Hornqvist scores in OT, Penguins beat Capitals 3-2

Tune in for tonight’s Penguins vs Capitals game that will tilt the series advantage one way or the other.

Daley’s first playoff goal in almost two years tied it later in the period, as his shot from the top of the right circle deflected off a Washington defenseman and Holtby. The 21-year-old Weyburn, Sask., native played about 12 minutes in his first ever National Hockey League playoff game, though saw little ice during the Capitals furious third-period comeback. At even-strength play, Washington managed 43 shots on goal, much more than Pittsburgh’s 19.

The Penguins meanwhile are sitting pretty right now with another home game on tap tonight and holding a 2-1 series lead but they know they can’t be comfortable as the Caps are going to come out firing and face a basic must win in this position.

Letang drilled Johansson in the upper body well after the puck was gone, Letang’s shoulder making contact with Johansson’s chest and chin.

“It was obviously great to see the puck go in, we win the game and we’re up 3-1”, Hornqvist said. While Fleury remains a vital part of the club – his stellar play early in the season nearly singlehandedly kept the Penguins afloat before Sullivan’s arrival in mid-December – he also understands the business side of things.

The simple answer in the wake of the Penguins’ dramatic 3-2 overtime victory Wednesday is that the Capitals, for all their resolve and success and talent, are once again staring into the abyss.

Capitals winger Marcus Johansson, who absorbed Letang’s hit, did not practice Tuesday.

Hornqvist grabbed hold of a blocked point shot, beating Braden Holtby for the game victor.

Washington Capitals’ Tom Wilson (43) grabs Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kris Letang (58) by the sweater during the first period of Game 3 in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference semifinals in Pittsburgh, Monday, May 2, 2016. Justin Schultz is expected to fill in for Letang during the suspension.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took a commanding series lead after Patric Hornqvist buried the game-winner off a Washington Capitals turnover early into the overtime period.

To say this was a must win for the Capitals is an understatement.

“With those guys out, we really had other players step up”, Hornqvist said. To tie this Eastern Conference Semifinal, and ensure that it would return to Pittsburgh next Tuesday, the Capitals would need to take advantage of an increasingly tired and temporarily shorthanded Penguins squad.

“It’s going to be tough, but we’ve been battling through injuries all year long”, Letang said, noting Evgeni Malkin’s lengthy absence at the end of the regular season. The Penguins acquired Schultz from Edmonton in February and he hadn’t played since Game 1 of the opening playoff series against the Rangers. The two teams held serve in the third after Carlson’s game-tying marker late in the second, which saw Washington’s leading playoff scorer (10 points) open on the weak-side of the ice. “If they’re just a hard forechecking hit or a good battle and a hit and a guy gets hurt, then that’s something you can handle a lot better”. “(Tuesday) we kept pushing, we kept attacking”.

Looking to avoid falling into a 3-1 series hole, Holtby and the Capitals should respond with their best effort in Game 4.

Later in the opening frame Alex Ovechkin whistled a shot at Murray that was stopped easily. “We have to be better in that area, and I think we improved a lot”.