Some postgame reaction after a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss for the Capitals in Game 3 at Mellon Arena on Wednesday night.
» Virtually everyone we spoke with after the game was adamant that the seven penalties Washington took were the biggest difference in the game. Forward David Steckel has made some pointed comments in recent days about his team’s slow starts to games. That didn’t happen Wednesday – Alex Ovechkin’s fluke goal put the Caps up 1-0. But the difference this time was untimely penalties — and an inability to draw more than two themselves.
“My take is that we need to stay out of the box,” Steckel said. “We didn’t earn any penalties tonight — especially in the second when we gave up a whole bunch of penalties. We’re doing our best to draw them. They’re doing their best. We obviously took a bunch of stupid ones.”
» Steckel, who logged a game-high 7 minutes, 11 seconds of shorthanded time, had more to say.
“It’s a recurring theme in these games. We took seven minors. We’ve just got to stay out of the box. It’s getting harder and harder. Guys are taking shots in the leg — like Tom Poti, I think, [blocked] six shots tonight. He’s one of our best defensemen. With a power play like Pittsburgh’s, you give them that many chances and it’s just bound not to end well for us.”
» Caps coach Bruce Boudreau was less forgiving of the officials — especially after all the back-and-forth complaining between the two teams in recent days about who was getting — or not getting — certain calls.
“As far as penalties go — I hope I never hear them complain about penalties again, picks and everything else. I think we might have deserved the penalties. But they sure as hell deserved a few more than they got.”
» Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn’s take on his team’s lack of discipline and the officiating. He bites his tongue well halfway through his thought.
“I don’t think it’s the discipline. You see some of those calls — there were some missed calls and some good calls. That’s just the way it works. We just have to be better and keep sticks off and work a little harder than them.
» But Morrisonn wasn’t buying that his team may have tired because of the extra time on the penalty kill and that hurt the Caps late.
“You are tired. They’ve got their power play guys out there a lot and they are working hard, too. So it’s no excuse for being fatigued there. They’re fatigued as well. We got to stay disciplined and make them take penalties on us.”
» Eerie note of the night: The Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL farm team, is playing a best-of-seven conference semifinal against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton — the farm team for the Penguins. Up 2-0 in the series, the Bears lost Game 3 on the road Wednesday night — 3-2 in overtime, of course.
» Caps F Sergei Fedorov was limited to 15:52 of ice time after suffering an upper-body injury in the second period. He did return to the ice, however.
» Steckel on his faceoff loss to Sidney Crosby that led to the final goal:
“I’ve been switching up all night about how fast I go down [on the draw]. Either they set up first or I do. So I decided to go in and stand there and wait for it. And I kind of knew that [Crosby] was just going to come in with the swipe when he was ready and he just got underneath my stick and got it to the wall and they scored.”
» Boudreau scratched injured defensemen John Erskine and Jeff Schultz and emergency call-up D Karl Alzner.
» Joining those three in the press box was F Eric Fehr (undisclosed injury). F Donald Brashear (suspension) did not make the trip to Pittsburgh.
» F Michael Nylander returned to the lineup for the first time since Game 2 of the first-round series vs. New York. Normally a center, he was the fourth-line left wing.
