NHL teams
Pierre LeBrun, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Rapid Reaction: Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Washington Capitals 1

WASHINGTON -- Eric Fehr's goal with 4:28 to go in the third period lifted the Pittsburgh Penguins to a well-deserved 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, tying the second-round series at one game apiece.

How it happened: The Caps apparently thought Game 2 was being played Sunday afternoon as they did not look ready at all in the opening two periods, registering just five shots on goal through the opening half of the game.

But as is so often the case when a team like Pittsburgh tilts the ice for that long, outshooting the Capitals 28-10 through 40 minutes, the Penguins found themselves in a game; such is the price for scoring only once during that dominant stretch and allowing the Caps to hang around.

Marcus Johansson's power-play goal 4:08 into the third period, after Kris Letang was given a dubious tripping penalty on T.J. Oshie, leveled things at 1-1, and from there the Caps awoke to give the Penguins a game.

The teams played a pretty even third period before Fehr’s goal; the former Caps forward redirected Evgeni Malkin's pass behind Braden Holtby. Speaking of former teammates, Caps defenseman Brooks Orpik, a longtime Penguin, might get a call from NHL player safety after a late hit on Pens defenseman Olli Maatta in the first period that was clearly a head shot. Maatta looked woozy after the hit and never returned to the game. Orpik got a two-minute penalty for interference on the play, but the replay clearly shows how late the hit was. That’s worth at least a one-game suspension in my book.

8 vs. 87: Crosby’s line was on the ice for all three goals the Pens allowed in Game 1, but the trio had a solid defensive night in Game 2. Crosby also had a great chance to score, but his power-play one-timer from close range in the second period was thwarted by Braden Holtby.

Ovechkin had a rather quiet night; he really wasn’t that noticeable at all until he broke in on a 2-on-1 break and set up Andre Burakovsky with a perfect pass and a great scoring chance, but Pens goalie Matt Murray made the save.

What it means: After outshooting the Caps 45-35 in Game 1 despite a 4-3 overtime loss, the Penguins again got the upper hand in the shot stat, 35-24; two games in a row, their speed game has hemmed the Caps in their own zone for long stretches. Sure, the Penguins’ blue line isn’t very good, but for Washington’s excellent forecheck play to have an impact, the Caps are going to have to find a way to spend less time in their zone and get to more loose pucks. The Penguins, on merit of play, probably should be up 2-0 in this series as it shifts to Pittsburgh, with Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Wednesday.

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