Five Years Ago Today…Round 2, Game 2

As unbelievable as it may seem, we are fast approaching the five-year anniversary of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup win. To celebrate, over the next two months we’re going to be taking you on a journey back in time to that magical run – reliving every game, five years to the day from when it was first played.

So strap in for the ups and downs, highs and lows, all leading up to a celebration of the greatest moment in franchise history.

Follow along with all of our “Five Years Ago Today…” recaps here.

The Series:

Eastern Conference Round 2 – Capitals (1) vs. Penguins (2); Pens lead, 1-0

The Setting:

April 29, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC

Game in a Nutshell:

In Game 1 against the Penguins, the Caps did just about everything right for about 55 minutes. Unfortunately for them (and their fans), those pesky five minutes where things weren’t perfect cost them, and they headed into Game 2 desperate to leave DC with at least a split. Needing to grab a big win at home, the team took no chances and called in reinforcements to get the game off on the right foot.

They would continue to pepper Matt Murray with shots throughout the opening frame, ramping up 20 before the period was over, but he made several great stops (…y’know, for him) that kept this a 1-0 game. That could only last so long, though.

Late in the first, with Sidney Crosby in the box for hooking Nicklas Backstrom, Jakub Vrana would ward off three Penguins defenders and Matt Murray, collecting a rather ridiculous pass from Lars Eller and flinging it over Murray’s glove to give the Caps a 2-0 lead. Somewhat inexplicably, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan decided to challenge for goalie interference because of…this ——>

Seriously. They thought this was goalie interference. Made the refs review it on those fun little tablets and everything. Mike Sullivan, ladies and gentlemen.

Still, one never knows. Because in the long history of playoff games – any games, really – between the Caps and Pens, it’s often felt like the lucky bounces, the beneficial calls, and anything else the hockey gods could throw on the ice, have gone Pittsburgh’s way. So when the play went to review at a pivotal point in this game, perhaps we could be forgiven if we were shocked to see this result.

Scoring early in periods was starting to become a trend for the Caps, and they were back at it again in the second, with Brett Connolly – fresh off his vicious and purposeful gentle tap that helped Vrana score – getting sent in on a breakaway by Lars Eller. After making some truly great saves in the first, Murray let Connolly’s shot trickle through him and over the goal line for the 3-0 lead.

Shortly after, a play would transpire that would drum up the first real controversy in the series (but not the last), and it would involve Tom Wilson.

…we’ll pause for a sec while the shock of that sinks in.

And we’re back. So the play in question? This collision between Wilson, Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin, and Alex Ovechkin:

Dumoulin would not return to the game, but no penalty was called on the play and ultimately there would be no hearing and no supplemental discipline for Wilson. Er…this time, at least. (But more on that in a later article. Something to look forward to!)

So back to the hockey again. While the Caps did hold a three-goal lead, it was the Penguins’ turn to pepper Holtby with shots (score effects!), putting 16 shots on goal in that middle frame. Holtby turned aside 15 of those, but with Hornqvist and Dmitry Orlov in the box for coincidental roughing minors and the two teams skating four-on-four, Kris Letang flung a somewhat innocent looking shot toward the Caps’ net. And uh…it went in. A little traffic in front, perhaps, but one Holtby probably wanted to have back.

(Spoiler: He’s forgiven.)

Roughly halfway through the third period, the Penguins appeared to cut the deficit to one with this little play that caused Holtby to go ass over teakettle, and the puck to go just barely over the goal line…or did it?

Once again…in the long history of playoff games – any games, really – between the Caps and Pens, it’s often felt like the lucky bounces, the beneficial calls, and anything else the hockey gods could throw on the ice, have gone the way of Pittsburgh. So when a second play went to review at a pivotal point in this game, perhaps we could be forgiven if we were shocked to see this result:

…seriously, what voodoo is this??

Two-goal lead still firmly intact, the Caps – and Holtby – locked things down the rest of the way, keeping the Penguins from doing what they’d done in Game 1. They even added to their lead in the game’s final seconds, Backstrom snagging a cleared puck out of the air at center ice and flipping it down into the Penguins’ wide-open net.

4-1 Caps. 1-1 series. On to Pittsburgh.

Condensed Game:

Defining Moment:

It’s been five years and I still can’t believe I saw both of these calls made – in the Capitals’ favor – in a Caps-Pens game.

They Said It:

“We have a confident group, so we don’t get that down. We believe we can win any game no matter the circumstances. We focus on the task at hand and tonight that was Game 2. Game 1 was a long time ago.” – Braden Holtby

“At some point, we have to find a way to score goals. That’s something we’ll work on and try to be better at.” – Mike Sullivan

“I was pretty disappointed. As a goalie, you just want to be able to do your job. When something like that happens and you can’t do it, you just want to see the rule be upheld, so I was disappointed in that one.” – Matt Murray, on the lightest of taps on his pads that happened several seconds before the shot yet somehow rendered him incapable of making a save on Vrana

“I’m at no point trying to target the head at all. I’m skating, backchecking, trying to do my job and unfortunately there’s a collision there. I’ve watched it briefly and I don’t realize what I can really do any different. At the last second I see Ovi coming in and you can see me bracing too, as well, and I end up getting kind of taken out as well. I’ve got to analyze it a little more. Obviously you never want to see a guy go down, so hoping he’s better and we’ll see what happens.” – Tom Wilson, on his hit on Dumoulin

Finally, the @Nationals admin from the top rope:

Additional Reading:

• Caps Square Series with 4-1 Game 2 Win Over Pens [Vogs]
• #CapsPens Postgame Notebook: Best-Of-Five [Vogs]
• Holtby lifts Capitals past Penguins in Game 2 [NHL]
• Penguins-Capitals Game 2: Washington ties series after replay controversy ends in Caps’ favor [WaPo]
• Penguins struggle to generate secondary scoring in Evgeni Malkin’s absence [The Athletic ($)]
• No suspension for Capitals’ Tom Wilson after hit on Penguins’ Brian Dumoulin [WaPo]