Penguins chase Holtby and beat the Capitals

When Sidney Crosby wasn’t beating the Washington Capitals putting the puck through his legs, he was doing it belly down on the ice.

No matter the unconventional plays or style of game, Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are rolling after beating the Capitals 6-2 in Game 2 Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in the second-round series between the NHL’s top two teams. Crosby set up two goals and Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel each scored two as Pittsburgh chased reigning Vezina Trophy winner and finalist Braden Holtby to go home in total command.

“I think we’ve got a gritty group out there, scrappy,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s not perfect by any stretch out there. We’re aware of that, we know that. But what I love about this group of players is that they respond the right way and they've shown and ability to do that time and time again and I think this group finds ways to have success.”

Success came in the form of another brilliant outing from goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced, including 16 in the first period. Sullivan called Fleury the Penguins’ best player, and even with Crosby's four points through two games he's not wrong.

Holtby has not been on his game for the Capitals and was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots. Barry Trotz could go back to Holtby in a crucial Game 3 Monday night in Pittsburgh after backup Philipp Grubauer allowed two goals on the first four shots he faced in relief.

That's as big a game as Washington will face as just 18 of the previous 87 teams to lose the first two in a best-of-seven series have come back to win, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“I thought some of the goals he wasn't as sharp as he can be for us,” Trotz said of Holtby. “He's a game-changer for us. When he didn't change the game, I just looked to change the mojo a little bit there, that's all.”

Fleury hasn't been the Penguins' backbone, serving as the backup to Matt Murray during their Stanley Cup run last year and splitting the duties with the young goalie this season. But the 2009 Cup winner is one of the biggest reasons they're up 2-0 as he has stopped 67 of 71 shots through two games.