With Washington in a 3-1 series hole against Pittsburgh going into Game 5 on Saturday night, Capitals Coach Barry Trotz tweaked his lineup, moving superstar winger Alex Ovechkin to a third line while promoting Burakovsky to the top line with Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. That unit played well together and brought a physicality to the rink that would be useful against teams such as the Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Crosby finished the game with 19:57 of ice time, the most among Penguins forwards.
Both teams have won three games. These things don't just magically get better in a day or two. And here, against the defending Stanley Cup champions, they responded with all the qualities their predecessors have so frequently ceded to opponents - poise and patience, savvy, a self-assuredness that, frankly, was somewhat unsettling given the name across the front of their sweaters.
The biggest change you can see is the reuniting of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel, otherwise known as the HBK line. Sullivan said being up in the series didnt factor into the decision for Crosby or Sheary being available. From Chelyabinsk, Russia, he watched highlights of Pittsburgh centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, analyzing their games and trying to take bits and pieces to shape his own.
The victor advances to the Eastern Conference final to face the New York Rangers or Ottawa. He remained in the game.
Kuznetsov gave Washington a 3-2 lead when he beat Marc-Andre Fleury from a sharp angle at 7:20 of the third. Pittsburgh's first shot in the opening 17 minutes was a 136-foot flip by Brian Dumoulin that made its way to Holtby. By then the Capitals already had a 1-0 lead on Oshie's shot from the right circle on the power play.
Game 6: Senators at Rangers, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Senators lead series 3-2) - "He's got his Hank on" pretty much sums up the Rangers' best hope to turn this series around and force Game 7.
This time, there would be no response by the Penguins. "Play simple. Play physical". When the Penguins went on a power play 11:03 into the second period, they had five shots on goal for the game and then failed to record one during the man-advantage. They're not just going to go away.
Trump Can't Get Over His Wall
A central point in his run for the White House , the wall faced unified opposition from Democrats and even from some Republicans. Right now, much of the border is woefully ill-equipped for such surveillance, says USA representative Will Hurd.
"We're still down. We take good moments in the game (Saturday) and move forward", Ovechkin, who capped Washington's three-goal third period in Saturday's 4-2 triumph with his eighth point (five goals, three assists) of the playoffs, told reporters.
But a barrage of goals from Washington stars in the third period extended the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 6.
Goalie Pekka Rinne made 23 saves and had an assist. The Predators will face either the Anaheim Ducks or Edmonton Oilers for the right to come out of the West.
Paul Stastny scored for St. Louis, which fell short of a second straight conference final.
With their most complete performance of this series, they ensured that they would not be eliminated by the same team in Game 6 two years in a row.
With the two teams skating four to a side, the Pens scored twice in a span of 52 seconds late in the third, spoiling Braden Holtby's shutout bid. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's top trio with Sidney Crosby went without a shot on goal for the first 37-plus minutes of the game.
The early dominance of the Caps "D" set the tone for a night in which Pittsburgh's high-flying offense, which found success even without Crosby and Conor Sheary earlier in the series, had no time to get into a rhythm.
Comments