May 6, 2018 9:21 am

Thanks to a productive third period, the Caps took a 3-2 series lead over the Pens on Saturday night. Jake Vrana was promoted to and produced on the first line, and Braden Holtby held down the fort as his team got pinned in for extended periods, particularly during the second frame.

The Pens out-shot the Caps 27-26 and out-attempted them 55-44 at five-on-five.

Braden Holtby earned this victory. None of the third period excitement would have mattered if Holtby had not kept the Caps in the game. The scoring chances in the second period at five-on-five were 10-4 (good buddy) according to Natural Stat Trick. The high-danger chances were 7-1. The Caps have been on the opposite end of periods like this, where you feel like you should be up by five but you’re not, so it’s nice to see the team in red win a playoff game in this fashion.
For our visual learners, here’s a heat map that shows Holtby’s awesomeness. Granted, the Caps did even this out a bit in the third, out-chancing the Pens 8-6.

Not long after the Caps fell behind 3-2, Barry Trotz came to his senses and put Jake Vrana on the first line. The first line responded with two goals. First Line Jake finished the night with one goal, two primary assists, four shot attempts, and two individual high-danger scoring chances in 10:52 of ice time
Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen draw the toughest assignments of the Caps defense and they were great last night. In 19:55 of five-on-five ice time for Niskanen, the Caps out-attempted the Pens 23-16. Orlov skated 18:49 and the differential was 23-13. Thanks to this, as well as an impressive effort from the Nick Backstrom line, Sidney Crosby finished the night at -14 in shot differential.
The Pens line of Kuhnhackl-Brassard-Sheary gave the Caps fits all night. They were a large reason John Carlson finished the night at -15 in shot attempts and -11 in scoring chances. They absolutely destroyed the Caps fourth line as well, all who skated under 10 minutes at five-on-five.

Like I said above, the Caps have often been on the losing end of playoff games like this. How many times have we seen the Caps dominate a period of playoff hockey, only to not pull away and then eventually lose the game after a push from the other team? It’s nice to win one of these, and the team deserves credit for the third period push that helped make it happen. While Holtby is capable of holding down the fort, a better effort at five-on-five in Game Six will give the good guys a better chance of putting away this series.

Headline image: Patrick Smith

Stats from Natural Stat Trick and Hockeystats.ca

For no reason whatsoever, here’s a picture of Pete Yorn. Have a good Sunday.