Capitals at Penguins
Alex Ovechkin's detractors appear to come out en masse during the postseason due in large part because the three-time Hart Trophy winner has yet to guide the Washington Capitals past the second round. After recording his 10th goal and 20th point in 19 contests in which the Capitals face elimination, Ovechkin looks to temporarily quiet the critics once again on Monday, when his team visits the Pittsburgh Penguins for Game 6 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.
"We're still down. We take good moments in the game (Saturday) and move forward," Ovechkin, who capped Washington's three-goal third period in Saturday's 4-2 triumph with his eighth point (five goals, three assists) of the playoffs, told reporters. While the 31-year-old Russian has been impressive versus Pittsburgh with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 career postseason games, the Penguins have enjoyed the last laugh by winning seven of the previous eight series - and going on to capture the Stanley Cup after the last two (2009, 2016). Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan isn't interested in history, whether it dates back to last season's second-round series versus Washington - the Penguins won in six games - or the events of Game 5. "We have to have a short memory," Sullivan told reporters. "We just have to reset our mindset and go home and try to put our very best on the ice."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: While Ovechkin often gets the headlines, countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to be one of the main stories of this series after scoring a goal in each of the last three games to tie Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin for the team lead with five. The affable 24-year-old Kuznetsov often is one to make outlandish statements, too, but played it close to the vest with reporters when he shared the team's mindset. "We talked about winning (Game 5) and then going to Pittsburgh and win another game," Kuznetsov said. "Now we have to focus on the second game. We can't think about Game 7. We just focus on Game 6 right now."
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Captain Sidney Crosby and fellow forward Conor Sheary returned on Saturday from one-game absences due to concussions, with the former notching his franchise high-tying 96th playoff assist for his 12th point (four goals, eight assists) in nine contests this postseason. Crosby told reporters that his team needs to focus on puck possession as a means to overcome a huge shot discrepancy in the series (Washington leads 174-115). "I would say just a little bit more zone time," the two-time Hart Trophy winner - and 2017 finalist - told reporters. "If we can hold on to the puck a little bit more, we should get more shots. I think we'll generate a little bit more from that."
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin has collected two goals and four assists during his four-game point streak.
2. The Capitals have won Game 6 in four of their last five series in which they have trailed 3-2, although they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to Pittsburgh in 2016.
3. The Penguins have converted on the power play in back-to-back contests, raising their total to eight goals with the man advantage in 10 playoff games.