Murray made 47 saves to help Pittsburgh hold on for a crucial win after the Penguins scored two goals within the space of a minute in the first period to take an early lead.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Tom Sestito and defenseman Steve Oleksy from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., on Tuesday, while providing updates on a number of injured players. According to the AP, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby played in their 108th playoff game, moving past Mario Lemieux for second on the franchise’s list behind Jaromir Jagr’s 140. However, they’ll have to do it without Kris Letang. If the Capitals hope to swing the momentum back into their favor, this is their best shot to do so. The power play for the Penguins has yet to score in this series and needs to wake up.
The Department of Player Safety (DPS) announced Tuesday morning that Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang will have a hearing for the high hit he delivered on Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson at 15:41 of the first period in Game 3.
Letang delivered an elbow to the head of Capitals winger Marcus Johansson in the first period, a play that will surely catch the eye of the league’s disciplinary office. But that does not mean Letang should get off with just a fine, given the sensitivity of the head shot issue these days.
Johansson did not practice with the team today, but he did return to the game last night. The Penguins are already playing minus one of their top-six defensemen, Olli Maatta, who suffered a concussion on the hit in Game 3 that led to the three-game suspension for the Capitals’ Brooks Orpik. During the regular season, Oleksy two goals and 17 assists in 63 games.
Murray’s strong goaltending prevented the Caps from rallying. Penguins G Matt Murray made his sixth consecutive start Monday, but G Marc-Andre Fleury (35-17-6, five shutouts in 2015-16) returned as the backup for the first time this postseason. “I think a pretty energized effort from us”.
“I feel like we have a positive attitude in here”, center Nicklas Backsrom said. The Penguins took a 3-0 lead and then allowed the Capitals to seize the momentum, and as they say, once Uncle Mo gets in the house, it’s hard to get him back out the door. But the series also has spotlighted a more vicious side of hockey, as hits in all three games have required NHL intervention.
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Wearing the same Pittsburgh gold uniforms that team owner Mario Lemieux wore during the club’s consecutive Stanley Cup runs in 1991 and 1992 – runs that included victories over Washington – it seemed like old times for the Penguins. “The disparity in shots was because (the Capitals) had the puck all night”.
