The best NHL team in the regular season saved their best game of the second round for when they needed it most.
Buoyed by strong games from Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby, the Washington Capitals earned a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a do-or-die Game 5. The series heads to Pittsburgh on Monday with the Capitals still trailing, 3-2.
Ovechkin finished with a goal and an assist, while Holtby stopped 30 of 31 shots against. Sidney Crosby earned his second point of the series with an assist on Pittsburgh's only goal.
Although some national pundits have said the Capitals should trade Ovechkin (don't Google it, just know that it happened), the captain made a quick impact in Game 5. Penguins forward Bryan Rust took the game's first penalty at 3:56 of the first period, and Ovechkin slapped home his fifth goal of the postseason just eight seconds later.
That would be the trend in Game 5. Pittsburgh kept pressing and forced a penalty a few minutes later, and winger Chris Kunitz buried a rebound in front of the net to tie the game at 1-1. Aside from the Capitals' goal, the Penguins outshot the Capitals 12-4 in the first period.
But penalty trouble continued for Pittsburgh. Capitals winger Tom Wilson drew a penalty from Penguins defenseman Ian Cole early in the second period, and T.J. Oshie connected on his fifth goal of the playoffs to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. It was the third power play goal in Game 5 after just one in the previous four games.
Penguins goalie Matt Murray stopped a good chance late in the period, but a turnover by Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin moments later turned into a goal for Justin Williams and a 3-1 lead for Washington that would hold.