Guentzel, Penguins rally past Capitals in Game 1

WASHINGTON -- The Pittsburgh Penguins scored three goals in a 4:49 span in the third period to rally for a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Capital One Arena on Thursday.

Jake Guentzel had a goal and two assists, Patric Hornqvist had a goal and an assist, and Matt Murray made 32 saves for Pittsburgh.
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Sidney Crosby had two points (one goal, one assist) and passed Jari Kurri for third-most multipoint games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (61).
Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, Tom Wilson had two assists, and Braden Holtby made 22 saves for Washington, which led 2-0.
Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is here Sunday.
Hornqvist scored to cut it to 2-1 at 2:59 of the third, redirecting Justin Schultz's shot from the point.

"It was just a big play by [Hornqvist] to get us going," Crosby said. "We had some good looks throughout the night. He goes hard to the net, makes a great play, and it jump-started us. When you're down, I think everybody's just on their toes trying to get ourselves back in it."
Crosby tied it 2-2 at 5:20. After receiving a cross-ice pass from Guentzel, Crosby beat Holtby five-hole from the right circle.
"I just think we complement each other well," Guentzel said. "We get on the forecheck and we're always around each other. Playing with Sid, it makes it pretty easy and opens up a lot of space for us. Just try to take advantage of it."
Guentzel gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 7:48, deflecting Crosby's shot along the left boards short side.
"They had good looks, we had good looks, but those three shifts changed the game," Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov said.

Murray made a blocker save on a rebound attempt by Capitals forward Brett Connolly at 17:31 to keep the score 3-2.
Kuznetsov scored glove side on a breakaway 17 seconds into the first period to make it 1-0.
Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead 28 seconds into the third period, beating Murray glove side from the left circle on a 2-on-1. With the goal, Ovechkin became the first player in Capitals history to have 100 points (52 goals, 48 assists) in the playoffs.

"We gave up some good chances and [Holtby] was really good early, but we played a pretty good game," Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen said. "They scored on Crosby's three shifts in a row in the third period to win the game. Otherwise, we played pretty good. I don't think you need to overanalyze that."

Goal of the game

Guentzel's goal at 7:48 of the third period.

Save of the game

Murray's save on at Connolly 17:31 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Crosby's goal at 5:20 of the third period.

They said it

"Early on especially, you're just focusing on playing. You make adjustments as you go along, and so does the other team. So I think things will tighten up as the series goes along." -- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby
"[Holtby] was unbelievable today. You know, one mistake, one bad bounce and they're back in the game. That's it. Nothing you can say. It's over. We have to focus on our next game." -- Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin

Need to know

Guentzel leads the NHL with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in the playoffs. He is the 10th player to have at least 16 points through his team's first seven postseason games, third with the Penguins (Mario Lemieux, 1992; Crosby, 2010). ... Crosby, who has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in the playoffs, trails Mark Messier (77) and Wayne Gretzky (108) for most multipoint games. … Washington has blown a two-goal lead in three of its four postseason losses. … Ovechkin has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in seven playoff games.

What's next

Game 2 of Eastern Conference Second Round at Capital One Arena on Sunday (3 p.m ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS)