This evening Game 5 of the Round 2 series against the Washington Capitals (6-5), the Pittsburgh Penguins (7-2) saw a desperate team get the best of them. Alex Ovechkin scored the game’s first goal on a power-play after a hooking penalty was called against Bryan Rust.
Chris Kunitz scored Pittsburgh’s first power-play goal not too far long after and brought the Penguins back at a draw with the Capitals. However, Washington took control in the second period with a goal by T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams, giving it the 3-1 victory.
Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
The Capitals came out of the gates with a fire lit underneath them and for good reason. Going into Game 5, Washington did not play up to its Presidents’ Trophy award, but tonight the Penguins saw a completely different team.
Not only did the Capitals take the bodies of the Penguins, they shadowed over start players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, doing everything they could to get in the heads of Pittsburgh.
This ultimately led to the Penguins taking bad penalties and giving the Capitals more chances with the man advantage. Many times during Game 5, Pittsburgh players could be seen jawing with both Washington players and the referees alike.
Crosby and Malkin were unable to generate many chances, with their shots often sailing wide and off the mark. An energized Verizon Center in Washington D.C. helped guide the Capitals to tonight’s victory, unfortunately the Penguins were not ready to match the play of a team playing for their season.
Unhappy Sullivan
In the middle of the third period of Game 5, coach Mike Sullivan could be seen harping on his players to tighten their play and not put their team in a disadvantage. This came after a high-sticking penalty on Nick Bonino that caught Oshie right in the face.
His anger was very much the feeling that was felt for most of the game, with Pittsburgh being just out of reach in putting themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even with the loss tonight, the Penguins still only need to win one more game to put themselves in the next round.
It was clear from the beginning that the Capitals were in the heads of Sullivan’s team. The bickering between teams and officials in the third period was a clear indication of frustration that had built up for the entire game.
Washington got the best of Pittsburgh and would rise to the occasion on home ice.
Braden Holtby was another source of this frustration for the Penguins, allowing no soft goals the entire game and making Pittsburgh earn every shot. The defense surrounding the goaltender did just as good a job in deflecting and blocking pucks ensuring that the Penguins would not leave Washington D.C. with a win.
What’s Next?
The Penguins will get another chance in Game 6 of this round when the series will shift once more to Pittsburgh. This game will be played on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
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