Penguins at Capitals
After overcoming the physical style of one opponent, the Washington Capitals showed they have the wheels to outrace another when they emerged victorious against the high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins to open their second-round series. Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington looks to capitalize on the momentum of T.J. Oshie's hat trick when it hosts Metropolitan Division-rival Pittsburgh in Game 2 on Saturday.
"I think the group has evolved to change their game enough that they still have their identity, (but) they have the ability to adapt to what the game is presenting," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told the Washington Post. The plodding pace of the first-round series with Philadelphia was cranked up several notches in Game 1 on Thursday, with Oshie's wraparound goal 9:33 into overtime standing up as the winner despite a lengthy review. Series focal points Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby primarily played a secondary role, as the former set up Oshie's second goal and was a plus-3 while the latter recorded no points and was a minus-3. Then again, the two superstars could be ready to erupt after making their presence felt with dueling hat tricks in Game 2 of their epic 2009 playoff series - setting the stage for a frantic seven-game set that saw Ovechkin score eight goals and set up six others and Crosby collect eight tallies and five assists.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Although rookie Matt Murray thought Oshie's final tally would be "close enough that it would be inconclusive," there was no denying the fine pad save he made on Ovechkin's partial breakaway bid with 3 1/2 minutes to play. "I tried to force him to make the first move," the 21-year-old Murray said of thwarting the three-time Hart Trophy winner. "It's no different than with any other player." Murray yielded four goals on 35 shots, matching the number of tallies he surrendered on 89 shots en route to winning the final three contests to eliminate the New York Rangers in the first round.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Andre Burakovsky shook off any lingering resentment following his demotion to the third line by continuing to torment the Penguins. "He had that look in his eye,” Trotz told the Washington Post of the 21-year-old Burakovsky, whose Game 1 tally marked not only his first point of the postseason but his third straight goal versus Pittsburgh. "When he starts to feel it, he gets some shots off. He had a couple good looks (on Thursday)."
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh C Nick Bonino scored and set up a goal in Game 1, lifting his point total to seven (one goal, six assists) in the 2016 playoffs.
2. Capitals G Braden Holtby's workload received quick the uptick as the Vezina Trophy finalist saw 45 shots come his way on Thursday after facing just 36 in the final two contests versus the Flyers.
3. After Washington and Pittsburgh each scored eight times on the power play in their first-round series, the Capitals failed on all four opportunities with the man advantage in Game 1 while the Penguins went 0-for-2.