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| Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal lifts hot Penguins over Capitals | Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal lifts hot Penguins over Capitals |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| As a third puck got past him, Braden Holtby’s head fell back. He glanced behind him to see the black disk in the netting, confirming what he already knew. His Washington Capitals teammates reiterated that they wanted to play for Holtby, to help him make history. On Thursday night, they couldn’t help themselves for most of the game. | As a third puck got past him, Braden Holtby’s head fell back. He glanced behind him to see the black disk in the netting, confirming what he already knew. His Washington Capitals teammates reiterated that they wanted to play for Holtby, to help him make history. On Thursday night, they couldn’t help themselves for most of the game. |
| They fell into a three-goal hole, playing the part of a team not quite ready for the playoffs to start in a week. They stormed back to tie it, showing flashes of a team that’s been the league’s best all season. Then they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, 4-3, on a breakaway by Sidney Crosby. | They fell into a three-goal hole, playing the part of a team not quite ready for the playoffs to start in a week. They stormed back to tie it, showing flashes of a team that’s been the league’s best all season. Then they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, 4-3, on a breakaway by Sidney Crosby. |
| After all that, there was just frustration and trying to reconcile the team that played the first half of the game with the one that played its second half. This was supposed to be a meeting of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams, but while Pittsburgh looked like a team getting hot at the right time, Washington looked like one still trying to find itself. | After all that, there was just frustration and trying to reconcile the team that played the first half of the game with the one that played its second half. This was supposed to be a meeting of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams, but while Pittsburgh looked like a team getting hot at the right time, Washington looked like one still trying to find itself. |
| [Fancy Stats: Penguins, not the Capitals, are the Stanley Cup favorite] | [Fancy Stats: Penguins, not the Capitals, are the Stanley Cup favorite] |
| This loss gave the Capitals on their first three-game losing streak of the season — just a week before the postseason starts. | This loss gave the Capitals on their first three-game losing streak of the season — just a week before the postseason starts. |
| “We’ve had good flashes, but it’s not going to last very long if we play like we did tonight,” Holtby said. “The work ethic wasn’t there, the execution — nothing was. I don’t even know how we got that to overtime. It was a big challenge tonight, going against the hottest team in the league. Hopefully, we realize that we’re a lot better team than that and we need to work. Things don’t come easy in this league.” | “We’ve had good flashes, but it’s not going to last very long if we play like we did tonight,” Holtby said. “The work ethic wasn’t there, the execution — nothing was. I don’t even know how we got that to overtime. It was a big challenge tonight, going against the hottest team in the league. Hopefully, we realize that we’re a lot better team than that and we need to work. Things don’t come easy in this league.” |
| With his team down 3-0 in the second period, Marcus Johansson was the first to chip away at the Pittsburgh lead. He slammed in a slap pass back door from John Carlson with less than three minutes left in the frame. That was Johansson’s first goal in 18 games; he wouldn’t wait so long for the next, beating Matt Murray from the top of the left faceoff circle midway through the third period. | |
| Less than four minutes later, Andre Burakovsky completed the comeback, tipping in a feed from Carlson. That set up for overtime, and Crosby’s heroics. | Less than four minutes later, Andre Burakovsky completed the comeback, tipping in a feed from Carlson. That set up for overtime, and Crosby’s heroics. |
| “The third period was the team that I’m more accustomed to,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “We got determined. We just played the right way. We played hard and we matched their work ethic, and good things will happen for us.” | “The third period was the team that I’m more accustomed to,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “We got determined. We just played the right way. We played hard and we matched their work ethic, and good things will happen for us.” |
| Trotz’s thoughts on the first half of the game? | Trotz’s thoughts on the first half of the game? |
| “I say that you can’t go around games, you’ve got to go through them,” Trotz said. “We weren’t to go through them early. Pittsburgh’s playing really well. They’re playing fast, they’re playing with a lot of determination on the puck, and we didn’t have those.” | “I say that you can’t go around games, you’ve got to go through them,” Trotz said. “We weren’t to go through them early. Pittsburgh’s playing really well. They’re playing fast, they’re playing with a lot of determination on the puck, and we didn’t have those.” |
| Washington hasn’t played a meaningful game in months, cruising to the league’s best record with no one even close. The Capitals clinched the Presidents’ Trophy before the calendar even turned to April. But with no urgency, Washington’s game has dipped from its January peak. | Washington hasn’t played a meaningful game in months, cruising to the league’s best record with no one even close. The Capitals clinched the Presidents’ Trophy before the calendar even turned to April. But with no urgency, Washington’s game has dipped from its January peak. |
| The Capitals appeared to be on an encouraging track, decreasing the chances against, but the results haven’t been there. They’ve now lost five of their past seven games. | The Capitals appeared to be on an encouraging track, decreasing the chances against, but the results haven’t been there. They’ve now lost five of their past seven games. |
| “I’m not going to say it’s an excuse, but we’ve been first in the league for a while here,” Burakovsky said. “We clinched the playoffs part early. It might be that some guys are really excited to play in the playoffs, they forget about playing the last games here. I think that’s something we have to get rid of and start really playing well in the next two here.” | “I’m not going to say it’s an excuse, but we’ve been first in the league for a while here,” Burakovsky said. “We clinched the playoffs part early. It might be that some guys are really excited to play in the playoffs, they forget about playing the last games here. I think that’s something we have to get rid of and start really playing well in the next two here.” |
| Said Justin Williams: “The reality is these games aren’t going to move us up or down, but they’re important games nonetheless, and we have two more coming up against real good teams, so it’ll be good.” | Said Justin Williams: “The reality is these games aren’t going to move us up or down, but they’re important games nonetheless, and we have two more coming up against real good teams, so it’ll be good.” |
| This performance came just two nights after Washington squandered a 3-1 third-period lead in an overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Had Washington won that game with Holtby in net, it would have been his 48th victory, moving him into a tie with Martin Brodeur for the most wins in a season by a goaltender. Instead, the team with the best third-period goal differential in the league allowed the Islanders to tie the game and then win it in overtime. | |
| [D.C. Sports Bog: Capitals hardly know what record Holtby is chasing] | [D.C. Sports Bog: Capitals hardly know what record Holtby is chasing] |
| After Thursday’s loss, Holtby won’t be able to break Brodeur’s record, but he’ll have one more chance to tie it, as Trotz said he’ll split his two goaltenders for the last two games of the regular season. The Capitals won’t just be playing for Holtby in those final two games, they’ll be playing to get themselves into playoff form before it’s too late. | |
| Is there any concern? | Is there any concern? |
| “No,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. “We just have to get ready.” | “No,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. “We just have to get ready.” |