get tangled up late in the third period of Game 3 of their Eastern Conference second-round series Saturday, April 30, 2016, at Consol Energy Center.
Washington’s Mike Weber tried to steer the puck out of harm’s way in front of the net, but it went right to Hornqvist charging in from the right circle.
The Penguins surged in the second, grabbing the lead less than four minutes in on Cullen’s third of the playoffs.
“That’s a big win”, Hornqvist said. “I think we’ll tweak some things, refocus….”
If the Kings and their current head coach do indeed decide to part ways, that will put yet another Pacific Division club in the hunt to lock down someone new for the position – joining the Calgary Flames (who dismissed Bob Hartley earlier in April) and the Anaheim Ducks (who ousted Bruce Boudreau at the very end of the month) in what could become an intriguing game of coaching musical chairs.
Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang will also miss Game 4 after being handed a one-game suspension for a hit on Marcus Johansson in Game 3. The makeshift group at the blue line that included Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz played just fine in the absence of perhaps Pittsburgh’s most indispensable player.
Ovechkin had chances, great ones, against Murray in Game 4, but his shots found the Pittsburgh rookie goalie rather than corners or open space. Letang has averaged more than 29 minutes a game in the postseason, an all-situations defenseman and a Norris Trophy candidate.
The Penguins ended an eight-game losing streak in overtime playoff games. His goal squirted through the legs of Murray, who had stopped 104 of the past 109 shots he faced. Weber then nudged it across the slot to an awaiting Hornqvist. It has felt like they are depending on the skills of Holtby – who is capable of standing on his head.
“As a player I never believed that, ” Knuble said by phone Thursday.
“With as well as Matt is playing, common sense would suggest that we should probably stay with him”, Sullivan said Wednesday morning. “It’s just a matter of putting it to use now and keep pushing forward”. Cullen remembers playing on an outdoor rink in Virginia, Minn., and attending high-school games where his father Terry was coaching. In the regular season, he has consistently been the best goal-scorer in the league, but in the playoffs he consistently has not been.
The Penguins realized they were lucky to escape Game 3 with the series lead and responded with a far better performance even with Letang missing. “We were in a reverse situation previous year where, Game 5, you know, we had a team basically pretty well down and out”, Washington coach Barry Trotz said after his team squandered a 3-1 series advantage and succumbed to the New York Rangers. The defenseman sent the puck up the wing to Tom Kuhnhackl. Pouliot over-skated the puck along the boards in the Penguins zone, freeing Justin Williams to scoop it up and find Carlson cross-ice.
“A lot of us have been on both sides of the 3-1 series”, Crosby said. “You hope that what you bring to the team can help them make that next step”. Boom. Alex Ovechkin power play goal.
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Sitting right next to the Capitals bench, Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was sacked up for Game 4 and was even recieved a warning from an usher.
