By now you have read the game reviews, seen the highlights and understand the deal. The Caps knocked off the Penguins today 3-2 behinds goals from Dave Steckel, Alex Ovechkin, and Tomas Fleischmann to take a 1-0 series lead over Pittsburgh in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Simeon Varlamov was absolutely stellar in goal. He let one softie go through, a long slapshot from Pittsburgh defensemen Mark Eaton, but other than that, Varly spent his time robbing Pittsburgh of several goals with tremendous plays in the net. The one save on Sidney Crosby was absolutely sick and by far the save of the NHL playoffs. Watch it below.
It was a stunning save that saved the game for the Caps. If anyone has any doubts about whether Simeon Varlamov is the real deal, if Varly can play as amazing as he did against New York with a real offensive powerhouse, just ask Pittsburgh. Varly stopped 34 of 36 shots to improve to 5-2 in the NHL playoffs and
has posted a quite impressive 1.29 GAA and a save percentage of .950 in
7 games.
GAME POINTERS:
* Line 4 was the best Caps line on the ice today and deserve a shout out. They worked hard, tied the puck up, played aggressive and deserve the recognition. Great games for Dave Steckel, Matt Bradley, and Brooks Laich. Steck scored his first playoff goal of the series.
* Caps penalty unit was killer today. They shut out the Pens 0 for 5. Great job by Mr. Penalty Killer Boyd Gordon today. Fleischmann made a few big clears as well. Overall, this unit came up big.
* Caps were 1 for 2 on the power play, scoring on the first power play with a goal from Alex Ovechkin. Pittsburgh played a pretty disciplined game today not giving the Caps lethal power play much to play with
* Defense has to do a better job sticking in their zones. Often both defensemen ended up on the same side of the ice, opening gaps on the opposite side. They also need to get back quicker as the Pens had their odd man rush opportunities.
* If you watched it, you saw it. It was horrible. Just plain, bad. NBC’s coverage of the NHL playoffs is just soooooo bad. They get names wrong, make wrong calls, just pathetic coverage. If the NHL wants national coverage for the playoffs, ink a deal with ESPN please. Let’s get back to Comcast and Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin. Their coverage, expertise, and analysis kills NBC.
Full video game highlights
The Washington Capitals minor league affiliate, Hershey Bears, opened up their second round playoff series against non other than WB/Scranton Pens, the minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Much like the Caps, the Bears took a 1-0 series lead, defeating the Pens tonight 5-3. Bears got goals from Steffan Kronwell, Chris Bourque, Andrew Gordon, Alexandre Giroux, and Kyle Wilson to upend the Pens. Michal Neuvirth stopped 35 of 38 shots in net for the Bears.
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