First Period (12:23): Penguins strike again! Make that 2-0 on a lovely goal.
First Period (13:23) GOAL!!! Penguins strike first! 1-0.
First Period (20:00)- It's game time! The Penguins control the faceoff!
Almost gametime between the Penguins and CapitaIs! About 15 minutes until puck drop.
As expected when the Penguins and Capitals face off, the series has been very heated. Expect that to continue especially as the series goes on. Fans saw a lot of action through the first two games, and should only expect to continue seeing even more as the series goes on.
Early in the first period of game two the Penguins took a hit as they saw one of their players sit for the remainder of the game. It happened when Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik caught Olli Maatta with a high, rather dirty hit. Somehow Orpik only found himself picking up a minor penalty. However, the next evening the NHL officially announced that Orpik had officially been suspended for three games. That will be a big hit to the Capitals in those three games that he will have to sit. This hit made it so that Maata would end up sitting the rest of the game. The Penguins are hoping to have Maatta back tomorrow night. There is no official status yet on Maatta as he is still being evaluated.
Eric Fehr, who is a former Capital is looking to help his new team, the Penguins, beat his old team in this series. In Saturday night's game two, Fehr was able to help the Penguins win the game. Fehr found himself receiving a nice pass from Evgeni Malkin, which Fehr was able to re direct this pass and put it in the back of the net. The Penguins hope that Fehr can continue to help the team as the series goes on. Taking some pressure off guys like Crosby, Kessel, and Malkin to score really helps those guys and the team.
Alex Ovechkin had a hard time finding shots for the Capitals which did not help their case much. Ovechkin only had three shots on goal throughout the whole game. The Penguins defense deserves a lot of credit for their effort on Ovechkin in game two. It will be very interesting to see the Penguins defense and how they defend Ovechkin here in game three. It will also be very interesting to see how Ovechkin responds to that pressure of the defense. Whether he looks to pass it more, or looks to try to break through that defense and look for more chances at the net.
The Capitals had a lot of good looks at the goal in game two but were simply just not able to take advantage of those chances. In the second period of play, the Washington Capitals had seemed to score a goal to make it a one to one game going into intermission. However that goal did not end up counting because of an interference call.
The Penguins were able to do their job and go into Washington and at least get a split. That is a big achievement because the Capitals are a very good team at home. A huge part of the Penguins success obviously lies on players like Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and even Evgeni Malkin. Although neither of the three were able to find the back of the net in game two, they are a big key to the Penguins success and usually find some good looks at the net. If they can convert on at least a few of those good opportunities the Penguins will have a huge edge.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were the better team most of game two, as they fought off a late push by the Capitals and were able to come out with a two to one victory. It seems to be whoever comes into the third period with the lead, most likely will be the team coming out on top. Game one of the series the Capitals had a lead going into the final period of play and came out with the win. Game two, the Penguins had a lead and they were able to come out with the win.
The home team, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for a two to one series lead agains the visiting Washington Capitals. The Penguins got the split in Washington DC, which was really all they needed. Now they are looking to protect their home ice and grab the series lead. However, the Capitals are looking to come into Pittsburgh and regain the series lead on the road.
Welcome to VAVEL USA's LIVE coverage of game three of the NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals, my name is Caleb Gonya and will be bringing you pre-match, in game, and post-match coverage. Be sure to join us right here for live coverage of Game 3 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 PM Est from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Stay tuned throughout the evening and enjoy some hockey with us!