The Pittsburgh Penguins battled the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the series on Thursday at the Verizon Center in Washington. The Capitals took the series lead after a 4-3 overtime win.
The first period proved to be a difficult one for the Penguins. The first goal of the game went to the Capitals’ Andre Burakovsky who scored after 10 minutes of play. The first period ending with a score of 1-0 Capitals.
During the second period, the Penguins regained their confidence, scoring two goals by Ben Lovejoy and Evgeni Malkin. At the end of the period, however, T.J. Oshie tied the game back up, ending the second period with a 2-2 score.
Early in the third period, the Capitals retook the lead after Oshie scored his second goal of the game, making the goal 3-2 Capitals. Halfway through the period, Nick Bonino scored for the Penguins retying the score at 3-3, taking the game into overtime.
After about half of the 20-minute overtime was over, the Capitals scored the game-winning goal as Oshie received his hat trick.
Battle of the Goalies
Goaltender Matt Murray continued his streak on Thursday saving goals that made it past the Penguins’ defense. He stoned the Caps on multiple attempts in front of the net. On that same note, however, the Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made some great saves himself making it a battle of the goalies.
During the 2015-16 season, Murray had a .930 save percentage compared to Holtby’s .922 save percentage.
Last round, Murray returned from an upper-body injury to win the last three games of the round. This game has proved that the time off between rounds has only allowed Murray to rest and work further on his game.
What’s Next?
The Penguins will battle the Capitals at the Verizon Center again this Saturday, April 30, at 8 p.m.
