Active for the first time since sustaining a concussion on March 31, the winningest goaltender in Penguins’ history skated onto the ice at Consol Energy Center for warmups with his teammates before Game 2 then traded his helmet for a baseball cap while getting an eyeful of Murray’s spectacular performance.
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Kris Letang was scheduled to have hearing on Tuesday with the NHL’s department of player safety for his elbow to the head area of Capitals winger Marcus Johansson on Monday night. Over the past 5 games, Letang has 4 assists, 14 shots on net and a plus/minus of 2.
Additionally, the DoPS said that Letang didn’t “charge” Johansson, nor did he leave his feet to throw the hit.
The Penguins lead the best of seven series 2-1.
Letang is a great hockey player and has undoubtedly saved the Penguins many, many times this season.
He’s made a believer out of the Capitals, holding Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the President’s Trophy winners to seven goals in almost 190 minutes, including a relentless barrage near the end of Game 3.
Bottom line, though, Letang means more to the Penguins than Orpik does to the Capitals.
Honorable Mention: Patric Hornqvist and Tom Kuhnhackl scored a minute apart in the first period to help the Penguins pounce early.
Murray was fantastic for the Penguins as they beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Brooks Orpik, suspended three games for a late, dirty, dumb hit, said on Monday that he deserved to be suspended for his late, dirty, dumb hit. “It’s up to (the league), though”. “Matty”s giving us a chance to win every night he”s been in there. “We thought we played well, a lot of good chances”. Johansson would stay in the game following the hit but complained of a sore neck afterwards.
Though Johansson returned to action in the game, his absence from practice – whether it is due to a potential injury stemming from the hit or a bit more of a calculated move by the team – does not bode well for Letang. Maatta also missed Game 3 and D Derrick Pouliot replaced him.
In the 2nd period, Carl Hagelin scored the lone goal for the Penguins.
That was followed by a frustrating month of stops and starts, of always waking up hoping to feel better and having to wait too long for that day to arrive.
“I just got hit right in the head”, Johansson said Monday night. “I think the focus is still on winning this year”.
“We’re playing a very good hockey team and we’ve got to play our game”, Trotz said. Pittsburgh 8-6-9-23. Power-play opportunities-Washington 0 of 4; Pittsburgh 0 of 3. The 25-year-old former Edmonton Oiler hasn’t suited up since, not quite finding a fit after a mid-season trade to Pittsburgh.
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Remember when this Penguins-Capitals series was being billed as a showdown between the league’s biggest stars?
