Ann 22009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Penguins Defeat Capitals 4-3 In OT To Take Series Lead
May 12th 2009 04:14
Just 24 hours after coming back from a two-game deficit to tie up the series against the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins took it one step further by grabbing a 4-3 win in overtime at the Verizon Center consequently making the Capitals the team to face elimination in the next game.
After a scoreless period where both teams played like they were afraid to concede the first goal, the floodgates opened in the second period when Jordan Staal scored his goal of the postseason to give the Penguins a one-goal lead. That lead didn't last long however as Ovechkin equalized the score one minute later with his ninth goal of the playoffs. Later on, the Caps took the lead with a superb powerplay goal by Nicklas Backstrom, a player mostly renowned for his passing skills.
Three more goals were scored in the third period as Ruslan Fedotenko tied the game early in the first minute and Matt Cooke restored the Penguins lead six minutes later. The visitors then proceeded to shut the game down but that wasn't enough to stop Ovechkin who forced the second overtime of this series with his second of the game.
Unfortunately of Washington's hope to win the game evaporated when Milan Jurcina took a tripping penalty one minute and a half into OT. It was only the second penalty called after a too-many-men infraction by Pittsburgh way back in the second period. As the penalty-clock winded down and it looked like the Capitals would succeed in killing it off, Evgeni Malkin, Game 3's hero, scored the Penguins' fourth goal of the game, giving Pittsburgh a well-deserved win and a 3-2 lead of the series overall.
All in all, the Penguins didn't look like they missed Gonchar too much – good for them since the defenseman will probably miss the rest of the playoffs – but the lack of powerplays probably made his absence a lot more bearable. On the other side, Mike Green is having a terrible postseason. He has the points - one goal and eight assists since the start of the playoffs – but watching the games, you never think that Washington's number 52 is a candidate for the Norris trophy (though he did play much better on Saturday). As the Capitals' number one defenseman, he has to be huge when his team needs him – not just offensively, but defensively as well.
My 3 Stars:
3. Nicklas Backstrom
2. Evgeni Malkin
1. Alexander Ovechkin
After a scoreless period where both teams played like they were afraid to concede the first goal, the floodgates opened in the second period when Jordan Staal scored his goal of the postseason to give the Penguins a one-goal lead. That lead didn't last long however as Ovechkin equalized the score one minute later with his ninth goal of the playoffs. Later on, the Caps took the lead with a superb powerplay goal by Nicklas Backstrom, a player mostly renowned for his passing skills.
Three more goals were scored in the third period as Ruslan Fedotenko tied the game early in the first minute and Matt Cooke restored the Penguins lead six minutes later. The visitors then proceeded to shut the game down but that wasn't enough to stop Ovechkin who forced the second overtime of this series with his second of the game.
Unfortunately of Washington's hope to win the game evaporated when Milan Jurcina took a tripping penalty one minute and a half into OT. It was only the second penalty called after a too-many-men infraction by Pittsburgh way back in the second period. As the penalty-clock winded down and it looked like the Capitals would succeed in killing it off, Evgeni Malkin, Game 3's hero, scored the Penguins' fourth goal of the game, giving Pittsburgh a well-deserved win and a 3-2 lead of the series overall.
All in all, the Penguins didn't look like they missed Gonchar too much – good for them since the defenseman will probably miss the rest of the playoffs – but the lack of powerplays probably made his absence a lot more bearable. On the other side, Mike Green is having a terrible postseason. He has the points - one goal and eight assists since the start of the playoffs – but watching the games, you never think that Washington's number 52 is a candidate for the Norris trophy (though he did play much better on Saturday). As the Capitals' number one defenseman, he has to be huge when his team needs him – not just offensively, but defensively as well.
My 3 Stars:
3. Nicklas Backstrom
2. Evgeni Malkin
1. Alexander Ovechkin
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