Capitals win, force Game 7
Penguins have never lost Game 7 to Caps in three tries.
PITTSBURGH — Andre Burakovsky scored twice, Nicklas Backstrom got his sixth goal of the playoffs and the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 Monday night to force a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference semifinal.
Jo h n Ca r l s o n a n d T. J. Oshie also scored for the Capit als. Braden Holtby stopped 16 shots to send the series back to Washington for the deciding game Wednesday night.
Jake Guentzel picked up his playoff-leading ninth go a l a nd Evge ni Mal k i n added another 52 seconds later in the third period for the Penguins, but the Capit als controlled play throughout. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 21 saves and received little help in front of him.
This is the fourth time the Penguins and Capitals will meet in a Game 7. Pittsburgh has won each of the three previous deciding games, the last in 2009 in Washington on its way to the Stanley Cup.
The Capitals appeared on the verge of another unceremonious exit at the hands of the Penguins going into the third period of Game 5. The Presidents’ Trophy winners responded with a three-goal barrage over the final 20 minutes that extended their season.
The momentum carried over two days later and 250 miles northwest.
Wa s h i n g t o n s y s t e m - a t i c a l l y d i s mant l e d t h e d e f e n d i n g S t a n l e y C u p champions, who looked listless as they struggled to generate any kind of sustained pressure.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was a nonfactor for a second straight game after sitting out Game 4 with a concussion. He took a nasty spill in the first period when he was slammed into the end boards head-first while he tangled with Carlson. He remained in the game but found little room to work.
Rangers: Some interesting facts on the Senators-Rangers playoff series, which resumes tonight in New York:
■ In the five games, the Rangers have led for 179 minutes, 52 seconds; the Senators have been ahead for just 13:10, yet Ottawa l e a d s t h e b e s t - o f - s e ve n series 3-2.
■ T h e R a n g e r s h a v e scored first in every game and have outscored the Senators 18-15, including 4-1 on special teams.
But t h e Range r s h ave blown two-goal leads that led to the overtime losses in Ottawa in Games 2 and 5.
Ducks: Sunday’s 7-1 loss at Edmonton means Game 7 i s We d n e s d a y n i g h t a t Anaheim, with the winner advancing to face the Predators in the conference finals.
A n a h e i m wi l l l o o k t o end a trend of having lost a Game 7 at home in four straight years. Anaheim was eliminated in the first round of 2013 (Detroit) and 2016 (Nashville), the second round in 2014 (Los Angeles), and the conference finals in 2015 (Chicago) in Game 7s at the Honda Center.