LDN - Sports

Capitals win, force Game 7 against Penguins

[May 09, 2017] PITTSBURGH -- Down but not out, the Washington Capitals pushed anxiety aside. They not only won their second game in a row in their Eastern Conference semifinal, but they dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in Game 6 on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena to avoid elimination.

"Since Game 3, we've had a calmness about what we're doing. We're having fun now," said Capitals coach Barry Trotz, whose club trailed 2-0 and 3-1 in the series.

With the series now tied, a deciding Game 7 will be played Wednesday night at the Verizon Center in Washington, with the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins going against this season's Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals.

The winner advances to the Eastern Conference final to face the New York Rangers or Ottawa. The Senators lead that series 3-2 going into Game 6 on Tuesday.

The Penguins missed a second straight chance to close out the Capitals.

"It's frustrating," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "You've got an opportunity to win a game like this and win a series at home. To a man, we weren't good enough."

Andre Burakovsky scored twice, T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and an assist, and John Carlson also scored for Washington.

Evgeny Kuznetsov added two assists as the Capitals broke open the game with three third-period goals to take a 5-0 lead.

Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin scored in the final four minutes.

"It gives us momentum," Oshie said of the dominating win. "It gives us a little bit more confidence.

"We have to be pretty mature about this, though. We know it's not going to be the exact same story. They're not just going to go away. They're Stanley Cup champions for a reason. We'll regroup. We're going to enjoy this. It was a fun one tonight for us, but we definitely have to regroup and get refocused on the start for Game 7."

Braden Holtby made 16 saves for the Capitals. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was busier, stopping 21 of 26 Washington shots.

"The best thing about this game is we came and did what we wanted to do," Holtby said.

The Penguins' first shot on goal didn't come until 12:17 of the first period, and even then it was a long clear by penalty-killer Brian Dumoulin.

Washington got the only goal of the first on the same power play. Backstrom, along the right wall, started a bang-bang play by passing to Kuznetsov below the extended goal line. Kuznetsov quickly set up Oshie from the slot for a 1-0 lead at 12:41.

The Capitals led in shots 11-3 by the end of the first.

Fleury kept Pittsburgh in the game with several strong saves, including one he smothered from Alex Ovechkin in the left circle during a power play, a reaching glove save on Carlson and a pad save on Lars Eller from the slot.

"I think it was fairly tight," Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby said. "We turned the puck over and then we started chasing the game a bit. You're trying to climb back in the game, you start taking chances and you don't play the same way. So I think we were probably guilty of making a few mistakes early on and then probably chasing our mistakes after that.

"We just need to be a little bit more patient and find a way to get a little more (offensive) zone time."

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Capitals left wing Andre Burakovsky (65) celebrates his goal with center Nicklas Backstrom (19) and defenseman John Carlson (right) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh had a couple of scary moments in the first. Crosby, in his second game back from a concussion, got a bloody nose from a teammate's stick during a puck battle along the boards, and later got tossed headfirst in the boards behind the Washington net by Carlson during a Penguins power play.

On the same power play, Patric Hornqvist got a bloody mouth from a stick on a shot attempt. Crosby was slow to get up and Hornqvist had to retreat quickly to the bench, but both remained in the game.

Sullivan said Crosby was not evaluated for a concussion, and Crosby said he had the wind knocked out of him.

Washington took a 2-0 lead at 6:36 of the second. Burakovsky forced a turnover by Penguins defenseman Ron Hainsey, moved to the right post and flipped the puck in off Fleury.

The Capitals certainly did not sit on their lead. Just 16 seconds into the third, Backstrom kept the puck on a two-on-one -- Washington's fifth odd-man rush -- and beat Fleury for a 3-0 lead.

"We had absolutely nothing to lose," Backstrom said. "We were down 3-2 (in the series). We had to give it all to make sure we could force this Game 7."

Carlson added a power-play goal on a one-timer from above the left circle to make it 4-0 at 11:17 of the third, and Burakovsky roofed a shot past Fleury at 12:29 for a 5-0 advantage.

Guentzel spoiled Holtby's shutout bid when he scored off a two-on-one break at 16:38, and Malkin followed at 17:30, both goals coming during four-on-four play.

Asked if those late goals might give Pittsburgh momentum for Game 7, Hainsey balked.

"No," he said tersely.

NOTES: Pittsburgh D Trevor Daley, who left Game 5 in the third period, did not play because of a lower-body injury. He was replaced in the lineup by D Chad Ruhwedel, who made his NHL playoff debut. ... The Penguins reconfigured their lines, reuniting the HBK line of LW Carl Hagelin, C Nick Bonino and RW Phil Kessel that was highly effective last year in the playoffs. ... C Sidney Crosby's assist on LW Jake Guentzel's third-period goal was his 97th in postseason play, moving him past Hall of Fame C Mario Lemieux for the Pittsburgh record. ... Washington is 3-3 at home this postseason; Pittsburgh is 3-2 on the road.

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