The Penguins realized how important this game was, and their dedication to defending was one of the ways they demonstrated that. Losing three of the first four games to the Capitals might have been too much to overcome, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions responded with their most complete effort of the series.
After Evgeni Malkin's diving power-play goal with 2:29 left in the second period -- which required video review to confirm the puck crossed the goal line -- gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead, they shut the Capitals down in third, holding them without a shot on goal for the final 9:11.
Jake Guentzel sealed it for Pittsburgh by scoring into an empty net with 58 seconds remaining in the third period for his second goal of the game and a 3-1 lead.
"The third period, we understand it's a huge game for us," Malkin said. "If we lost, it's 3-1 and it's so far [to come back]. The third period, I think we played smart. We have a couple chances 2-on-1, but it's the way we focused in the D-zone. We blocked shots. [Patric Hornqvist] and [Jake Guentzel], they blocked huge shots."