NHL - Playoffs - Round 2 - St Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators - Blues Lose Series 2-4

Game 1 - Nashville Predators @ Blues 4-3 - Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Vernon Fiddler took advantage of his opportunities. Playing his first game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Nashville Predators center scored the tiebreaking goal off a fortuitous bounce with 5:05 left in the third period for a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Scottrade Center. Jay Bouwmeester's failed clearing attempt went right to Watson, who sent a bouncing puck toward goalie Jake Allen. He tried to pokecheck it, missed, and Fiddler tapped it through Allen's legs. P.K. Subban had a goal and two assists, Colin Wilson and Filip Forsberg scored, and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves for the Predators, who have won five straight Stanley Cup Playoff games. Nashville left wing Kevin Fiala was taken off the ice on a stretcher 1:46 into the second period after his left leg hit the end boards when he was checked to the ice by St. Louis defenseman Robert Bortuzzo. The game was delayed 17 minutes by the injury and to wait for an ambulance to arrive and replace the one that took Fiala to the hospital. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette did not provide an update on the 20-year-old after the game. The Predators said earlier Fiala was alert and stable. Colton Parayko had a goal and assist, and Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Sobotka tied the game with third-period goals for St. Louis. Allen made 28 saves. Subban gave Nashville a 2-0 lead at 2:22 of the second period, 36 seconds after play resumed, and after Parayko made it 2-1 at 8:04, Forsberg scored a power-play goal for a 3-1 lead at 12:11. Schwartz made it 3-2 at 6:48 of the third period, and Sobotka tied it 3-3 at 9:22, but Fiddler put Nashville back in front 4-3. Wilson tipped in a power-play shot by Subban at 11:24 of the first period to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

* Sobotka's tying goal was the result of good speed by Magnus Paajarvi, who drove the middle of the ice, forcing Predators defenseman Roman Josi to respect Paajarvi's move to the net. It left Sobotka a lane to take a wrist shot, which went in off the near post.

* Rinne had to be alert on Schwartz's tip-in attempt with 1:24 remaining in the third period. The shot was headed between his pads, but Rinne was able to prevent the Blues from tying the game.

* Subban's slap shot from the right point came after a pass from Ryan Johansen on the first shift after Fiala's injury.

* Predators center Mike Fisher won 12 of 15 faceoffs, had four shots on goal and three of Nashville's 34 hits playing 18:07.

* Subban had more points Wednesday (three) than he had in the four first-round games against the Chicago Blackhawks. ... Nashville swept Chicago allowing three goals in the four games. … Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson, who was plus-3, is plus-7 in his past two playoff games.

"Guys fought back great. A little mistake by me cost us. ... I did what I wanted to do." Allen said.
"I liked the pushback. I liked the fact we came out the way that we did. Certainly some things we can learn from that, but the reality is, the second period was not good enough. Ultimately it cost us the game." Mike Yeo said.
"That's hockey. It's an unfortunate incident [the injury to Predators forward Kevin Fiala]. You never want to see that. I hope he's OK." Jake Allen.

Game 2 - Nashville Predators @ Blues 2-3 - Friday, April 28, 2017

Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal with 3:51 remaining in the third period, to give the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round at Scottrade Center. Jori Lehtera scored for St. Louis to tie it 2-2 at 7:39 of the third. Blues goalie Jake Allen made 22 saves, 14 in the third period.

Ryan Ellis had a goal and an assist, James Neal scored, and Pekka Rinne made 17 saves for Nashville, which lost for the first time this postseason after five straight wins. Nashville took a 1-0 lead when Ellis' slap shot from the point double-deflected off Colton Sissons and Neal at 7:49 of the first period. It was the Predators' first shot on goal. St. Louis tied it 1-1 during a five-minute power play. Tarasenko's wrist shot beat Rinne, who was screened by Paul Stastny, with 20 seconds remaining in the period. Nashville center Vernon Fiddler was given the major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing Blues defenseman Colton Parayko with 1:32 remaining. Ellis gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 3:07 of the third period.

* Blues forward Jaden Schwartz started a rush up the left wing and found defenseman Joel Edmundson coming into the zone through the middle. Edmundson kicked the puck to Tarasenko, who shot past Rinne.
"It's a great play by [Schwartz] and then I probably scream for [Edmundson] to leave it to me and [Edmundson made] a good play," Tarasenko said.

* Allen's save on Neal with 38 seconds remaining preserved the victory. Neal one-timed a shot from the top of the left circle that was headed for the left corner but it hit Allen's right shoulder.

* Ellis made a good read when he saw teammate Cody McLeod checking Vladimir Sobotka. Sobotka tried a pass through the middle of the ice to Patrik Berglund, but Ellis read it, picked it off and stepped into a slap shot that beat Allen top shelf.

* Berglund won 11 of 15 faceoffs (73.3 percent), had an assist and was plus-1 in 16:21. He won two defensive-zone faceoffs with Nashville pressing for the tying goal playing 6-on-5.

* Predators forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Miikka Salomaki played, taking the place of Kevin Fiala (leg) and PA Parenteau (healthy scratch). ... Edmundson was plus-2 and is plus-9 the past three playoff games. ... Nashville won Game 1 4-3 on Wednesday after sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round.

"I saw him as soon as I came around the net. Then I went to play the puck and it bobbled off me. I don't know if he took a different route or I went a different way, it happens so fast. It's just one of those things. I'm assuming he wasn't trying to do it. It's hockey and the game's so fast [on being hit by Predators forward Vernon Fiddler]." Colton Parayko.
"Another one of my goals [is] a big goal for us. After [the] first game, we can't lose this one, so it's [a] tied series now and [we] play Nashville on [Sunday] and have time to reset and do our best." Tarasenko said.
"We knew it was going to be a long series. I don't think either team thought it was going to be a sweep, for one side or the other. That's going to be rare in these ages. We're still in for a long series, just have to get rest and go into a tough building." Allen said.
"When he has time, it's more setting my position, let him shoot it around me and he did that. Great shot." Stastny said.
"I was hoping [Schwartz] would put it right in my wheelhouse for a one-timer, but if you can get it to the goal-scorer, you might as well [on kicking the puck to Valdimir Tarasenko for the game-winning goal]." Joel Edmundson.

Game 3 - Blues @ Nashville Predators 1-3 - Sunday, April 30, 2017
The defense continues to drive the offense for the Nashville Predators.
Defensemen Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi each scored to help the Predators defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in Game 3. Nashville's defensemen had four points (two goals, two assists) in the win that gave the Predators a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. At least one defenseman has been a part of 12 of the past 13 goals the Predators have scored in the Stanley Cup Playoffs dating to Game 4 of their first-round sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks. Subban had an assist on Ellis' goal at 10:34 of the first period that gave Nashville a 1-0 lead. Ellis took a pass at the point from forward Colton Sissons and got a shot past Jake Allen.

With his goal in Game 3, Ellis has points in six straight playoff games (three goals, five assists), a record for a Nashville defenseman. Forward Colin Wilson holds the Predators record with a point in seven straight playoff games. Josi made it 3-1 when he scored with a slap shot at 14:11 of the third period. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm had the secondary assist on a goal by Cody McLeod at 2:29 of the second period that gave Nashville a 2-0 lead. Pekka Rinne made 22 saves for the Predators. Allen made 31 saves and Alexander Steen scored for the Blues. Steen made it 2-1 at 12:59 of the second.

* McLeod was denied on his initial shot after taking a pass from Sissons. McLeod found the loose puck on the goal line to the left of Allen and flipped a bad-angle shot that banked off the goaltender and into the net.
* Nashville had an opportunity to take a 3-0 lead at 7:15 of the second period when Filip Forsberg slid a cross-crease pass to Ellis for a one-timer. Allen was able to get from post-to-post to deny Ellis.

* Nashville had a 2-1 lead with 7:00 left in the third period when it gained possession of the puck in the attacking zone. The Predators cycled the puck and maintained possession for more than 90 seconds before Josi scored.

"You are killing time, but you are looking to create offense there, too," Nashville defenseman Matt Irwin said. "We knew they were tired and we were able to roll a couple of lines out there fresh and when we got the look we were looking for [Josi] had a great shot."

* Predators center Calle Jarnkrok won 16-of-19 faceoffs (84.2 percent). Nashville won 39-of-63 faceoffs (62 percent).

* The Predators are 6-1 and have had 13 different players score in the postseason. … The Blues got their first shot on goal of the second period at 12:59.

"It's two tough teams. We knew it was going to be a tough series. Up until this point, I don't think it has disappointed. We've gone back and forth. I like, especially what we did the second half of this game. We battled back, clawed back in a game where we don't get the lead early. That's playoff hockey. I like our groove, our mentality and the way we keep going at it." Steen said.
"We scored one goal tonight. Fact of the matter is for a large part of the game we weren't even competitive. And so we obviously have to be way better. We have to make a couple changes, personnel-wise for the next game and look at the tape and see what we can do a little bit differently and a little bit better than tonight because it wasn't good enough." Mike Yeo.

Game 4 - Blues @ Nashville Predators 1-2 - Tuesday, May 02, 2017
Ryan Ellis and James Neal scored in the third period to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 win against the St. Louis Blues in Game 4. Ellis scored on the power play to put the Predators ahead 1-0 at 5:09. Filip Forsberg shot, and Ellis got to the puck after it bounced around in the slot and put it past goalie Jake Allen for his fourth goal. Ellis, a defenseman, has a seven-game point streak, including a goal in three straight. Neal scored unassisted to give the Predators a 2-0 lead at 13:03 on a wrist shot from above the right faceoff circle. He fought through two Blues defensemen and shot through traffic for his second goal.

Ellis made a save on the goal line on a Blues power play late in the second period as the puck was moving toward the goal line. He has had a knack for making those types of plays for the Predators over the past two seasons.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson scored to make it 2-1 at 16:11 on a slap shot from the left circle. His shot went through traffic in front and past Rinne for his third goal. Rinne made 32 saves, and Allen had 23.

* Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo dove for a loose puck in the left circle, but Ellis beat him to it and shot low past Allen's head inside the left post to get the Predators on the board.

* Allen made a toe save on a lunging backhand attempt by Neal at 1:32 of the third period to keep the game 0-0.

* Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok beat Blues defenseman Colton Parayko down the ice to a 50-50 puck in the final minute of the third period with Allen pulled for an extra attacker, keeping it in the St. Louis zone and burning time off the clock.

* Neal broke up an attempted pass from David Perron to Carl Gunnarsson high in the Blues zone, then spun and shot behind Gunnarsson and over Allen's blocker from the top of the right circle.
* Blues forward Alexander Steen was in a walking boot following the game. He blocked a Roman Josi shot with his left foot at 10:04 of the first period. … Predators forward Craig Smith missed his fifth straight game with an undisclosed injury. He participated in the morning skate after practicing Monday. ... Ellis' seven-game postseason point streak is the longest in the NHL by a defenseman since Chris Pronger of the Blues and Jason Woolley of the Buffalo Sabres each had a goal and eight assists during a seven-game streak in the 1998 playoffs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"Got to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net. [Predators goalie Pekka Rinne is] making good saves, he's playing well. Both goalies are playing really well. We've just got to find a way to get a couple behind him. The power play's got to be better." Alex Pietrangelo
"For the most part, I thought we had a pretty good game. We got more shots. I think we've got to get in Rinne's face a little bit more, more bodies to the net. It wasn't a bad game by us. I thought we had some pretty good pushes. Obviously, we've got to bear down on a lot more of our chances, but we take a lot of positives out of this and we go back home and get to work." Ryan Reaves said.

Game 5 - Nashville Predators @ Blues 1-2 - Friday, May 05, 2017
Dmitrij Jaskin scored in his first game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the St. Louis Blues earn a chance to play at least one more. The Blues extended the Western Conference Second Round with a 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 5. St. Louis trails the best-of-7 series 3-2 with Game 6 at Nashville on Sunday. The loss kept the Predators from advancing to a conference final for the first time. Jaskin was in the lineup in place of forward Alexander Steen, who participated in warmups but was scratched.

He gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 5:43 of the second period, getting to the rebound of an Alex Pietrangelo shot from the point below the left faceoff circle and beating Pekka Rinne. It was Jaskin's first goal since Dec. 3, which was his only regular-season goal in 51 games. Jaden Schwartz gave the Blues a 2-1 lead 25 seconds into the third period on another rebound. Colton Parayko shot from the point, and Schwartz scored his fourth goal. James Neal scored for the Predators at 13:50 of the second period on a 5-on-3 power play to tie the game 1-1. P.K. Subban passed to Neal below the right faceoff circle, and he beat Allen on a wrist shot for his third goal. Allen made 21 saves for St. Louis, which is 3-2 at home this postseason. Rinne made 30 saves for Nashville, which is 7-2 in the playoffs.

* Schwartz's goal came after the puck was redirected off Parayko's shot from the point. Schwartz crashed the net and beat Rinne on the blocker side.

* Allen stopped Filip Forsberg on a partial breakaway in the third period to prevent a tying goal. Forsberg tried to beat Allen with a wrist shot on the blocker side, but Allen directed the puck to the corner.

* The Blues killed a penalty in the second period after the Predators killed a 5-on-3 power play and 2:04 of a 5-on-4, keeping Nashville from gaining momentum from those kills.

* Jaskin's goal was the first time in the series the Blues scored first. Rinne tried to get across the crease and make a right-pad save, but Jaskin shot past him.
* Jaskin had eight shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots playing 15:46. … Ellis' seven-game point streak ended (four goals, five assists).

"It's unbelievable. What we had to do tonight, we did, and everybody's happy. We can enjoy it now for a few minutes and then forget it and get another one." Jaskin said.

"He was really good all game from the start and got rewarded with a goal and a couple other chances. Brought some really good energy that we needed. You're happy for a guy like that who gets a chance to come in and has an impact."

"I'm always proud of this group. The effort is always there. Sometimes we don't execute the way we want, but tonight was resilient. Not an ideal 5-on-3 situation, but we found a way to bounce back. We know it might take us 60 minutes or more to get that win, but we stuck with it and [goalie Jake Allen] was great again." Pietrangelo said.

"I thought we just stuck to our game plan. We didn't get rattled, especially when they got that 5-on-3 there and they scored. We just kept with it and it paid off."
"We had a must-win. We've played well in spurts this series, but I don't think we've played consistently great and I think tonight was a step. We're still backs against the wall [in Game 6]. We've got to come out even harder, even better in a really, really tough building and see where it goes." Allen said.

Game 6 - Blues @ Nashville Predators 1-3 - Sunday, May 07, 2017

The Nashville Predators advanced to the Western Conference Final for the first time in history with a 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators won the best-of-7 series 4-2. Nashville improved to 8-2 in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 4-0 all-time at home with an opportunity to close out a series. The Predators will play the Anaheim Ducks or Edmonton Oilers in the conference final. Josi, Ryan Johansen and Calle Jarnkrok scored for the Predators.

Johansen gave Nashville a 2-1 lead at 3:15 of the third period on a forehand-to-backhand move. Viktor Arvidsson made a lead pass to Johansen breaking into the zone, and Johansen deked around St. Louis goalie Jake Allen for his second goal. Paul Stastny gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 2:04 of the first period on a rebound. Vladimir Tarasenko took a shot from the right faceoff circle and Stastny shot the rebound past Pekka Rinne for his second goal of the playoffs.
Josi scored for the Predators to tie the game at 1-1 35 seconds into second period on a one-timer. Mattias Ekholm cut to the left faceoff circle and made a cross-ice pass that Josi shot past Allen for his fourth goal. Jarnkrok scored an empty-net goal to make it 3-1 with 1:00 remaining and Rinne made 23 saves.

* Josi's goal came after the Predators had been outshot 9-5 and trailed after first period. The quick response to start the second period set the tempo for the rest of the game.

* Allen made a glove save on a breakaway attempt by Filip Forsberg to keep the game 2-1 at 6:29 of the third period.

* Subban blocked a shot by David Perron on a Blues power play midway through the second period to keep the game 1-1 and help Nashville kill of the penalty.

* Johansen beat Blues defenseman Colton Parayko to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone to receive the pass from Arvidsson and score the game-winning goal.
* It was the first time in the series that the team scoring first lost. ... Patrik Berglund won 12 of 17 faceoffs. .. Tarasenko finished the series with two goals and one assist. … The Predators have won nine consecutive home playoff games. Nashville has allowed six goals in five games at Bridgestone Arena in the 2017 playoffs. ... Arvidsson's assist was his first point of the series. ... Craig Smith returned to the lineup for the Predators for the first time in the series. He missed six games with a lower-body injury.

"We didn't find a way to win on the road. We had to since we lost one of those games at home. It doesn't matter if it was home or on the road, it was tough games, hard-fought battles. Unfortunately today we came out on the wrong side of it." Alexander Steen.
"It doesn't take anything away from how I feel about this group. I feel proud to represent this group. We fell short, but the fight was always there. I mean, we fought until the end. Sure, we could have played better in the first couple of games but never have I not been proud of this group." Alex Pietrangelo said.

NHL - Playoffs - Round 2 - Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals - Pens Win Series 4-3

Penguins @ Washington Capitals 3-2 - Thursday, April 27, 2017
After letting a two-goal lead slip way, the Pittsburgh Penguins again used their speed to make the most of an opportunity. Nick Bonino scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:24 remaining in the third period to give the Penguins a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Verizon Center. Sidney Crosby scored twice in the first 1:04 of the second period to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for the Capitals to tie it before Bonino got the game-winner on a partial breakaway. The Penguins were outshot 35-21, including 16-6 in the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury made six of his 33 saves in the final 3:08 to preserve the lead. Crosby scored on a 2-on-1 with Jake Guentzel 12 seconds into the second period to give the lead, and again 52 seconds later on a rebound. Braden Holtby made a pad save on defenseman Olli Maatta's left-circle shot but left the puck in front, and Patric Hornqvist nudged it to Crosby in the right circle. Ovechkin made it 2-1 with 1:43 remaining in the second period, on a wrist shot from top of the left circle over Fleury's right shoulder. Kuznetsov tied the game 2-2 8:05 into the third period, taking a cross-ice pass from defenseman Matt Niskanen and shooting from the left circle.

* Bonino's game-winner started with a long pass from defenseman Ian Cole to left wing Scott Wilson at the Capitals blue line. Wilson passed to Bonino, who had a step on Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik and scored past Holtby's blocker.
"It's just a controlled breakout," Bonino said. "Usually they develop a little bit longer, but I think it was coming off a change. We kind of cut our routes short and it was just one of those things you try to feel and [Wilson] made a great pass to the middle for us."

* During a wild scramble in front when Fleury made four consecutive saves, his best was on Nicklas Backstrom's rebound with 2:50 remaining. After making a pad save on Nate Schmidt's shot from the right circle, Fleury dropped down and stacked his pads to stop Backstrom.

"I couldn't see the puck for a little while there," Fleury said. "I had no stick, so I was trying to make some stops. It was fun."

* Tied 0-0 with 4:15 remaining in the first period, Guentzel prevented the Capitals from taking the lead by blocking T.J. Oshie's rebound shot with his left leg at the goal line.

"Kind of a weird play," Guentzel said. "Just trying to fall and somehow it hit me and stayed out."

* Washington defenseman John Carlson did not get an assist on Ovechkin's goal but helped make it happen with a big hit on Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin inside the Capitals blue line, knocking him off the puck. Oshie picked it up and carried into the Penguins zone, leading to the goal.

* Ovechkin has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games against the Penguins. Crosby has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 14 playoff games against the Capitals. … Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz played his 107th playoff game, tying him with Mario Lemieux for fifth most in Penguins history.

"To steal a game in their rink and kind of effectively get home ice back in the series, I think that's huge, and we'll try to see if we can take Game 2." Bonino said.
"It was two great plays. On both [Hornqvist] gave us some loose pucks. He poked a couple pucks free and then Jake made a great pass on the 2-on-1. [Hornqvist] found me on the rebound there, so some really good looks from that." Crosby said.
"[Crosby] brings a lot of things to the table even if he doesn't score every night. He brings a lot of energy and a lot of confidence in this group. He's our leader and he's our best player." Patric Hornqvist

"[Game 2 is] not going to be easy, especially against the defending Stanley Cup champions. … They're the Stanley Cup champions. So we have to dictate the game. From the first minute of the game we have to make a statement." Alex Ovechkin

Penguins @ Washington Capitals 6-2 - Saturday, April 29, 2017
After goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury did not allow a goal facing 16 shots in the first period, the Pittsburgh Penguins scored three times in each of the final two periods for a 6-2 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 2. Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel each had two goals and an assist, but Pittsburgh knew it wouldn't have been in the game if not for Fleury, who finished with 34 saves.

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots in the first two periods, and Philipp Grubauer made six saves in the third.
The Penguins were being outshot 19-5 before Matt Cullen beat Holtby between the pads on a shorthanded break to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead 1:15 into the second period. Matt Niskanen scored a power-play goal from the left circle at 2:09 of the second period to tie it 1-1. Sidney Crosby assisted on goals by Kessel at 13:04 and Guentzel at 16:14 to make it 3-1. Crosby set up Kessel for a right-circle shot into the right corner, then blocked Justin Williams' shot from above the left circle and nudged the puck ahead to Guentzel, who raced down and beat Holtby to the short side from the right circle. Kessel scored a power-play goal from the left circle 2:19 into the third period to make it 4-1. Nicklas Backstrom knocked in an Alex Ovechkin rebound to pull the Capitals within 4-2 at 3:44, but Malkin put the Penguins up 5-2 with a deflection at 5:31. Guentzel scored an empty-net goal with 43 seconds left to make it 6-2. He leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs with seven goals.

* After taking a pass from Guentzel in the neutral zone, Crosby put the puck between his legs as he crossed the Capitals blue line, drawing three defenders to him before dishing off to Kessel.
"He fought off a couple guys and obviously he's special like that," Kessel said. "He's real strong out there and he'll make a great play."

* Tied 0-0, the Capitals were on the power play with 1:27 remaining in the first period. Andre Burakovsky made a strong move to the net from the right side and attempted to tuck the puck inside the far post. But Fleury stayed with Burakovsky as he cut across the front of the net and kicked out his right pad to make the save.

* Cullen blocked Kevin Shattenkirk's point shot, then chased down the loose puck before fighting through Shattenkirk's hook to slip the puck between Holtby's pads.

* The Penguins were leading 5-2 when defenseman Ron Hainsey stepped in front of a high left-circle shot from Ovechkin with the Capitals on the power play and 2:23 remaining in the third period. Hainsey turned his head at the last instant, was struck on the back of the helmet with the puck, and had to be helped off the ice.

* Crosby moved one point ahead of Jaromir Jagr into second place in Penguins history with 148 Stanley Cup Playoff points (53 goals, 95 assists). Mario Lemieux has 172 points (76 goals, 96 assists). Jagr had 65 goals, 83 assists. … Backstrom tied Dale Hunter for the most playoff assists in Capitals history (47).  … Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist left the game after blocking a John Carlson shot off his leg with 4:18 left in first period. … Penguins left wing Carl Hagelin returned from a lower-body injury to play for the first time since March 10.

"He's been our best player. In the first series (against the Columbus Blue Jackets), the first two games here, he's made timely saves for us, especially in that first period." Mike Sullivan said.
"They came hard. They put us back. They're a skilled team, a quick team. I just tried to keep our team in the game, and I thought the guys defended well and helped me out around the net, taking rebounds and blocking some shots." Marc-Andre Fleury.

Washington Capitals @ Penguins 3-2 OT - Monday, May 01, 2017
Kevin Shattenkirk scored a power-play goal 3:13 into overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at PPG Paints Arena. After Trevor Daley was called for holding Marcus Johansson at 2:40 of overtime, Shattenkirk beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot from below the circles for his first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pittsburgh played most of the game without center Sidney Crosby.

Crosby left the game 5:24 into the first period after he charged toward the net on a 2-on-1. Alex Ovechkin dealt out a dirty hit to him with his stick, which seemed to make Crosby stumble before Matt Niskanen finished the job with a disgusting hit and cross-checked him in the side of his head. Trainers helped Crosby to the locker room after he was face down along the goal line for a few minutes. Niskanen was given a major penalty and game misconduct for cross-checking. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan did not update Crosby's condition following the game. He said Crosby and Conor Sheary, who left with an apparent injury after colliding with linemate Patric Hornqvist at 2:24 of the second period, would be evaluated overnight.
After the morning skate, Shattenkirk expressed frustration with his performance in a 6-2 loss in Game 2 on Saturday, when Matt Cullen beat him on a shorthanded goal. His tune has since changed. Pittsburgh rallied to force overtime on goals by Evgeni Malkin and Justin Schultz 48 seconds apart late in the third period. Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead at 9:46 of the third period, but Malkin cut it to 2-1 with Fleury pulled for an extra attacker with 1:53 remaining.

Schultz tied it when his slap shot got past Braden Holtby with 1:05 left.
Backstrom scored the Capitals' first goal during a 5-on-3 at 13:05 of the first period. Chris Kunitz appeared to tie it 1-1 at 1:05 of the second period when a backhanded pass from Malkin went off him while he crashed the crease. The goal was upheld after an initial review, where it was ruled the puck crossed the line before the net came completely off its moorings. But it was disallowed after the Capitals successfully challenged for goaltender interference.
Holtby made 28 saves. Fleury stopped 30 shots.

* Backstrom passed back to Shattenkirk, setting him up for the overtime winner. T.J. Oshie skated in front of Brian Dumoulin, which caused a screen in front of Fleury. Oshie jumped out of the way of Shattenkirk's shot to allow it to sneak under Fleury's blocker.

* Fleury kept the Capitals from extending their lead to 2-0 late in the second period after stopping a wrist shot from Johansson with 1:31 left. One second later, Kuznetsov backhanded a shot on goal and Fleury reached his stick behind him to deny the shot just before it could cross the goal line.

* Malkin passed from the goal line back to Schultz, allowing him to take a slap shot that tied the game. The goal was Schultz's first in 23 NHL career playoff games.

* The Capitals killed the Penguins' five power plays, with each coming in the first two periods. The Penguins entered Monday converting 30 percent of their opportunities.

* Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner returned from an upper-body injury that had him miss six games. The Capitals dressed seven defensemen and mostly played with six after Niskanen was given the game misconduct. … Hornqvist, Dumoulin and Penguins forward Carl Hagelin played after Sullivan labeled them gametime decisions Monday morning. Hornqvist left Game 2 after blocking a shot off his leg with 4:18 remaining in the first period.

Sullivan said the approach would not change if Crosby were unable to play moving forward.
"We're hopeful, first of all, that that won't be the case. But I think this group has so much character and talent that we're able to endure the injuries that we have. We've done it all year long. We continued to do it tonight, and we'll continue to do it."
"[Washington is] a tough team to beat. It's a tough team to match up against. We found a way tonight to get back into it. It wasn't enough, but we'll go from there." Chris Kunitz

Barry Trotz who came up short of putting his neck on the line, oh wait he doesn't have one eh? Decided to push the attention away from his pair of goons and invent phantom infractions he felt his side should have been given before getting back on subject with his words to his team before overtime.
"I just said, 'It's another test for us.' You have to sort of park it and I think we've been really good at parking stuff. … We said, 'Let's just play.'"

Washington Capitals @ Penguins 2-3 - Wednesday, May 03, 2017
Marc-Andre Fleury might have been the most emotional member of the Pittsburgh Penguins after center Sidney Crosby sustained another concussion.
With the Penguins missing their captain, Fleury excelled again, making 36 saves in a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 4. The Penguins can end the series by winning Game 5 at Washington on Saturday. NHL teams who win Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead have won a best-of-7 series almost 90 percent of the time (210-24), according to Hockey-Reference.com. Fleury has allowed fewer than three goals in six of his nine starts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has started each game in place of goalie Matt Murray, who was injured during warmups for Game 1 of the first round against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Following practice Tuesday, one day after Crosby was concussed in Game 3, Fleury said he would like the Penguins to see Crosby smile again. On Wednesday, Fleury said Pittsburgh displayed heart. Justin Schultz gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 11:24 of the second period with a power-play goal after John Carlson was called for roughing at 10:45. Patric Hornqvist and Jake Guentzel put Pittsburgh ahead 2-0 before Washington scored two goals 1:12 apart in the second period.

Hornqvist gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead on a breakaway at 4:39 of the first period. Olli Maatta's pass up ice allowed Hornqvist to split defensemen Brooks Orpik and Karl Alzner before quickly stickhandling to freeze Braden Holtby and putting a shot into the upper-right corner of the net. On Pittsburgh's second goal, Guentzel skated down the near wall before passing the puck toward Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov in front of Holtby. The pass hit Orlov's skate and slid past Holtby to make it 2-0 at 3:51 of the second period. Evgeny Kuznetsov cut it to 2-1 when he shot from the left circle over Fleury's shoulder at 7:21, and Nate Schmidt tied it 2-2 with a slap shot at 8:33. Even with Crosby out, Capitals coach Barry Trotz expected the Penguins' best and hoped Washington would respond.

* Schultz one-timed a slap shot past Holtby to break a 2-2 tie. The goal came on Pittsburgh's third of five shots in the second period. The Penguins were outshot 17-5 but maintained a one-goal lead.

* Fleury preserved the 3-2 lead 9:10 into the third period after Lars Eller spun off Schultz and drove to the net. Eller stickhandled through the crease while Fleury fell forward to spread out and make a pad save.

* Phil Kessel bumped Orlov off the puck before driving in on Holtby with a chance to give Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead. Holtby tracked Kessel, stopped his backhand shot and sat on the puck to freeze it with 3:30 remaining in the second.

* The Capitals had a chance to tie it 3-3 when Matt Cullen was given a double minor for high-sticking with 2:00 remaining in the second period. The Penguins' penalty kill survived the first half of the man-advantage to enter intermission with a one-goal lead. Pittsburgh completed the kill when Alex Ovechkin slashed Bryan Rust to nullify the final 1:19 of the power play.

* Pittsburgh is 5-4 in the playoffs without Crosby during his NHL career. ... The Penguins moved Guentzel from the first line to the second, where he played with center Nick Bonino and Rust. … The Capitals used seven defensemen for a second straight game. Forward Paul Carey was a healthy scratch.

"[Fleury] has elevated his game at an important time. He's a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender. I think he's showing it." Mike Sullivan said.
"Sid's our leader. He's our captain. He's a great player. You can't replace him, and I thought the guys showed character together as a team. They played well offensively and defensively." Fleury said.
"We know we can be better. We're a resilient group. We know when we go out there and just play. We're a good enough team to win these. It was a battle." Olli Maatta

"We have to forget it and we have to move forward. Every game right now for us is a seventh game, so we have to win three to move forward and I'm pretty sure we're ready for that." Alex Ovechkin

Penguins @ Washington Capitals 2-4 - Saturday, May 06, 2017
The Washington Capitals scored three goals in the third period, including two in 27 seconds, to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 and avoid elimination in Game 5. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin scored at 7:20 and 7:47 of the third period to give Washington a 4-2 lead. Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom scored, and Braden Holtby made 20 saves for the Capitals, who have won two of the past three games. Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel scored, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves for the Penguins, who led 1-0 and 2-1. Center Sidney Crosby returned after missing Game 4 with a concussion sustained in Game 3. Backstrom tied the game 2-2 at 2:49 of the third period. Kessel's power-play goal gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 4:20 of the second. Crosby had an assist. Burakovsky tied it 1-1 with his first goal of this postseason with 30 seconds left in the first period, after Hagelin scored his first at 10:24 to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.

* Kuznetsov got to a loose puck down low and scored from a tight angle to give the Capitals the lead.

* Holtby gloved Bonino's chance from the slot early in the third period to keep it 2-2.

* Evgeni Malkin passed to Kessel, who scored with a short-side one-timer.

* Kevin Shattenkirk's drop pass to Burakovsky led to Washington's first goal and extended the defenseman's point streak to three games.

* Crosby's assist on Kessel's goal was his 96th in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which tied Mario Lemieux for the Penguins record. … Ovechkin has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 19 elimination games. … The Capitals have won Game 6 in four of the past five series they have trailed 3-2.

 

"They just got some momentum. We had our chances to build on that lead. We didn't, and then they tie it up and get some life off that and then gained some momentum there for a short span. You're going to lose momentum sometimes. Unfortunately we gave up some goals in the process of that."
"I mean, we don't want to sit back. I don't think we did. We've got to do a better job executing, especially with the lead. Like I said, we had some chances there. I think if we can hold onto the puck in there end a little bit more, we should get more shots. I think we'll generate a little bit more from that. Just being a little bit better in the offensive zone." Crosby said. 

Washington Capitals @ Penguins 5-2 - Monday, May 08, 2017
The Washington Capitals had controlled much of the play throughout the Eastern Conference Second Round, and it finally resulted in a lopsided victory.
Andre Burakovsky scored twice to help the Capitals defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in Game 6 at PPG Paints Arena. The best-of-7 series is tied 3-3 with Game 7 at Washington on Wednesday. The Capitals would like to repeat their performance from Monday, when they outshot the Penguins 26-18 and 16-9 through the first two periods. The Capitals have won the past two games after falling behind 3-1 in the series. T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson also scored, and Braden Holtby made 16 saves for the Capitals. Holtby has allowed fewer than three goals in three of his past four games. Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin scored, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for the Penguins. Oshie gave Washington a 1-0 lead on its second power play of the first period with his first goal of the series. Backstrom passed to Evgeny Kuznetsov along the goal line, where he tapped a pass to Oshie, who dropped to one knee and one-timed a shot past Fleury at 12:41. The Capitals outshot the Penguins 11-3 in the first. Burakovsky scored to make it 2-0 6:36 into the second period. Before his goal in Game 5, Burakovsky had not scored in his first 10 games of the playoffs. Backstrom, who has four goals in his past five games, made it 3-0 16 seconds into the third period. Carlson extended the lead to 4-0 on a power-play goal with 8:43 remaining and Burakovsky scored his second goal to push it to 5-0 with 7:31 left. Sidney Crosby set up Guentzel for his ninth goal of the playoffs to make it 5-1 with 3:22 remaining before Malkin cut it to 5-2 with 2:30 left.

* After stripping Penguins defenseman Ron Hainsey of the puck, Burakovsky turned toward Fleury and went on a 2-on-1 with Oshie facing Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole. Burakovsky shot off Fleury's right side for Washington's second goal.

* Fleury kept the Capitals from stretching their lead to 4-0 on a power play early in the third period. Alex Ovechkin received a pass near the left post and one-timed an attempt on goal, but Fleury slid over to make the save at 4:57.

* Backstrom turned another Penguins turnover into a 2-on-1 shortly after the third period began. He chose to keep the puck, instead of passing to Burakovsky, and shot into the upper-right corner of Pittsburgh's net.

* Capitals forward Tom Wilson had two blocked shots and five hits in 15:16 of ice time, including 2:53 shorthanded to help kill three Pittsburgh power plays.

* The Capitals have outshot the Penguins 200-133 this series. … The Penguins are 5-0 all-time in Game 7 on the road. Crosby got his 97th Stanley Cup Playoff assist to pass Mario Lemieux for first in Pittsburgh history. Malkin leads the NHL with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) this postseason. The Penguins reunited the "HBK Line" of center Nick Bonino, left wing Carl Hagelin and right wing Phil Kessel but broke up the line by the end of the game, moving Kessel back to right wing next to Malkin.

"I think it's frustrating when you have an opportunity like this to win a game and win a series at home and you don't play the way that you'd like. You can get frustrated. So, there was a little bit of frustration, but I thought we talked about making sure that we grab a hold of ourselves, stay focused and just try to play the game the right way." Mike Sullivan said.
"It's fine. We're still in the same spot. We just need one more win. That's the good thing about it. It's a good thing we got ourselves a lead there [in the series] and are able to still be in the race to beat them." Marc-Andre Fleury.

Penguins @ Washington Capitals 2-0 - Wednesday, May 10, 2017

The Pittsburgh Penguins are going back to the Eastern Conference Final, trying to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves in a 2-0 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Verizon Center. Pittsburgh won after losing Games 3, 5 and 6.
Pittsburgh, the defending Stanley Cup champion, will play the Ottawa Senators in the conference final. Braden Holtby made 26 saves for Washington, which has not reached the conference final since 1998. Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Penguins, who have won six in a row on the road in Game 7. Rust gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 8:49 of the second period, his first goal of the series after scoring four in a five-game, first-round win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, who missed Game 4 after sustaining a concussion in Game 3, had an assist, his 10th. Hornqvist scored at 4:14 of the third period to make it 2-0 with his fourth of this postseason. It was Fleury's ninth Stanley Cup Playoff shutout, first this year. He has played every game since starting Game 1 of the first round after Matt Murray was injured during warmups.

* Crosby passed to the left circle to Jake Guentzel, who drew the defense and passed to Rust for the first goal.

* Holtby lunged out of the crease to stop Crosby's shot and stayed out to deny Guentzel moments later.

* After Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Ovechkin failed to clear the Capitals defensive zone, Hornqvist got to the turnover and scored with a backhand.

* Penguins defenseman Ian Cole kept the puck in the offensive zone and passed to Crosby, who gave it to Guentzel for his pass to Rust.

* Ovechkin was minus-2 with four shots on goal. "We didn't execute on our chances. We tried. We tried our best," the Washington captain said. ... The Capitals are 4-11 in Game 7, 3-7 with Ovechkin. … Pittsburgh won its third Game 7 at Washington (1992 Patrick Division Semifinals; 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals). … Fleury is the 10th NHL goalie to get a Game 7 shutout on the road. ... Penguins forward Matt Cullen is 6-0 in Game 7. ... Capitals forward Justin Williams lost a Game 7 for the first time (7-1). ... The Penguins are 9-1 in playoff series against the Capitals, including seven straight series wins dating to the 1995 Conference Quarterfinals. ... Guentzel's assist gave him 14 points (nine goals, five assists) this postseason, setting a Penguins record for a rookie. Jaromir Jagr had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 1991, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ...Murray was Fleury's backup for the first time this postseason. ... Ottawa won its series against the New York Rangers 4-2 in Game 6 on Tuesday.

"I don't know if I can say enough about this group of players. We've been through so much since I've been here. They just always find a way to respond the right way to any of the challenges or the adversities that this league throws at us, and they did it again tonight. I think these guys are at their best when the stakes are high. That might be the best game that we've played in the playoffs to this point, and I thought that was the closest thing to the Penguins identity that we've seen in the playoffs so far." Mike Sullivan.
"I thought we did a great job of regrouping. They came hard early on, so I thought we gathered ourselves, [Fleury] made some saves, and for at least the second and third (periods) I thought we were more on our game and on our toes a little bit more. That was probably one of our better games we've played. It's the right time to have that one." Sidney Crosby.
"It was a long series against a good team. They came hard at us till the end, and we're proud of the way we played tonight and the way we handled the pressure and these guys over the series." Fleury said.