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Round 2 - Game 1
Series Start
Mon. April 26 Washington Capitals @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM (https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/2017030221) for Live Box Score
Pittsburgh Penguins 100-47-29-6 Last Game: Apr 22 Won 8-5 Against Flyers - Won Series 4-2
Washington Capitals 105-49-26-7 Last Game: Apr 23 Won 6-3 Against Blue Jackets - Won Series 4-2
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
18-Stephenson 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
10-Connolly 20-Eller 25-Smith-Pelly
13-Vrana 83-Beagle 39-Chiasson
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
70-Holtby (starter)
31-Grubauer
-- SCRATCH --
65-Burakovsky ("upper-body" injury, out for rest of series, needs surgery)
63-Gersich
72-Boyd
64-Pinho
28-Jerabek
22-Bowey
1-Copley
-- INJURED RESERVE --
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
20-Eller 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 18-Stephenson 10-Connolly
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Dan O’Halloran (#13), Brad Meier (#34)
Linesmen: Brian Murphy (#93), Michel Cormier (#76)
Pittsburgh’s expected lineup
Forwards
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
Dominik Simon - Riley Sheahan - Phil Kessel
Connor Sheary - Derick Brassard - Bryan Rust
Zach Aston-Reese - Carter Rowney - Tom Kuhnhackl
Defensemen
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
Olli Maatta - Justin Schultz
Jamie Oleksiak - Chad Ruhwedel
Goaltenders
Murray
Casey DeSmith
Scratches:
Evgeny Malkin (lower body)
Carl Hagelin (upper-body)
Matt Hunwick
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1st Period
00:17 GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 8-Ovechkin & 43-Wilson 1-0 WSH
2nd Period
None
3rd Period
00:28 GOAL -Ovechkin, assists 43-Wilson & 9-Orlov 2-0 WSH
02:59 Hens GOAL Hornqvist, assists Schultz & Guentzel 2-1 WSH
05:20 Hens GOAL Crosby, assists Guentzel & Hornqvist 2-2 TIE
07:48 Hens GOAL Guentzel, assist Crosby 3-2 PIT
FINAL: 3-2 PIT
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by Isabelle Khurshudyan, Roman Stubbs, Scott Allen and Neil Greenberg April 26 at 12:27 PM
2018 NHL playoffs: Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals Game 1 updates, analysis
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Rivals Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby meet in the playoffs once more. (Associated Press)
Game 1
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
Series: Start
Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena
TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
Full series schedule
Game 2: at Washington, 3 p.m. Sunday
Game 3: at Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Game 4: at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Thursday
Game 5 (if necessary): at Washington, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Pittsburgh, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Washington, TBD
- Penguins center Evgeni Malkin will miss Game 1, a huge opportunity for the Capitals. (Read More (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/26/2018-nhl-playoffs-pittsburgh-penguins-washington-capitals-game-1-updates-analysis/?utm_term=.8713cd24a5d9#story))
- All eyes will be on Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. (Read More (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/26/2018-nhl-playoffs-pittsburgh-penguins-washington-capitals-game-1-updates-analysis/?utm_term=.8713cd24a5d9#players))
- Relive the top five moments in the rivalry between Ovechkin and Crosby. (Read more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/26/2018-nhl-playoffs-pittsburgh-penguins-washington-capitals-game-1-updates-analysis/?utm_term=.8713cd24a5d9#links))
Pregame story lines
Pittsburgh injuries: Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and speedy winger Carl Hagelin will both miss Thursday’s game with injuries, creating a huge opportunity for the Capitals. With 42 goals and 56 assists this season, Malkin was arguably Pittsburgh’s best player, and his absence will give Washington the advantage in center depth. But the Capitals have had opportunities like this against the Penguins before, and they haven’t capitalized. A year ago, captain Sidney Crosby missed one game because of a concussion, and the Capitals still lost. In the 2016 second-round meeting between the teams, top defenseman Kris Letang was suspended for a game, and Washington didn’t win that game, either. The Capitals can’t afford a 2-0 series hole like they had against Columbus, and that starts with taking advantage of a depleted Penguins team on Thursday night.
Power play: Penalties in this series could be costly for both teams. Though Washington’s shorthanded unit killed 17 straight penalties over the final four games against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, Pittsburgh’s power play is more dangerous. The Penguins had five power-play goals in 25 opportunities in their first-round series, and the unit was the league’s best during the regular season with a 26.2 percentage. The Capitals’ man-advantage is arguably even hotter at the moment; Washington scored a whopping nine power-play goals in six first-round games against Columbus.
Goaltending: After Braden Holtby started the postseason on the bench, beat out for the starting job by Philipp Grubauer, he’s earned his place back in net and rebounded from a tough second half of the season with a strong showing in the playoffs, a .932 save percentage and 1.92 goals against average, winning all four of his starts against the Blue Jackets in the first round. But Holtby struggled against Pittsburgh in the postseason a year ago with an .887 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average. Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray looked shaky at times against the Flyers in the Penguins’ first-round series, and though he was injured during the teams’ meeting a year ago, his postseason résumé is impressive, including two championships already. He has a .926 save percentage and a 1.99 goals against average over his career in the playoffs.
“They kind of sat back in the [defensive] zone and kind of drown you out and then wait for you to kind of make a mistake and then it’d be boom, two-on-one, breakaway or something like that,” Holtby said of the Penguins. “They wait for the grade-A chances instead of just ‘hope’ chances, and I think we’ve learned a lot from that.”
Players to watch
Alex Ovechkin: The Capitals’ captain said he “can’t wait” to play the Penguins, and after he had a monster season with a league-leading 49 goals, his postseason is off to an impressive start: five goals and eight points through Washington’s first six games. That’s already matched his point total from his 13-game playoff run a year ago, when he was playing through knee and hamstring injuries. Over his career, Ovechkin has averaged nearly a point per game in the postseason.
Sidney Crosby: As the Penguins scored 4.67 goals per game in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Crosby lead the way with six goals and seven assists for 13 points through six games. He’s won the Conn Smythe trophy in back-to-back seasons as the most valuable player over consecutive Stanley Cup championship runs, and Washington will devote its top defensive pairing of Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen to stopping Crosby and his top line, also featuring Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist.
Pregame reading
Immerse yourself in the Capitals’ postseason with The Post’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs:
So they meet again: Five top moments in the Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby rivalry (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/26/so-they-meet-again-five-top-moments-in-the-alex-ovechkin-sidney-crosby-rivalry/?utm_term=.c85d0a558025)
Capitals and Penguins: A landscape of pain and agony (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/04/26/capitals-and-penguins-a-landscape-of-pain-and-agony/?utm_term=.d20d49f0f1f4)
For the Capitals to make a leap, Braden Holtby must provide safety in net (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/for-the-capitals-to-make-a-leap-braden-holtby-must-provide-safety-in-net/2018/04/25/2313ccd4-48be-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?utm_term=.8052014bc7dc)
‘We’re actually quite excited about it’: Caps want their Cup quest to go through Pens (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/25/capitals-excited-to-write-new-ending-for-familiar-playoff-story-against-penguins/?utm_term=.7ff4cffa9a95)
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin will miss Game 1 against Capitals (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/25/penguins-evgeni-malkin-will-miss-game-1-against-capitals/?utm_term=.60f7ae88f4de)
No doubt: Capitals’ Braden Holtby kept his confidence amid a season of struggles (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/24/no-doubt-capitals-braden-holtby-kept-his-confidence-amid-a-season-of-struggles/?utm_term=.0a8e0f51fe03)
Fancy Stats: Three reasons this Capitals-Penguins series will be different (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2018/04/24/three-reasons-this-capitals-penguins-series-will-be-different/?utm_term=.1db016a95905)
An early look at the Penguins-Capitals Stanley Cup playoff clash, part 11 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/24/an-early-look-at-the-penguins-capitals-stanley-cup-playoff-clash-part-11/?utm_term=.d76523c01ea5)
Alex Ovechkin delivers in the clutch, and ‘a huge opportunity’ awaits (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/alex-ovechkin-delivers-in-the-clutch-and-a-huge-opportunity-awaits/2018/04/24/069457c0-470d-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?utm_term=.078cc188b7c0)
Capitals-Blue Jackets Game 6: Washington wins series; Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby next (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/?utm_term=.9cb002bb96e7)
Chandler Stephenson’s breakout moment comes at the perfect time for the Capitals (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/chandler-stephensons-breakout-moment-comes-at-the-perfect-time-for-the-capitals/2018/04/24/745ab28e-4737-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?utm_term=.ec1daf9ea8d3)
It’s not just you: The Caps really do play an absurd number of overtime playoff games (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/04/23/its-not-just-you-the-caps-really-do-play-an-absurd-number-of-overtime-playoff-games/?utm_term=.6161f8a1b33a)
Nicklas Backstrom, the picture of the Capitals’ playoff pain, is now the image of their joy (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/22/nicklas-backstrom-the-picture-of-the-capitals-playoff-pain-is-now-the-image-of-their-joy/?utm_term=.2b467e363b78)
John Carlson continues to build on stellar postseason reputation (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/20/john-carlson-continues-to-build-on-a-stellar-postseason-reputation/?utm_term=.2ef1e9cead67)
:headbang:
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