PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NHL Game of the Day >> 8-3-1 Weekend! PERFECT 3-0 NHL!
(NHL) Washington vs. Pittsburgh,
Total: 5.50 | 106.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 5.50 | 106.00 Over
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Caps began the third period of Saturday's Game 5 down 2-1 and 20 minutes away from losing yet another postseason series. However, Washington scored three goals less than eight minutes in, capped by Alex Ovechkin's fifth goal of this year's playoffs (he has three assists for eight points). "We're still down. We take good moments in the game (Saturday) and move forward," Ovechkin told reporters. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and fellow forward Conor Sheary returned on Saturday from one-game absences due to concussions, with Crosby notching his franchise high-tying 96th playoff assist for his 12th point (four goals, eight assists) in nine contests this postseason.
Washington: Ovechkin has been impressive versus Pittsburgh with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 career postseason games. However, the Penguins have enjoyed the last laugh by winning seven of the previous eight series and going on to capture the Stanley Cup after the last two (2009, 2016). While Ovechkin often gets the headlines, countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to be one of the main stories of this series after scoring a goal in each of the last three games to tie Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin for the team lead with five. Goaltender Hotlby held Pittsburgh at bay in the third period and since getting pulled in Game 2 (a 6-2 Pittsburgh win), has stopped 63 of 70 shots (.900 SP), which includes that "own goal" in Game 4.
Pittsburgh: Crosby told reporters that his team needs to focus on puck possession as a means to overcome a huge shot discrepancy in the series (Washington leads 174-115). "I would say just a little bit more zone time," the two-time Hart Trophy winner - and 2017 finalist - told reporters. "If we can hold on to the puck a little bit more, we should get more shots. I think we'll generate a little bit more from that." The Penguins may have won seven of the previous eight series against the Capitals but Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan isn't interested in history, whether it dates back to last season's second-round series versus Washington or the events of Game 5. "We have to have a short memory," Sullivan told reporters. "We just have to reset our mindset and go home and try to put our very best on the ice."
The pick: Yes, the Capitals lost Game 6 in Pittsburgh last year 4-3 in overtime but the Capitals had won Game 6 in four off the previous series in which they had trailed 3-2. Can they win here and extend the series to a Game 7 in Washington? Not sure but I do expect this to be a tight one, making the Under a 10* play.
Washington: Ovechkin has been impressive versus Pittsburgh with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 career postseason games. However, the Penguins have enjoyed the last laugh by winning seven of the previous eight series and going on to capture the Stanley Cup after the last two (2009, 2016). While Ovechkin often gets the headlines, countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to be one of the main stories of this series after scoring a goal in each of the last three games to tie Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin for the team lead with five. Goaltender Hotlby held Pittsburgh at bay in the third period and since getting pulled in Game 2 (a 6-2 Pittsburgh win), has stopped 63 of 70 shots (.900 SP), which includes that "own goal" in Game 4.
Pittsburgh: Crosby told reporters that his team needs to focus on puck possession as a means to overcome a huge shot discrepancy in the series (Washington leads 174-115). "I would say just a little bit more zone time," the two-time Hart Trophy winner - and 2017 finalist - told reporters. "If we can hold on to the puck a little bit more, we should get more shots. I think we'll generate a little bit more from that." The Penguins may have won seven of the previous eight series against the Capitals but Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan isn't interested in history, whether it dates back to last season's second-round series versus Washington or the events of Game 5. "We have to have a short memory," Sullivan told reporters. "We just have to reset our mindset and go home and try to put our very best on the ice."
The pick: Yes, the Capitals lost Game 6 in Pittsburgh last year 4-3 in overtime but the Capitals had won Game 6 in four off the previous series in which they had trailed 3-2. Can they win here and extend the series to a Game 7 in Washington? Not sure but I do expect this to be a tight one, making the Under a 10* play.
