Down but not out, the Caps marched into Pittsburgh on Monday night and came out with a 3-2 win in OT. The victory wasn’t boring and your nerves are probably frayed, but the Caps are right back in this series.
Kevin Shattenkirk, who has looked shaky since early in Round One, found the back of the net on the PP it OT to give the Caps the win to cap off a wild night. Sidney Crosby left the game and didn’t return after taking a blow to the head from Matt Niskanen, Nick Backstrom scored a weird goal, and Evgeny Kuznetsov finished off a play that showed passing and patience work sometimes, and the guy who yells “SHOOOOOOOT” isn’t always right.
After dominating shot attempts in the first two games, Game Three was more even, as the Caps out-attempted the Pens 45-35. What a difference a bounce here or there and strong goaltending can make.
- The Caps began the game with 7D but that obviously didn’t last long. Here’s how the ice time shook out for the 6 blue liners who didn’t get ejected: Carlson, 25:34; Alzner, 21:34; Orpik, 19:04; Orlov, 18:01; Schmidt, 17:42; Shattenkirk, 16:58.
- Mike Sullivan got the last change and his strategy was clear for the Malkin line: play them against the Beagle line as much as possible. It worked, as the Caps had one shot attempt for and nine shot attempts against in the 6:04 Beagle skated against Malkin. Trotz may want to work harder to keep his fourth line away from the Malkin line.
- So, the Pens didn’t win (obviously and thank goodness) but just in case you were wondering how improbable their third period theatrics were:
#Pens chances to win were down to 1% before comeback. https://t.co/Eew5vKO1PH pic.twitter.com/507vwagpfV
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) May 2, 2017
- Here’s the all situations shot attempt chart via Hockeystat.ca.
- My kingdom for a team that doesn’t turtle when leading late in a hockey game:
Capitals completely stopped trying after Kuzetsov goal. One day (presumably on the day of my death) teams will learn. pic.twitter.com/TUeWVLQtxx
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) May 2, 2017
Unsung Hero of the Game
Dmitry Orlov. Playing away from his usual defensive partner, Orlov didn’t miss a beat. His plus-eight on-ice shot attempt differential was first among all Caps defensemen and second only to TJ Oshie among all Caps skaters. He also tied for the lead among all defensemen with five shot attempts.
Without Niskanen around, Orlov mostly skated with Kevin Shattenkirk, as the duo shared the ice for 8:04.
Trend to Watch
After Game Two, Barry Trotz said he thought his third line was one of the bright spots. Well, it didn’t earn them much ice time tonight. On a night when the Caps only dressed 11 forwards, Andre Burakovsky (9:11) and Lars Eller (12:32) brought up the rear in ice time. While it’s true they’ve been unable to turn their dominant puck possession into much production, hopefully the third line getting fourth line minutes is an aberration, not a trend.
Headline image: Gregory Shamus
