Capitals don’t have answer for Penguins’ ‘compete level — LOVERRO

Can the Washington Capitals clench the win on their own ice? Teams that have lost the first two games at home in a best-of-seven series are 18-69 to advance all-time. When these two get on the ice, it’s like they have a game between themselves. There’s just too much history built into this franchise for doubt not to creep in as soon as an early opportunity slips away in a game that was there for the taking.

Guentzel added an empty-netter for his seventh goal of the playoffs.

“They’re a privilege to coach, this group”, said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.

We’ll wait to see how that Blues-Predators series plays out, but there isn’t a team almost as complete as the one the Penguins are dispatching with seeming ease. It’ll be interesting to see where Hagelin slots in the lineup in Game 3, specifically if we see the HBK line back together for a full game. “It’s fun to be a part of it”. They were relentless, they were drawing penalties, they earned a standing ovation from Capitals fans without even scoring a goal.

“We certainly would like to have better starts”.

“We didn’t have the luxury of choosing whether we wanted to play well or not on the road and with that comes some confidence”, Yeo said. I think we weathered their storm there. Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding in goal, carrying them to a win they might not have deserved. Evgeny Kuznetsov evened the game at 2-2 in the third and Nick Bonino got the game-winner with 8 minutes to play. They dominated territorially and tested Fleury but couldn’t crack him as the teams went through another first period without a goal.

“We can’t get frustrated”. “They’re scrappy. It’s a never-say-die attitude”.

Henrik Lundqvist may be keeping them in it right now, but I’m not sure how he would do against Pittsburgh’s high-flying offence.

That marked the end of Holtby’s night after two periods as the 2016 Vezina Trophy victor was again not at his best as Fleury stole the show.

This isn’t the first slow start Pittsburgh has had this postseason, and that’s some cause for concern.

This spring it was Murray, fully installed as the starter, cruising towards the playoffs with better stats (.923 save%) in his first full National Hockey League season than Fleury had in a career. We won one out of three games against the Senators this season, but we still showed them up well.

The Devils finished the regular season with just 70 points, tied with Arizona for the third fewest in the overall standings.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Vezina Trophy victor Braden Holtby was yanked out of the Washington Capitals’ net during Game 2 of their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, replaced in goal by Philipp Grubauer to start the third period Saturday night. “You don’t know that till you’re in the game”.

“Sometimes depending on the situations it’s nearly the road team that dictates how the game is played because just the guys they put on the ice in certain faceoffs, and then the other team has to respond to that”, Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk said.

“So, I don’t think specifics are important to get out into the media”. But I do know this: as I’ve said, his body of work has been excellent. Pittsburgh RW Patric Hornqvist left the game in the first period after blocking a shot by John Carlson and did not return.

“Haggy’s a great two-way player”, Kessel said. “You don’t expect anything less”. We’re not going to back off.

Right now, the Penguins’ offense is clicking. All Penguins: Malkin (13: 3G, 10A), Crosby (11: 4, 7), Kessel (11: 4, 7) and Guentzel (10: 7, 3).

Holtby has not been on his game for the Capitals and was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots.

“It’s never where you want to be”, he said. “I was just trying to change the mojo”. “They’re special athletes, both those guys, and they look for those big moments and they capitalize on those big moments”. “That 3rd goal, that’s a big moment”. That’s where your goalie needs to come up with a save, and I just didn’t.

The series heads to NY for Game 3 on Tuesday night. For the second game in a row, the Capitals had a huge lead in shot attempts (89-40). When Murray couldn’t loosen up pain-free for Game 1 of the playoffs the Pens had to look back in Fleury’s direction. Climbing out of that will be especially challenging with the next two games in Pittsburgh, and what were once strengths for the team – defense and goaltending – now seem to be weaknesses. Capitals RW T.J. Oshie had an assist and has earned nine points (three goals, six assists) in eight games this postseason.

Then the quick-strike Penguins were at it again. That dropped the Capitals into a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference second-round series.