At 1:05 of the second, the Pens appeared to tie the game on a three-on-two rush when Chris Kunitz tipped Malkin's pass behind Caps goalie Braden Holtby as he bumped into him. But the Capitals issued a successful coach's challenge, and the goal was wiped off the board, preserving the 1-0 margin.
Washington fell back into penalty trouble in the second, taking a trio of minor penalties in a span of roughly nine minutes. Two of those penalties where whistled on Evgeny Kuznetsov, both of them at the Pittsburgh end of the ice. Again, Holtby was solid. He stopped all six Pittsburgh shots during those man advantage opportunities to preserve the Caps' slim 1-0 lead.
Late in the middle period, Kuznetsov had a terrific look at a mostly empty net on a rebound opportunity. But he shanked the shot, and Fleury was able to reach back and stop it just before it reached the goal line, using his paddle.
Fleury made a glove save on Johansson during a Capitals power play early in the third, and once again the Washington shooter was unable to get full velocity on the shot, enabling Fleury to get over and make the stop.
With Pittsburgh pressing hard for the equalizer midway through the third, Washington was able to force a turnover near the Capitals' line, generating a three-on-two rush into Pittsburgh ice. Some slick passing from linemates Johansson and Justin Williams left Kuznetsov with the puck and with Fleury prone, and the Caps center did not miss this time, lifting the puck into the net for a 2-0 Washington lead at 9:46.