Evgeny Kuznetsov en route to scoring the game’s opening goal. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)
Game 1
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
Capital One Arena
7 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Full series schedule
Game 2: at Washington, 3 p.m. Sunday
Game 3: at Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Game 4: at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Thursday
Game 5 (if necessary): at Washington, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): at Pittsburgh, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): at Washington, TBD
• Capitals keep 1-0 lead after two periods, thanks to brilliance from Braden Holtby. (Read more)
• Penguins center Evgeni Malkin will miss Game 1, a huge opportunity for the Capitals. (Read More)
• All eyes will be on Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. (Read More)
• Relive the top five moments in the rivalry between Ovechkin and Crosby. (Read more)
In-game analysis
End Period 2: Caps 1, Penguins 0
The second period opened with quality scoring chances at both ends, but neither team lit the lamp, so the Capitals will take their 1-0 advantage into the third. Washington, which rarely trailed in its first round win over Columbus despite losing two games, has led for 39 minutes and 43 seconds out of 40 minutes in this one. That’ll do.
Shots are even at 17-17 and both teams have played disciplined games. The Capitals’ power play unit, which was dominant against the Blue Jackets, is still looking for its first chance. Washington killed off the game’s only penalty early in the second period.
“There are no secrets here between the Caps and the Pens,” NBC Sports analyst Eddie Olczyk said before puck drop. Through two periods, it shows. Grab another beverage and gird your loins for what is sure to be a tense final 20 minutes of regulation.
Nice ice, baby?: It wouldn’t be a playoff game at Capital One Arena if the announcers weren’t talking about the condition of the ice. “When it gets snowy down here, the pucks are jumping,” NBC Sports’ Pierre McGuire reported from his ice-level spot “inside the glass” midway through the second period.
Capitals’ PK stays hot: Three minutes into the second period, a Tom Wilson interference penalty produced the first power play of the game. Washington’s special teams unit, which killed off 17 consecutive power plays to end the first round against Columbus, was up to the task again, limiting the Penguins to one shot with the man advantage. After 30 minutes, Washington still had its 1-0 lead.
Another fast start to a frame: The Penguins almost outdid the Capitals’ lightning-quick first-period goal when Jake Guentzel received a pass from Sidney Crosby and rang a shot off the post 15 seconds into the second. That’s two friendly pings for Braden Holtby tonight. A couple of minutes later, Matt Murray made the best save of the game by sliding across the crease to deny Devante Smith-Pelly on a rebound attempt.
End Period 1: Caps 1, Penguins 0
The first period had a lot of sizzle but not much steak. Pittsburgh edged Washington in scoring chances, 13 to 11, with Sidney Crosby leading his team with three of those chances. John Carlson’s two scoring chances led the Capitals, who had nine other skaters with at least one scoring chance in the opening frame. Washington did get the only goal in the period, which is good news: the Caps are 33-6-3 this season, including the playoffs, when they score the game’s first goal.
Despite a frantic and exciting start, Washington managed only six shots on goal and failed to capitalize on a couple of other chances to extend its early 1-0 advantage, but Braden Holtby was sharp and made the lead stand up with nine first-period saves.
“This game could be 3-1, Pittsburgh,” NBC Sports analyst Jeremy Roenick said during the first intermission.
There were no power plays in the opening 20 minutes.
Ping!: Holtby turned away the Penguins’ first eight shots, including a beautiful save on a shot by Guentzel from the doorstep. Holtby, who has won four straight playoff games for the first time in his career, also benefited from a generous deflection off the post on a shot by Pittsburgh’s Dominik Simon. On the unofficial Puck Luck Counter for this series, it’s Capitals 1, Penguins 0.
A sizzling start: Washington only managed three shots on goal through the first 10-plus minutes of the first period, but the Caps have been buzzing around the net with a 1-0 lead. On one odd-man rush, Evgeny Kuznetsov sent a pass between Matt Murray’s skate and the goal post that trickled through the crease and out of harm’s way. A couple of minutes later, Murray made his most difficult save of the game thus far on a point-blank shot from Alex Chiasson.
The pace was intense, and the Penguins defense suffered repeated breakdowns under the pressure.
A rare miss for Ovi: The Capitals had a golden opportunity to take a 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the first period, but Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer off a two-on-one feed from Dmitry Orlov sailed wide left of an open net. At that point, shots were even at two apiece.
Kuznetsov with a bolt: It took all of 17 seconds for the Capitals to jump out to a 1-0 lead at home. Tom Wilson found Alex Ovechkin on a breakout and the Washington captain flipped a perfect pass to a streaking Kuznetsov, who beat Penguins goalie Matt Murray high on his glove side. It was two seconds from being the fastest goal to start a playoff game in Washington franchise history.
Fast starts haven’t been a problem for the Capitals this postseason. They scored first in five of their six games against Columbus, but only won three of those games.
Pittsburgh’s penalty kill could decide this series: Washington has one of the best power-play units in the NHL. The Caps scored on 55 of their 244 opportunities during the regular season (22.5 percent, seventh-best in the league) and have converted on a third of their postseason opportunities (9 for 27) utilizing their now-famous 1-3-1 system, which “creates four triangles to pass around and take one-timer shots” while forcing “the defense to focus on the middle players causing the penalty kill to shrink.”
However, the Penguins’ penalty killers are very good at harassing opponents along the half wall, which will cause two problems for Washington: It forces Alex Ovechkin to track down and fire the puck near the blue line, or it prohibits the Caps from setting up in the offensive zone altogether with the possibly of a turnover going the other way. It’s also possible Pittsburgh decides to shadow Ovechkin on the left side when Washington has the man advantage. If that’s the case, it will be up to the rest of the team to create quality chances, which has been an issue. In the four-game regular season series, Evgeny Kuznetsov led the team with seven scoring chances, followed by T.J. Oshie (three) and Lars Eller (two). None of the other skaters for Washington had a power-play scoring chance. Ovechkin was also held without a power-play goal in those four games.
Can the Capitals get over the hump?: Fresh off a West Coast road trip and with an off day before the Nats host the Diamondbacks to begin a 10-game homestand on Friday, Nationals Manager and camel enthusiast Dave Martinez was at Capital One Arena for Game 1. There’s some debate about whether Martinez, who led the “Let’s Go Caps!” chant before puck drop, should go by Dave or Davey. If he were a hockey player, there’s no question it would be the latter.
This, again: Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby was still in shorts and a t-shirt about an hour before Thursday night’s Game 1 against Washington, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes as he shuffled alone through the hallways of Capital One Arena. His pregame routine was just getting started.
Fans donning his uniform were already filing into the visiting arena at that point, lining the glass for warm-ups. It was again clear that Penguins fans will show up in force in Washington for a second-round series for a third consecutive year – but they’ll have to watch Crosby play without his sidekick, injured forward Evgeni Malkin, in Game 1.
Washington fans, meanwhile, were greeted Thursday night with the usual towels emblazoned with the phrase “ALL CAPS,” some of which were white and formed a pattern of the city’s monuments in the stands.
Penguins bring danger: The Capitals will need Braden Holtby to stay locked in. He stepped up big in the relief of Philipp Grubauer during Washington’s first-round series against Columbus, stopping 39 of 44 high-danger chances against, and will face a Penguins team that excels at creating shots in the slot and the crease.
Pittsburgh ranked third in the NHL in high-danger chances per 60 minutes at even strength (12.3), and the Penguins have converted 12 of 41 (29 percent) high-danger chances in the playoffs.
“He’s phenomenal,” Caps winger Tom Wilson said of Holtby on NBCSN before Thursday’s game. “He’s a leader on and off the ice for us.”
Pregame story lines
Pittsburgh injuries: Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and speedy winger Carl Hagelin will both miss Thursday’s game with injuries, creating a huge opportunity for the Capitals. With 42 goals and 56 assists this season, Malkin was arguably Pittsburgh’s best player, and his absence will give Washington the advantage in center depth. But the Capitals have had opportunities like this against the Penguins before, and they haven’t capitalized. A year ago, captain Sidney Crosby missed one game because of a concussion, and the Capitals still lost. In the 2016 second-round meeting between the teams, top defenseman Kris Letang was suspended for a game, and Washington didn’t win that game, either. The Capitals can’t afford a 2-0 series hole like they had against Columbus, and that starts with taking advantage of a depleted Penguins team on Thursday night.
Malkin was ruled out of Game 1 with apparent leg injury, but he took another step Thursday morning toward potentially playing in Game 2. The center participated in his team’s optional skate at Capital One Arena, less than a week after he was injured in Game 5 of Pittsburgh’s first round series win over Philadelphia.
“I think it’s great. I think it’s great for our team. It’s great for [Malkin], obviously, that he’s on the ice and he’s skating. He means he’s that much closer, and our players are aware of that,” Pittsburgh Coach Mike Sullivan said after the practice. “He’s a big part of this team. He’s a difference-maker. He’s not an easy guy to replace. But as we’ve said all along, we’ve got a next man up attitude, and it’s going to provide opportunity for other guys to step up and try to help us win.”
Pittsburgh will also be without forward Carl Hagelin, who has a lower body injury and did not make the trip to Washington with the team.
Power play: Penalties in this series could be costly for both teams. Though Washington’s shorthanded unit killed 17 straight penalties over the final four games against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, Pittsburgh’s power play is more dangerous. The Penguins had five power-play goals in 25 opportunities in their first-round series, and the unit was the league’s best during the regular season with a 26.2 percentage. The Capitals’ man-advantage is arguably even hotter at the moment; Washington scored a whopping nine power-play goals in six first-round games against Columbus.
Goaltending: After Braden Holtby started the postseason on the bench, beat out for the starting job by Philipp Grubauer, he’s earned his place back in net and rebounded from a tough second half of the season with a strong showing in the playoffs, a .932 save percentage and 1.92 goals against average, winning all four of his starts against the Blue Jackets in the first round. But Holtby struggled against Pittsburgh in the postseason a year ago with an .887 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average. Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray looked shaky at times against the Flyers in the Penguins’ first-round series, and though he was injured during the teams’ meeting a year ago, his postseason résumé is impressive, including two championships already. He has a .926 save percentage and a 1.99 goals against average over his career in the playoffs.
“They kind of sat back in the [defensive] zone and kind of drown you out and then wait for you to kind of make a mistake and then it’d be boom, two-on-one, breakaway or something like that,” Holtby said of the Penguins. “They wait for the grade-A chances instead of just ‘hope’ chances, and I think we’ve learned a lot from that.”
Players to watch
Alex Ovechkin: The Capitals’ captain said he “can’t wait” to play the Penguins, and after he had a monster season with a league-leading 49 goals, his postseason is off to an impressive start: five goals and eight points through Washington’s first six games. That’s already matched his point total from his 13-game playoff run a year ago, when he was playing through knee and hamstring injuries. Over his career, Ovechkin has averaged nearly a point per game in the postseason.
Sidney Crosby: As the Penguins scored 4.67 goals per game in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Crosby lead the way with six goals and seven assists for 13 points through six games. He’s won the Conn Smythe trophy in back-to-back seasons as the most valuable player over consecutive Stanley Cup championship runs, and Washington will devote its top defensive pairing of Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen to stopping Crosby and his top line, also featuring Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist.
Pregame reading
Immerse yourself in the Capitals’ postseason with The Post’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs:
So they meet again: Five top moments in the Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby rivalry
Capitals and Penguins: A landscape of pain and agony
For the Capitals to make a leap, Braden Holtby must provide safety in net
‘We’re actually quite excited about it’: Caps want their Cup quest to go through Pens
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin will miss Game 1 against Capitals
No doubt: Capitals’ Braden Holtby kept his confidence amid a season of struggles
These Penguins fans have more sympathy than hatred for the Capitals
Fancy Stats: Three reasons this Capitals-Penguins series will be different
An early look at the Penguins-Capitals Stanley Cup playoff clash, part 11
Alex Ovechkin delivers in the clutch, and ‘a huge opportunity’ awaits
Capitals-Blue Jackets Game 6: Washington wins series; Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby next
Chandler Stephenson’s breakout moment comes at the perfect time for the Capitals
It’s not just you: The Caps really do play an absurd number of overtime playoff games
Nicklas Backstrom, the picture of the Capitals’ playoff pain, is now the image of their joy
John Carlson continues to build on stellar postseason reputation
Washington’s expected lineup
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson
Chandler Stephenson-Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie
Brett Connolly-Lars Eller-Devante Smith-Pelly
Jakub Vrana-Jay Beagle-Alex Chiasson
Scratches: Andre Burakovsky (upper body), Shane Gersich, Travis Boyd, Brian Pinho, Nathan Walker
Defensemen
Dmitry Orlov-Matt Niskanen
Michal Kempny-John Carlson
Brooks Orpik-Christian Djoos
Scratches: Jakub Jerabek, Madison Bowey
Goaltenders
Braden Holtby (starter)
Philipp Grubauer
Scratch: Pheonix Copley
Pittburgh’s expected lineup
Forwards
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Patric Hornqvist
Dominik Simon-Riley Sheahan-Phil Kessel
Connor Sheary-Derick Brassard-Bryan Rust
Zach Aston-Reese-Carter Rowney-Tom Kuhnhackl
Defensemen
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Olli Maatta-Justin Schultz
Jamie Oleksiak-Chad Ruhwedel
Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (lower-body injury), Carl Hagelin (upper-body injury), Matt Hunwick
Goaltenders
Matt Murray (starter)
Casey DeSmith
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