Penguins say goodbye at locker clean-out day

After keeping the list largely intact over the past few seasons, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday that there will be changes in the offseason.

The changes will not affect the core of the team, which saw its dreams of the third regular Stanley Cup on Monday in Washington, DC, but Rutherford said the change is necessary.

Our group discusses the risers and dildos of this postseason, along with the best trade deals, the final Stanley Cup finals that we want to see and much more.

There is only a shy championship, no doubt, it will be painful, but in fact it can be the best scenario for the expansion club.

Defending Champion Penguins Pushed to Brink of Elimination

Saving the games in the capital of Washington - and perhaps the decisive advantage in the playoffs - was the result of a 22-year-old recruit not burdened with torture in the history of the organization's post-season. Jakub Vrana was 2 years old, when the last time the capital passed the second round. He was a scratch in the first round of this postseason. He hardly saw the ice at the beginning of this series. He was a hero on Saturday night.

In the related third period, Vrana followed Alex Ovechkin on the ice, and after Ovechkin descended to the right of the Pittsburgh Penguins player, Matt Murray, in order to get him out of the position, Ovechkin easily put a pass into the slot for Vrana who knocked the puck into the wide open net , as if it was not important. He tried to maintain this composure when he stood in front of the reporters in the locker room after the game, but then showed youth and abundance, which made him an important part of this "Capital" team.

Penguins furious Tom Wilson was laughing after hit that broke Zach Aston-Reese's jaw

As a handful of Pittsburgh penguins dribbled to the ice for an extra morning skate on the team's training facility on Wednesday morning, they found themselves in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place. It was less than 14 hours after they suffered a crushing loss of 4-3 in Game 3 in the Washington capitals, which are only the second team for so many years to play a series of playoffs over the two defending champions.

Pittsburgh found himself pursuing Washington in Games 1 and 2 after slow starts in each, and now he was in a rare position in the pursuit of the series. It resembles a 2-1 hole that the penguins hit last year's Eastern Conference finals against Ottawa that created a tight game in this series 4. Pittsburgh won this game, 3-2, the main answer, as he survived the senators in seven games before dislodging Nashville in the final of the Stanley Cup. The fourth game 4 against Washington carries similar bets, so on Wednesday for some players there was a chance to work on their shortcomings and find a complete closure after the captains of forward Alex Ovechkin shook them in his own building with a win in the game with 67 seconds left on Tuesday in the evening,

"It's good to be there. I mean, especially after the game, if there are things you want to work on, "said Capt. Penguins Sidney Crosby, who was one of the few payers who skated on Wednesday. "You know, when there are fewer fewer guys that you sometimes do there a little."

Penguins’ quick strikes in third earn them a 3-2 win over Capitals

After the Washington Capitals scored early, the Pittsburgh Penguins scored often to stun their rivals with another comeback.

Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a span of 4:49 to help Pittsburgh erase a two-goal deficit in the third period and the Penguins beat Washington 3-2 on Thursday night in the Game. 1 of the second round series.

Without showing panic by allowing a goal to Evgeny Kuznetsov in the 17 seconds of the game and another to Alex Ovechkin at 28 seconds of the third period, the consecutive defending champions of the Stanley Cup took another advantage of the series typical of the penguins.

Playing without injured strikers Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh naturally fed on Crosby, who had a goal and an assist.

Penguins-Capitals to Play Game 1 April 26 at 7:00PM at Capital

You were with a grid for a week and a half. You wake up, and the Washington capitals won their second round against the Pittsburgh penguins. How did this happen?

Greg Uyszynski, a senior NHL writer: Oh, how crazy is that the penguins had the NHL franchise chart chart withdrawn in the middle of the playoffs, since this is by far the only way they can lose a series in the capitals? Wait, they did not?

Well, look at this: Washington's recipe for success in its first round of the series against the Columbus Blue Jackets series somehow prepared a victory over the penguins. "Capitals" scored the goal in each game and closed the game in Pittsburgh in every victory. Goalie Braden Holtby was the best player on the ice for a couple of games. Rookie contenders Devante Smith-Pelly, Jakub Vran and Chandler Stevenson scored the key goals because they knew nothing better. Alexei Ovechkin had eight points in six games. Operative phrase: six games. No sphincter-squeezing "How-do-It-All-Go-To-Hell" in the 7th game in D.C. Because if the series goes so deep, it is obvious that we will not conduct this conversation.

Emily Kaplan, NHL National Reporter: The Capitals were in a dangerous situation. Not burdened by external expectations (not the trophy of the presidents), the team really felt more pressure than ever. They knew that their coach, Barry Trotz, had no contract for the next season and most likely would not return to win the Stanley Cup, and even then it was not given. Cape also knew that GM Brian MacLellan would shake the list decisively if they fell back on the penguins.

Thus, they raised one feature of the play to win this series in six games. Of course, it helped that Handles played the equivalent of an extra half-season hockey in the last two Stanley Cups. Washington also took advantage of the fact that Evgeni Malkin and Patrick Hornqvist missed the games with protracted injuries. The power game of the Penguins was uncharacteristically tamed - oh, sorry, this is the fantasy "Capital". I wanted to say that Washington continued a violent assassination in the box from the Blue Jackets series. In addition, I'm happy to report that beer cans have not hit the ice.

Chris Peters, NHL writer: First, I had to make sure that I was not hallucinating. After that, I'll probably find out that Holtby, with some restored confidence after four consecutive victories against the Columbus Blue Jackets, was at the top of his game. His .932 career save percentage in the postseason did not necessarily help tone against Pittsburgh in previous years, but this time it's enough, especially if the number of goalkeeper penguins Matt Murray continued to plunge.

The capitals would need big performances from their players in depth to support the expected products from their best guys such as Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom, Eugene Kuznetsov and John Carlson, who were so strong against Columbus and continued to threaten Pittsburgh. Caps received little help from deep-down guys like Stevenson and Jay Beagle, among others, against Columbus. They will need even more against the pens. It is expected that the top lines will carry their respective commands, but the depth can provide separation. And you know what? I think that there is a decent probability that this happens in real life.

Sachin Chandan, ESPN Journal researcher: Three things had to happen. First, the Capitals won a high chance of winning. They are already strong, as they lead all the playoff teams with 66 high-risk chances with high danger, for every natural trick. Secondly, Holtby was clearly a star, but he needed protection in front of him to help him. This year, Holtby was more susceptible to shots from the center of the zone, and he would need his upper defensive pairs, Michal Kempni-Carlson and Dmitry Orlov-Matt Niskanen, to close these vulnerable strips. Three, they continued their success in the power game, not taking penalties. Washington leads all the teams with a 33.3 percent stake on the power game, having the most chances and not imposing penalties. It was a struggle, but everything is possible.

Penguins To Face Washington Capitals In Round 2 Of Playoffs

For the third consecutive postseason it will be the Washington capitals and the Pittsburgh penguins in the semifinals of the capital division.

"Here we go," - said the center Nicklas Backstrom after the "Capitals" liquidated the "Columbus Blue Jackets" in victory 6-3 in Game 6 on Monday evening. Penguins also won in six games, destroying the Philadelphia flyers on Sunday.

Backstrom was asked whether the Capitals enter this autopsy as an outsider, despite winning the Metro division.

"Yes, but it does not really matter if we are outsiders or not," he said. "They won the Stanley Cup two years in a row. Good for them. We will play in the second round against them. It will be fun".

In 2009, the penguins won an epic series of seven games, in which the famous game 2 was presented, in which Alex Ovechkin and Crosby played tricks. The penguins captured game 7 in D.C., 6-2. In 2016, penguins replaced Capital in six games after losing the game 1 on the road in overtime. In 2017, rivals again went to seven games, and the winner of the "Penguins" won the game 7 in Washington with a score of 2: 0.

For this edition of the post-season rivalry, the capitals will again have their home ice. They will have Ovechkin and Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and goalkeeper Braden Holtby, as in the last two playoffs. This leads to an obvious question: how can this be otherwise for capitals, when so many seem strangely familiar?

"We knew that the chances were that we would need to go through them at some point. We were well prepared. We used a year to improve our team, "said Holtby, who was impressive in creating 35 saves in Game 6.

Winger T.J. Oshima believes that Holtby is locked up, and the defense improved before him, this time the result may be different.

"Defensively, we understand better the correct reading a little. Defensively, we are a bit more responsible. I think that in previous years our line was rather complicated. It seemed like we somehow left with good players reading, but at times Pittsburgh can use it when you're not sharp at your own end, with how they see the ice. I think that we are a little more responsible at our own end, and I hope this can deter their crime, "said Oshi,

Over the past two seasons, Washington and Pittsburgh were set to collide in the second round due to the NHL playoffs format, what Captain coach Barry Trotz complained about in the NHL National game earlier this season.

"I think the format worked well and I'm not going to go against the league, but when you win the Presidents Trophy, you will not need to play the second [best] team in the second round," Trotz said.

If the Stanley Cup playoffs were replaced after the first round, the penguins (100 points) faced Tempa Bay Lightning (113 points), and in Capital (105 points) would face the winner of the Boston Bruins (112 points) and Toronto Maple leaves (105 points).

But this is not a format. Bracket says it's "Capitals against penguins," again. And Ovechkin said he was ready.