The Washington Capitals got the push back they were looking for and needed in Game 5 Saturday night.
With a strong effort in the goal from Braden Holtby, the Capitals stayed alive in their series with a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh.
“We all got together after practice and just talked about it. And we just learned that we’re really, really tight,” Washington defenseman Karl Alzner said. “No one wants to be finished playing right now. And I think you’re going to see probably the best hockey that this team’s played this year.”
The Caps now trail the series 3-2 heading to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for Game 6.
“We’ll put the game behind us, but nothing is easy,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “This is a hard league. It’s hard to win. We’re playing against a really good team. We think we’re a really good team. But as far as the game is concerned, for us we [have to] have a short memory.”
Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams scored for Washington.
“We didn’t want to give up,” Ovechkin said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of position we are [in]. We knew we have to do it. Forget it and next one is a big one, I think, with our team and with our group. We can’t stop.”
Chris Kunitz was the lone scorer for Pittsburgh.
Two of the Caps goals came on the power play and Sullivan pointed to a loss of discipline in the loss.
“Our team has had success because we’ve had discipline and playing the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “When you play a team like Washington that has a power play as good as it is, you can’t give it an opportunity to be the difference.”
With the series extended, the Capitals will see the return of Brooks Orpik from suspension.
“He’s going to bring a lot to our team,” Holtby said. “But he’s also one of the guys who has instilled in us to have confidence in our team no matter who is out there. That shows the leadership he brings and we feed off that.”
Matt Murray took the loss on 16 saves; Holtby made 30 saves in the win.
