The Pittsburgh Penguins are better than the Washington Capitals.
It’s not a major difference. Slighter than a supermodel’s profile. But it was just enough to win two overtime games during the three-game streak as the Pens seek to seal the second-round series on Monday. Pittsburgh won Saturday on an overtime deflection — as lucky a break as it gets. But the Pens seem a little cleaner on the ice, a little more experienced.
“It’s back and forth,” Pens superstar Sidney Crosby said. “These games come down to mistakes and bounces.”
But you make your luck and Pittsburgh coach Dan Blysma’s admission of a “favorable bounce” off Caps defender Tom Poti’s stick to gain a 3-2 series edge on Saturday showed the better team usually gets them.
Washington isn’t dead, though. The Caps survived two Game 6 eliminations over the past year, including the New York Rangers this season. But, it will take another miracle to steal the final two games this time. The Caps admitted playing their best game of the series on Saturday and still lost.
“We played good, but not good enough,” lamented Caps phenom Alex Ovechkin. “If we play like the first two periods [in the next two games], we win this series.”
Said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau: “We’ve been in this position before. You’ve just got to think of it as one game.”
It’s clear Pittsburgh’s experience gives the Pens an edge. They went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Pittsburgh’s one year ahead of the Caps in their worst-to-first rebuilding. Crosby has a little more in his posse than Ovechkin.
Ovechkin looks on his own at times. He has 10 playoff goals when no one else has more than a whisper around the net. Ovechkin even does his own banging on the boards while Crosby lives by the net.
The Caps need to grind the next few days. They’re too pretty on the passing. Too much settling the puck to let the defense react. Get it to Ovechkin even more and concentrate on banging the Pens away from the net. Make Crosby play from Row 3.
It’s a narrow series. The Caps can still escape and both sides know it.
“We’re one game away,” Crosby said, “but they’re two. You have no choice but to be desperate.”
Said Ovechkin: “It’s not over.”
The Caps better unleash the fury or it will be over Monday night.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
