The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins are all tied up at one game each heading into Monday night’s tilt.
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Maatta is suspected of suffering from concussion symptoms and won’t be available to play in Game 3 either.
If you watched NBCSN’s pregame show ahead of this evening’s second-round contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, you would have been lead to believe that Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin would be the biggest difference makers for their respective teams in Game 1. “I told him it was a late hit”.
“We are a better team when he is part of it”, Sullivan said of Fleury. “I think he has done a pretty good job of moving the puck quickly when there is not a play to be made”. “It’s the type of hit that everyone in hockey is trying to remove from the game”.
“I saw some of the effects of that the first two periods”, DeBoer said.
Barry Trotz added that he was disappointed with the three-game suspension, but understands the severity of Orpik’s actions and that he needs to face some kind of repercussion.
For the Pens, it’s of unknown length as Maatta recovers from the effects of Orpik’s hit.
But let’s not spend too much time patting him on the back for choosing not to lie to us all. This hit made it so that Maata would end up sitting the rest of the game.
Maatta, the video said, was “not eligible to be checked on this play” and “no player should expect to be hit at this time, and in this manner”.
Down 3-1, Dallas scored 2 goals in the 3rd period, including a go-ahead rebound goal by Jamie Benn with 2:36 remaining in regulation.
Washington really lost their grasp of the game in the second stanza.
In five seasons worth of playoff games for the Blues, Oshie never managed to score more than two goals in an entire run. “I thought his focus was really good”.
Washington will try to give Braden Holtby a better chance to win by stifling Pittsburgh’s prodigious shot production. The Penguins have a combined 80 shots on net in the two games and had another 38 blocked. Johansson’s goal was Washington’s first with an extra man since getting five in Game 3 of the first round against Philadelphia. Mike Weber stayed on the ice late with the scratches, including Orpik, a sign he won’t play on Monday night.
Eric Fehr, who is a former Capital is looking to help his new team, the Penguins, beat his old team in this series. He must register an impression early in tonight’s proceedings, because the tempo won’t relent for 60 minutes – or longer.
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“The reality is we’ve relied on all of these guys down the stretch to help us win”, Sullivan said.
