Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals exemplified why there was so much hype headed into round two. After T.J. Oshie barley nudged in a goal under Matt Murray’s right leg pad, Eric Fehr and the Pittsburgh Penguins stormed back to tie up the series.
A win is a win, especially against one of the league’s most challenging opponents, but here are the takeaways from Saturday night’s game.
Three Up:
One and Only One
The Penguins biggest accomplishment following this game was their ability to allow only one goal by the Capitals, statistically the NHL’s best offense during the regular season.
It was not only Murray’s performance that kept Washington to only one goal, the defense did a great job of blocking shots and preventing Oshie and Alex Ovechkin from changing the course of the game.
Ovechkin in Check
An impressive feat through the first two games of this series is the fact that Ovechkin has been very limited in his ability to score. While he did get an assist in Game 1 and had many one-on-one opportunities against Murray, he has been unable to influence the direction of the game. If this can be continued in the next two home games, Pittsburgh has a great chance in taking a significant lead.
Fast as Lightening
The Penguins used their speed to their advantage once again in Game 2. Pittsburgh set itself up for many scoring chances and created odd-man chances in getting the puck past Braden Holtby.
The Penguins were not completely successful in their efforts of evading the hard-hitting Capitals, but were still able to drive up ice and put pressure on Washington. The exhaustion of the Penguins defensemen was evident after only five remained on the bench following Olli Maata’s injury.
Three Down:
Hits Keep Coming
The Washington Capitals, although taking the loss Saturday night, did walk away with one victory and that was in the hits department. Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were all subjects to vicious hits by the Capitals.
Maata was on the receiving end of a dirty blow to the head by Brooks Orpik that kept him out of the entire game. Orpik had a hearing how earlier on Sunday and it was determined that he would serve a three game suspension for his unnecessary hit on Maata.
Luck of the Irish
Pittsburgh has been very fortunate in the Capitals inability to finish shots and offensive drives. Multiple times in Game 2, Washington had the chance to take a lead, but could not find the net.
The Penguins must tighten up defensively if they wish to use home-ice to their advantage. At the same time, Coach Mike Sullivan’s team has also seen a number of missed opportunities that could have ended each game with a Penguins win.
Overworked Murray
Murray has been an absolute stud since he started his first NHL postseason game, but he has put in a lot more work than people expected. With the Capitals putting pressure in the face of the 21-year-old netminder, at some point fans may see him have a bad game.
Of course, this may not happen, but the defense must tighten up and protect the net better so Murray does not exhaust himself through only the first two periods. The status of Marc-Andre Fleury has still not changed and there is no timetable on when he will return.
Image Credit: @Penguins
