BIG MOMENTS - May 11, 2009: WSH @ PIT

The plays that turn the tide in every game of playoff action -- that is what the beauty of hockey history is built on.

Check back every night following all the 2009 playoff action to witness NHL.com's game-changing moment from each game, as well as the rest of each game's goals, saves and hits.

You can vote on the night's best Big Moment.  Cast your votes after the night's action.

Thanks to all who voted -- and enjoy the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs!

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Washington at Pittsburgh - Game 6

A) Kozlov pots one - The Capitals were down a goal early, and needed a spark to lift their spirits and keep them in the game.

Sidney Crosby took a fierce shot from Mike Green off his foot, which allowed Washington to capitalize on a slow line change. It created an odd-man rush and culminated with Viktor Kozlov finding the mark with a wicked wrister to tie the game at 1-1.

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B) A Capital blitz - With their season on the line, the Capitals found themselves down a goal in the third period.

After Brooks Orpik went off for hooking, Alexander Semin continued his strong game and ripped a shot past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, bringing Washington to within a tally. Twenty-one seconds later, Viktor Kozlov took the puck off a strange bounce behind the Penguins' net. Hal Gill tried to cut across the crease to get to Kozlov, but inadvertently prevented his goaltender from making the save as Kozlov fired the shot into the net from a bad angle.

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C) Crosby ties it up - Trailing 4-3 late in the third period, the Penguins were in desperation mode.

Brooks Orpik took a slap shot from the point, and Sidney Crosby used his superior skill to knock the puck out of the air and tapped it into the back of the cage for the game-tying goal.

The Penguins' captain forced overtime, providing yet another moment where he put his team on his back.

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D) Trading saves - With regulation time winding down, both teams were looking for a way to get the win without an extra session.

Pittsburgh was on the power play, and Simeon Varlamov was the Capitals' best penalty killer. Varlamov made a great stick save off a Phillipe Boucher slap shot, and then made another stellar save just after on an Alex Gologoski shot. The play came back down into the Pittsburgh end and Nicklas Backstrom made fed David Steckel, who was robbed by Marc-Andre Fleury.

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E) Steckel wins it - Six minutes into the third overtime of the series, Capitals forward David Steckel won a faceoff in the Penguins' end. Brooks Laich ended up with the puck and fired a shot in from the point. After winning the draw, Steckel had taken up position in the front of the net, where he was able to redirect Laich’s shot past Marc-Andre Fleury for the game-winning goal.






FINAL SCORE: Capitals 5, Penguins 4 (OT)

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