Head hit on Crosby overshadows Caps’ win
PITTSBURGH— The Penguins lost a hockey game on Monday night. In overtime, no less. And if that turns out to be the largest amount of damage done, chances are they’d be perfectly fine with that.
Kevin Shattenkirk scored at 3:13 of overtime to send the Capitals to a 3-2 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, but it was a first-period injury — or maybe two — to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby that will be of greater concern in the coming days.
Crosby was injured at 5:24 of the opening period and did not return. No information was immediately available on his condition, although the Penguins were expected to offer an update after the game.
Alex Ovechkin made initial contact with Crosby, his stick coming up high. It also appeared that Ovechkin used his legs to knock Crosby off balance. With Crosby unable to avoid contact or protect himself, Niskanen cross-checked him in the temple. Crosby’s left leg was pinned underneath him, and it shot out violently and awkwardly as he hit the ice.
Crosby remained face-down on the ice for nearly a minute before standing and leaving the ice with help from head athletic trainer Chris Stewart.
Niskanen was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking.
The Penguins were unable to muster much offensively, before Evgeni Malkin and Justin Schultz scored in the final 1:53 of regulation to force overtime.
Shattenkirk’s goal came on the power play, from long range, the Capitals second man-advantage goal of the game.
The Penguins still hold a 2-1 advan- tage, with Game 4 in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Crosby wasn’t the only Penguin who left with an injury, either, as this series took a nasty turn.
Winger Conor Sheary collided with Hornqvist at 2:24 of the second period. He, too, did not return.
Sheary’s sternum appeared to bear the brunt of the hit, but Sheary went to the Penguins dressing room holding a towel to his mouth.
The Penguins’ went 0-for-5 on the power play despite 10 shots.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who was terrific in stopping 30 of 33 shots, was especially brilliant late in the second period. Evgeny Kuznetsov had what appeared to be a surefire goal. An acrobatic stick save from Fleury kept it out. Also crucial was Hornqvist yanking the puck off the goal-line with his glove.
Chris Kunitz was noticeable all night and appeared to tie the score1-1 at 1:05 of the second period when he deflected a puck past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby.
The call on the ice was a goal. Video review said everything checked out OK, although officials appeared to only look at whether the puck crossed the goal-line before the net was off its moorings.
When Washington challenged for goaltender interference, the call was reversed and the goal was wiped out.
Kunitz, who blasted T.J. Oshie with a ferocious hit at 5:05 of the second period, nearly scored again on a rebound after Malkin’s shot, but Holtby made a glove save.
Washington grabbed its first lead of the series with a fluky, five-on-three goal at 13:05. Nicklas Backstrom shot the puck from the right corner. It bounced off Fleury’s stick and Ian Cole’s leg and caromed into the net.
The Capitals stretched their lead to 2-0 at 9:46. Kuznetsov took a pass from Marcus Johansson to the right of Fleury’s crease, waited an extra beat and roofed a shot.
Malkin broke the shutout with a goal at18:07 of the third period, blasting a one-timer off a feed from Phil Kessel from the right circle.
Schultz pumped a shot through that ricocheted off two Capitals defenders and past Holtby.