In only their second-ever meeting in the postseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated their bitter rivals, the Washington Capitals, 4-3 in an overtime thriller. Nick Bonino scored the winning goal for the Penguins, ending the Capitals’ season.
Washington battled back from a three-goal deficit with goals from T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and John Carlson to send the game into overtime. But the Capitals were no match for the Penguins.
Netminder Matt Murray continued to be the backbone of this team, stopping 36 shots and allowing just three goals in the game. Neither Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin tallied a point in tonight’s win, but they did play a major part in distributing the puck and driving the puck deep into the Capitals’ zone. Washington goaltender Braden Holtby struggled to pick up the puck for much of the game, but he also didn’t get any help from his defense.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Pittsburgh will face the Tampa Bay Lightning, which recently defeated the New York Islanders (four games to one).
Speed Kills
The Penguins excelled in one area for the vast majority of the game: speed. They danced around Washington with it. Carl Hagelin, who scored Pittsburgh’s third goal, Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl, Crosby and Malkin all showed great patience and skill handling the puck.
Slidin’ into the Eastern Conference Final and feelin’ stuPENdous. pic.twitter.com/pypdKgsqM8
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 11, 2016
And Pittsburgh had to rely on that speed after a disaster of a third period. In that period, the Penguins saw a Capitals team playing for their lives. Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie were a part of a third-period offense that attempted shots early and often. And they were aided by three stupid back-to-back Pittsburgh delay-of-game penalties.
After that, Pittsburgh collected itself and found its speed again, shifting into another gear. Still, the team missed good opportunities around the net. Although the Penguins collapsed for a bit, they were able to bounce back and sent the President’s Trophy winners home.
One-on-One Defense
Pittsburgh’s defense took charge early, playing right up on any Washington puck-handler who entered the Penguins’ zone. The always-dangerous Ovechkin entered Pittsburgh’s zone a few times, but he was denied by the likes of defenseman Kris Letang, who took the body of the Capitals’ captain. Ovechkin finished with six shots on goal and two assists. A number of his shots drifted and jumped, preventing him from putting the puck where he wanted it.
The Penguins’ defensive strategy began to get in the heads of Washington’s players, whose emotions could plainly be read. Pittsburgh’s forecheck once again impressed because of the team’s tenacity lifting the puck and because the team didn’t allow the Capitals feel comfortable in their zone.
In overtime, the Penguins’ defense did an even better job of matching up against the Capitals. Though they were able to find a few chances against Murray, Washington was unable to put the puck in the back of the net, and, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Image Credit: Getty Images
