There are more than a few teams in this league against whom you can play well for 30 minutes and get the W.
The Washington Capitals are not one of those teams.
And despite the Pens owning a large chunk of the puck at even strength, they just didn’t seem to have it all together last night. Let’s face it: when you’re shelled 7-1 the last time out against Team X, the last thing you want to do is give up a goal on the first shot, 35 seconds into the game. It certainly doesn’t help that goal is to Alex Ovechkin’s team or when Braden Holtby has been playing like the best goalie on the planet or when the Ovechkin/Backstrom combo was on world beater level.
FIRST PERIOD
As it turns out Donald Trump isn’t the only person in Washington that got pissed on by a Russian. Add Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury to that list. Haters wanna hate. Lovers wanna love. Ovi don’t wanna do none of the above. He wants to piss on you. 1-0 Caps
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A story that has been over 10 years in the making, there was just no way it wouldn’t be scripted for Ovi to score his 1000th point against the Penguins. Glad we got it over with 35 seconds into the game. Not a whole lot Fleury can do there.
About 3 minutes later, Oshie went off for two-handing Rust to put the Pens up a man. This would be a theme because TJ Oshie is a shitsipper. They registered just one shot on goal with the man advantage. Then, with Orpik and Cullen both in the box for jobbing one another, the game opened up with some 4 on 4 Moscow Ritz Carlton action. Both teams traded chances, but it was MAF that made the best denial.
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Ultimately, the period was pretty wide open, leaning in the Penguins favor. They took a 13-9 shot advantage into the break, while having 11 more blocked by the Caps. But Ovi’s 1000th was the highlight.
SECOND PERIOD
There was a much different start and feel to the second than was the story of the first. Barry Trotz glued the Caps Lock key down because it was all Caps in the early stages. They controlled what was left of a carry-over 4v4 from the 1st, then got 2 straight powerplays after the Pens got caught with too many men and Hagelin “hooked up” Tom Rimjob. They’d kill off the first, but Ovi would get his 1001st point on the second one. 2-0 Caps
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Better get used to big Russian bombs, folks. But for real, he’s just unstoppable from there. This after he missed just wide and cranked one off the post from the same spot. Knew it was coming, but still can’t stop it. What a shot.
Pens had a chance late in the period to break the shutout with Brett Connolly in the box for putting his stick in Fehr’s mouth, but Holtby was brilliant. ‘Member when the Bruins traded two (!!!) 2nds for Brett Connolly because he had 12 goals on a 16.2% shooting percentage?
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With about 2 minutes left, the Pens kept pissing into the wind and gave the Caps yet another PP, but didn’t concede and took the 2-0 deficit into the third.
THIRD PERIOD
The game would all but officially end just 4:31 into the third period. Kuznetsov would put on a show, skating circles around the Pens before setting up Justin Cup Winner. 3-0
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Still not entirely sure how that got through Fleury. The slight bite on Kuz’ fake wraparound opened him up and that was all she wrote. I, however, will write a little more.
About 3 minutes later, Orlov would get sent to the box for roughing after an exchange with Hagelin. Hags breathed in the general area of Holtby or something. Holtby again was stellar on the PK.
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That would have likely kept his shutout bid going if not for Matt Niskanen making it Come Undone by getting his stick on a Malkin one-T. 3-1
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In what proved to be the final death blow, Oleksy would end up back in the box 4.5 minutes later. And, while Letang sprung Cullen for a shorthanded breakaway that would’ve breathed new life into the Pens, he only found the crossbar. Backstrom would drain the rest of the life out of the game. 4-1
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Pens were understandably pressing, all 4 guys being in a straight, vertical line from the goal line to the blue line hardly seems like proper penalty killing.
With the L looming, TJ Oshie two-handed Sheary this time around because he’s a fucking dickbag. Pens PP had more fluidity than a couple of buckets of sweet golden body ale. 4-2
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Unreal passing sequence. For as good as Crosby’s pass was to Hornqvist, that goal was only made possible by the return pass from Phil.
Eller would add the ENG off Hornqvist’s stick then Letang’s head because it was that kind of night. 5-2
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Game.
RANDOM NOTES
- Ovechkin show last night.
- Nick Backstrom has literally like 873 points against the Pens this year.
- Pens now drop to 10-5-1 and 7-8-1 when trailing after 1 period and 2 period, respectively.
- Kessel and Schultz now both on 6 game point streaks. So that’s fun and cool.
Pens get an immediate chance to get back on track tonight as they head to the other capital to take on Ottawa. Do it.
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