Caps and Pens Move on to Pittsburgh for Game 3
After splitting the first two games of their second-round playoff series in the District, the Caps and Pens will battle in the 'Burgh in Tuesday's Game 3
Washington last played in Pittsburgh on the first day of April, taking a 3-1 victory over the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. That victory earned the Capitals the Metropolitan Division crown, and home ice advantage for the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Now the Caps are headed to Pittsburgh to play a game on the first day of May, a much more important contest. The Caps figured all along they would likely be spending some time in Pittsburgh in mid-spring, and here they are.
Washington and Pittsburgh split the first two games of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series, the scene now moves to western Pennsylvania for the next two games of the best-of-seven set between the longtime rivals. Game 3 of the series is on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, and its outcome will determine which of these teams will push ahead in this 1-1 series.
Pittsburgh blazed back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 triumph in Thursday's series opener. The Caps drew even with a 4-1 victory in Sunday's Game 2 in the District, roaring out to a 2-0 first-period starts and protecting their two-goal lead from late in that first frame until the final buzzer.
Braden Holtby stopped 32 of 33 Pittsburgh shots to earn his fifth win in six starts during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Led by Brooks Orpik's five, Caps skaters combined to block 31 Pittsburgh shots, including 13 in the third period. T.J. Oshie, Jay Beagle and Lars Eller all laid out to block Pittsburgh shots in the final 70 seconds of regulation to ward off the Pens' final push.
"We got big blocks - like from Osh at the end there, putting his body on the line - and Holts," says Caps winger Brett Connolly, who netted his first career playoff goal in the second period. "A lot of guys are playing for each other, and that's what we're going to need to ultimately beat this team.
"We've played good the last two games; I thought in Game 1 we were good, too. It's going to take a lot here to beat them, but we've got a solid group in here that is playing for each other and cares about each other. Hopefully we can carry that into Game 3."
"Great effort by the guys [Sunday] night," says Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen. "We were really good early to set ourselves up for the win. We can relax and turn our brains off today, but it's all about that next game. Win or lose, you've got to get ready for that next one. We're going to have to be sharp, because they're going to have a response."
Washington's second goal stood up to the scrutiny of a coach's challenge, and the Pens believed they were wronged on a non-goal call that would have brought them to within 3-2 with just under 11 minutes to play. Pittsburgh got in its own way with a pair of poorly timed penalties late in the third, but the Caps returned the favor with a late penalty of their own. The late power play gave the Pens a chance to go six-on-four, but they still couldn't cut into Washington's 3-1 lead.
Nicklas Backstrom sealed it with an empty-netter in the waning seconds, setting the stage for Game 3 in Pittsburgh, where the Caps have won three of nine playoff games during the Backstrom-Alex Ovechkin era. Two of those victories in Pittsburgh came last spring in Games 3 and 6 of that second-round set between the two teams.
"We've had some success there, but it's a tough place to win," says Niskanen, a former Penguin. "I'm not sure things carry over from six weeks ago. We're going to have to do it again, we're going to have to bring a really good effort to beat them. We're capable of doing it. We should be excited about the way we played the first two games. We felt like we could have won Game 1 with how we played. We got a couple of breaks in Game 2, so that was nice, to help us get that win. But we're going to have to play better and better as the series goes on."
Washington has played its best hockey of this series when it plays its own brand of hockey and avoids getting caught up in trading chances with the Penguins. The Caps have been able to generate enough scoring chances to score enough goals to win games in these playoffs without trading chances. Washington is better served by setting up camp in Pittsburgh's end of the ice and having the offensively prolific Pens chase them around.
As evidenced by its recent hardware, Pittsburgh is a great team, and the Pens have been successful at drawing the Caps into their style of game at times in the first two contests. We can expect a battle of wills the rest of the way.
"It was a good effort by the guys [Sunday] night," reiterates Niskanen. "The guys played really hard. We were detailed, won a lot of battles, were able to find some open ice offensively, did a good job. You've got to follow it up though, with Game 3. You can't rest. You lay off the gas for a second against these guys and they're coming, so we've got to be ready to go."
Pittsburgh did what a road team sets out to do in the first two games of a best-of-seven set, win one game to wrest away the home ice advantage. The Pens managed to do so without center Evgeni Malkin (lower body) and winger Carl Hagelin (upper body), both of whom missed the first two games.
The Pens also played most of Game 2 without defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who left Sunday's game after absorbing a hit from Tom Wilson early in the second period. Dumoulin practiced with his teammates on Monday - albeit in a non-contact sweater - and isn't expected to miss much time, if any.
Malkin and Hagelin also practiced on Monday, and Pens coach Mike Sullivan pronounced each of the three as "game-time decisions" for Tuesday's Game 3.
Each of the three players is important in the Pens' scheme, and Pittsburgh has lacked for scoring beyond its top line early in this series.
"Obviously we're a much better team when we get contributions from throughout our lineup," says Sullivan, "and that's what we're trying to find, is little balance. As I've said, I think we've had a fair amount of scoring chances - we haven't finished. And that's the next step for us. But certainly I know we're a much better team and we're much more difficult to play against when we get those contributions throughout our lineup."
