Penguins chase Holtby, beat Capitals to take 2-0 series lead
WASHINGTON >> With Sidney Crosby continuing his brilliance for the Penguins and Braden Holtby not having the same response in net for the Capitals, the second-round series between the NHL’s top teams has tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor.
Crosby set up two goals and the Penguins chased Holtby in a 6-2 victory Saturday night in Game 2, taking a commanding 2-0 lead back home. Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced in his second consecutive strong performance and Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel scored twice to put the Presidents’ Trophy winners in a historically difficult hole.
Teams that have lost the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home are 18-69 (21.7 percent) all time in the Stanley Cup playoffs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. To attempt their own comeback, the Capitals might turn back to Holtby for Game 3 Monday night in Pittsburgh after backup Philipp Grubauer allowed two goals on the first four shots he faced in relief.
Holtby had surrendered three goals on 14 shots before getting the hook after the second period Saturday. The goals by Matt Cullen (short-handed), Kessel and Guentzel weren’t all Holtby’s fault because of miscues and odd-man rushes, but the reigning Vezina Trophy winner didn’t make the timely save his team needed.
Grubauer allowed goals to Kessel and Evgeni Malkin early in the third, but the Penguins continued to pour it on and got an empty-netter from Guentzel in the final minute. It was his playoff-leading seventh goal.
After outshooting the Penguins 35-21 in their Game 1 loss, the Capitals came out firing with 10 of the first 11 shots Saturday night. They dominated territorially and tested Fleury but couldn’t crack him as the teams went through another first period without a goal.
Complaining of no power plays in Game 1, the Capitals did nothing with their two firstperiod chances and gave up the first goal on the third early in the second. Cullen blocked Kevin Shattenkirk’s shot from the point, blew around Washington’s big trade-deadline acquisition and slid the puck between Holtby’s legs for the shorthanded goal 1:15 into the second even as T.J. Oshie hooked him from behind.
When Backstrom won a puck battle in the corner, Niskanen answered right back 54 seconds later with a power-play goal to tie it. SENATORS 6, RANGERS 5 >> JeanGabriel Pageau scored a career-high four goals, including the winner 2:54 into the second overtime to lift Ottawa over New York, giving the Senators a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“I think I closed my eyes when I shot and thankfully it went in,” Pageau said of the winner. “I was on a cloud and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
The 24-year-old Ottawa native also scored twice in the final 3:19 to tie the score. He tipped Zack Smith’s shot past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist to pull the Senators to 5-4 and then tied it by deflecting a shot by Kyle Turris with 1:02 remaining.
“That last deflection I don’t even know how he did that,” Lundqvist said. “The way he angled the stick he didn’t even know he hit the net I think.”
Pageau scored again 2:54 into the second OT, snapping in a shot during a 2-on-1 rush alongside Tommy Wingels. Pageau is the first Senator ever with four goals in a playoff game.
“I thought his quota was full,” captain Erik Karlsson said when asked if Pageau was his pick for the double OT winner.
After his OT score, Pageau slid into the end boards, skated to the left corner and was swarmed by teammates. Wingels stopped to scoop the puck out of the goal before joining the pile.
“It’s just great to see him get rewarded: four-goal game, overtime winner. It’s just a legendary game,” teammate Dion Phaneuf said.