NHL - Playoffs - Washington Capitals @ Pittsburgh Penguins 2-3 - Monday, May 02, 2016 - Game 3

Pittsburgh Penguins rookie goalie Matt Murray picked a good time to have the best performance of his young NHL career. Murray made 47 saves to help the Penguins defeat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Second Round series at Consol Energy Center on Monday. Patric Hornqvist, Tom Kuhnhackl and Carl Hagelin scored for Pittsburgh, which leads the best-of-7 series 2-1. Game 4 is at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday.
Murray is 5-1 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and has allowed fewer than three goals in four of his six playoff starts.
Washington outshot Pittsburgh 49-23. After making 14 saves in each of the first two periods, Murray made 19 more in the third period to reach his NHL career high for saves in a single game. Each coach recognized Murray as the difference in Game 3. Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan was displeased with the Penguins’ performance. Capitals coach Barry Trotz was less critical of his team.
Washington lost that game 2-1 in overtime to fall behind New York 2-1 in the 2015 Eastern Conference First Round before winning three of the final four games of the series. The Capitals controlled much of the first period Monday but trailed 2-0 entering the intermission.
After a backhand shot from Sidney Crosby was sent into the air, Washington froze and allowed Pittsburgh forward Conor Sheary to collect the puck and pass to Trevor Daley along the blue line. Daley took a slap shot that Hornqvist deflected past goalie Braden Holtby to open the scoring 6:37 into the first period.
The Penguins scored again exactly one minute later after Matt Cullen pounced on Nicklas Backstrom’s neutral-zone turnover and carried the puck into the Capitals zone. Cullen’s pass hit Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen and bounced into the net off Kuhnhackl’s back to extend the Penguins lead to 2-0 at 7:37.
Hagelin put Pittsburgh ahead 3-0 with 4:57 remaining in the second period. Nick Bonino dragged the puck around Holtby before passing back through the crease with Hagelin barreling toward Washington defenseman Nate Schmidt. The puck slipped through Schmidt’s legs, allowing Hagelin to shovel it into the net for his third playoff goal.
Holtby allowed more than two goals for the second time in nine starts this postseason. He also gave up three goals in Washington’s 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 against Pittsburgh. Defenseman Kris Letang nearly gave the Penguins a 4-0 lead late in the second, but his slap shot hit off the left post with 13 seconds left, and the Capitals cleared the puck. Pittsburgh carried a three-goal lead into the third period despite being outshot 28-14 and outhit 42-17.
Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal of the series to make it 3-1 8:02 into the third. After Niskanen dropped a pass to him in the left circle, Ovechkin sent a wrist shot over Murray’s glove. Justin Williams scored his first goal of the 2016 playoffs with 55.1 seconds remaining to pull Washington within a goal. Ovechkin got his second assist of the series on the goal; he has three points (two assists) in the three games. Crosby has been held without a point in the series. He last failed to score in three straight games from Feb. 10-15.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust left in the first period with a lower-body injury after blocking two shots 36 seconds into the game.
Capitals forward Marcus Johansson exited the game after being hit by Letang with 4:19 remaining in the first but returned for the start of the second period.
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury dressed for the first time since sustaining his second concussion of the season March 31 against the Nashville Predators. He backed up Murray, who is 8-1-0 in 10 starts since Fleury was injured.

Pens Quotes

Matt Murray: “I don’t think I’ve had that many shots in quite some time. That was a busy one. … I wouldn’t say it’s any easier or any harder whether you face less or more shots. It’s all mental, I think, at that point, so they’re just different challenges.”
Mike Sullivan: “I thought [Murray] was terrific, and the disparity in shots were because they had the puck all night and we didn’t. And obviously that’s an area where in the first two games, we felt that we had the puck for long stretches of the game. Tonight was a different story.”
Marc-Andre Fleury: “[Murray] was awesome all night. He kept us in the game, that’s for sure.”

Caps Quotes

Barry Trotz: “I thought Murray was really good in the first. I thought he was good all game, there was no question. He’s the reason they had success, but our game reminded me a lot of our Game 3 [against the New York Islanders] last year. It took us a couple games to find our game, but once we found our game, I thought we were good.”

Post Game Reaction

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been suspended for one game for interference against Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson during Game 3 of the teams' Second Round series in Pittsburgh on Monday, May 2, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 15:41 of the first period. Letang was assessed a minor penalty for interference. Before confirmation arrived of Letang's suspension the Capitals reacted to the hit during and after the game.
There was a palpable anger in the Washington Capitals locker room after their 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3. That anger was not so much about losing the game and falling in a 2-1 hole in the best-of-7 series. The Capitals certainly weren't pleased with that either, but, in many ways, they played their best game of the series, outshooting the Penguins 49-23 and holding an 85-36 advantage in shot attempts. So, they tipped their caps to Penguins goaltender Matt Murray and vowed to clean up some of their mistakes and come back even harder in Game 4.

The unhidden anger among the Capitals was over the late, high hit by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang on forward Marcus Johansson with 4:19 left in the first period. Johansson missed the remainder of the period but returned for the start of the second and played the rest of the game.
"Just some issues with my neck right now, but I passed all the other tests," Johansson said.

For that, the Capitals were grateful, but not satisfied. Still fresh in their minds is the three-game suspension that defenseman Brooks Orpik received for his late, high hit on Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta in the first period of Game 2.
Although Orpik acknowledged Monday that it was "a bad hit" and called the suspension "fair," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said he was "disappointed" in the length of Orpik's sentence, and it was still very much on his teammates' minds following the game, and, it seemed at times, during it, after Letang's hit on Johansson.
Johansson was leaning forward as he entered the Penguins zone and his head snapped back after Letang stepped up to hit him.
"I didn't see him coming. He came from the blind side. I just looked at [the video]. He obviously leaves his feet and hits me in the head. I guess that's the kind of plays you want out of the League. It doesn't look good." Johansson said.
Letang was called for interference on the play. The NHL's Department of Player Safety is reviewing the hit to determine whether it is reaches the level of supplemental discipline.
"We'll see how the League responds. If it's fair, maybe he'll get three games. I don't know. It's not my call. It's not our call. Our job is to think about the next game." Alex Ovechkin said.
"We'll let the League handle it." Trotz said.
At times during the game, however, the Capitals didn't appear content to "let the League handle it." Right wing Daniel Winnik whacked Letang in the right leg, earning a slashing penalty with 1:51 left in the first period that gave the Penguins a power play in a game they already led 2-0.
Capitals right wing Tom Wilson exchanged words with Letang right after that. In the second period, Johansson delivered a big hit on Letang in the left corner, and Nicklas Backstrom appeared to accidentally knee the Penguins defenseman in the back of the head while attempting to jump over him. Letang heard it from the Capitals bench after he got up.
"They were saying I was staying down for no reason. Chirping happens." Letang Said.
It was understandable that the Capitals were angry with Letang. But does that mean Orpik is fair game when he returns from his suspension and can be hit at every opportunity?
"When you see one of your own players on the ground, it's going to upset you no matter what happens. So, we're glad [Johansson] came back and played."
But they denied they got out of their game by trying to hit Letang more after that. We want to try to hit him all the time. He played 35 minutes [in Game 2]." Williams said.
Trotz thought the Capitals' response to Letang's hit was "great."
"I liked the way we responded. We didn't get out of our skin or anything like that. I thought we responded. We played the right way."
It wasn't until the third period, however, that the Capitals really got down to the business of trying to come back in this game. By then, they were losing 3-0.
A couple of bad bounces cost them on goals one minute apart from Patric Hornqvist and Tom Kuhnhackl in the first period. A bad turnover by defenseman Nate Schmidt, who was thrust into a bigger role in Oprik's absence, cost them on Carl Hagelin's goal that made it 3-0 with 4:57 left in the second.
The hole proved too much to overcome.
"I'm not taking anything away from them. They scored two goals in the first, but I thought we were playing a pretty reasonable game at that point, certainly, the [best] one we've played so far. But excuses are for losers, and we're not losers. We're going to try to be even better in Game 4 and improve our game." Williams said.