PITTSBURGH – The Washington Capitals traveled to PPG Paints Arena for game six looking to build on the momentum gained from winning game five. The Pittsburgh Penguins were hoping that home ice would tip the scales in their favor. From the moment the puck dropped, it was clear the Caps came to play, hungry to even up the series.
The Capitals pressured the Pens early and often, controlling the puck in both zones and dominating neutral ice. Just five minutes into the period, Jake Guentzel was sent off for hooking, leading to Capitals power play. T.J. Oshie cashed in by beating Marc-Andre Fleury from the slot with a one timer, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom.
The Caps continued to dominate throughout the remainder of the first period. The Penguins got a power play opportunity with a couple minutes remaining but could not get anything going. Heading into the locker room the Capitals lead both on the score board and all over the score sheet.
The Penguins came out in the second needing to change things up. Coach Sullivan shuffled the lines up, but the Capitals continued dominating in all facets of the the game. Halfway through the second Andre Burakovsky made the most of a turnover beating Fleury stick side, putting the Caps up 2-0. The Penguins mounted a late rush but could not get anything past Braden Holtby. The Capitals killed off a penalty and finished off the period up by two.
Opening the third period, the Penguins needed to generate some offense but sixteen seconds in, Backstrom buried a breakaway past Fleury’s glove. The Penguins tried to get something going but could not generate any offense. The Capitals would have two power plays in the first half of the third keeping the Pens on their heels. John Carlson scored on the second power play beating Fleury glove side high with just over 8 minutes left, putting the Capitals up 4-0. Burakovsky added another goal on an odd-man rush thirty seconds later, putting the game out of reach at 5-0 Caps with 7:31 left to go.
Burakovsky’s Second Goal (Video)
The Penguins added a couple of late goals but still lost 5-2 and will look ahead to game seven Wednesday in Washington with the series now tied 3-3. The winner of that game will play for the Conference Final. The Capitals have the momentum and will be playing on home ice. Pittsburgh once lead 3-1 in the series and will have to dig deep to try and close out with a win. The Capitals will be looking to carry the dominant play from the past two games into game seven.
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