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Mix-and-Match Penguins Valiant Effort, But Not Enough; Capitals Alive
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- Mix-and-Match Penguins Valiant Effort, But Not Enough; Capitals Alive
Pittsburgh Penguins game Lose 6-3 Washington Capitals
PITTSBURGH —The game was a must win for the Philadelphia Flyers , and a must play for the Pittsburgh Penguins .
The Penguins locked up second place in the Metro Division Thursday, but Washington was clinging to its ever-so-slim playoff chances. The Penguins used the game to let seven of their regulars, Sidney Crosby , Evgeni Malkin , Bryan Rust , Kris Letang , Ben Kindel , Parker Wotherspoon , and Erik Karlsson recover from injuries. Instead of their regulars, the Penguins substituted players who typically serve as healthy scratches and a trio of call-ups to complete their lineup.
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After a humdrum first period in which Washington outshot the Penguins 10-1 but without score, or danger, the teams combined for seven goals in the second period, XXXX
The goals came fast and furious in the second period as defensive breakdowns plagued the Penguins, but the team’s resilient goal scoring ability offset those lapses.
Aliaksei Protas began the scoring march just 1:39 into the second period when he put a cross-crease pass from Ilya Protas directly behind Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs for a 1-0 lead.
However, 26 seconds later, the Penguins tied the game with slot traffic, as Anthony Mantha ’s (32) shot slipped through legs and skates past Washington goalie Logan Thompson at 2:05.
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Young Washington forward Ryan Leonard (19) scored his first when he was alone near the crease. Silovs made the save but a video review ruled the puck must have crossed the line because most of Silovs’s glove has behind the line for a 2-1 lead at 6:02 of the second.
You didn’t think the Penguins would get a break from Toronto , did you?
And Washington extended the lead just over two minutes later when the Penguins simply didn’t cover Tom Wilson (30) near the net, and he, too, had an easy shot past Silovs at 8:08 for a 3-1 lead.
But wait, there was more.
The Penguins are not typically a team to let a game get away, at least without a few chances. Noel Acciari (13) finished Elmer Soderblom ’s shot for a tidy rebound goal at 11:47 of the second, and the Penguins trailed only 3-2.
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And again, one team struck quickly, but this time it was Washington.
Leonard scored the second of his two goals just 11 seconds later at the end of egregious Penguins’ breakdowns in which no one covered anyone, at least not well. Leonard (20) hit the 20-goal plateau as the Penguins forwards and defensemen watched him bury the rebound at 11:58.
Just as it seemed the game would get away from the Penguins completely, Kevin Hayes took a holding penalty, which the Penguins killed off. Just steps out of the penalty box, Ryan Shea zipped a headman pass to spring Hayes into the offensive zone.
Hayes (4) couldn’t get behind the defense for a breakaway, but pulled up and beat Thompson with a wrister from the right dot at 16:50, and the Penguins trailed only 4-3.
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Early in the third period, top Washington defenseman Rasmus Sandin needed to be helped off the ice after colliding with Penguins winger Justin Brazeau . A few minutes later, Brazeau figured into Washington’s next goal with a hooking minor.
Silovs popped a rebound beyond the crease, and I. Protas went around Silovs for the easy goal and 5-3 lead at 5:56.
The Penguins had a chance to close to within one midway through the third period when Anthony Mantha had a breakaway and was hooked. Referees awarded a penalty shot, but Thompson stopped Mantha’s five-hole attempt.
By the 50 minute mark, the Penguins had not yet gotten 10 shots on goal as the mix-and-match lineup struggled to connect on the last pass for a shot.
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Alex Ovechkin , 40, gobbled up the empty netter in what could be his last game in Pittsburgh. It was his 32nd goal of the season.
After 21 years, and countless battles in the playoffs and regular season, the Great 8 is considering retirement. Unfortunately, Crosby’s injury may deny the hockey world a 75th meeting of perhaps the greatest player rivalry in the league’s history.
Silovs stopped 25 of 30, and Thompson faced only 12 shots.
The Penguins and Washington complete their home-and-home Sunday in Washington. Washington has 91 points, one behind the Philadelphia Flyers, who play Saturday night against the Winnipeg Jets .
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Penguins Notes
The Penguins lineup was full of new combinations and players:
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Egor Chinakhov-Rickard Rakell-Ville Koivunen
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Anthony Mantha-Tommy Novak-Justin Brazeau
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Rutger McGroarty-Kevin Hayes-Avery Hayes
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Elmer Soderblom-Joona Koppanen-Noel Acciari
Defense
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Sam Girard-Jack St. Ivany
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Ryan Shea-Connor Clifton
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Ryan Graves-Ilya Solovyov
The post Mix-and-Match Penguins Valiant Effort, But Not Enough; Capitals Alive appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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