A Game 3 defeat can't kill Barry's vibe.
After watching his team direct 85 shots toward the target in comparison to the opponents' 36, and yet still lose 3-2 to fall behind 2-1 in their second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz spoke glowingly about his team's emotional state.
"We've got a good vibe coming from this game," Trotz said.
Staying quotable, he added: "The mountain never looks too big for us."
The climb appears as though it'll be much more manageable in Game 4.
There's a strong chance Pittsburgh will have to make up the 27 minutes taken by Kris Letang - the Penguins' best defender and arguably most important skater - after he delivered a suspension-worthy open-ice blow on Capitals forward Marcus Johansson.
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Following his team's Game 3 loss, Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson told reporters his neck was sore from whiplash suffered after a first-period hit by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, but that he is OK after finishing the night with over 17 minutes of ice time.
Related: Watch: Capitals' Johansson helped off ice after late hit by Letang
Despite not being injured, Johansson told reporters postgame that he believes Letang should face discipline from the league.
Marcus Johansson says he watched Letang hit after game. Feels it was blindside head hit that deserves a suspension.
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) May 3, 2016
"A hit in the head, he left his feet," forward Nicklas Backstrom described to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "Brooks Orpik got 3 games. We'll see what this is."
Orpik was suspended three games for his hit on Olli Maatta in Game 2, and the majority of Capitals players compared their teammate's hit to Letang's collision Monday.
Although Johansson said he was hit in the head, Letang - admitting he hadn't yet seen the play - wasn't sure if that was the case.
#penguins Kris Letang on Marcus Johansson hit. "I tried to step up." didn't know if he hits his head, to fast. Didn't see the replay.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 3, 2016
Unsurprisingly, the league's Department of Player Safety is already reviewing the play, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.
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PITTSBURGH - Patric Hornqvist and Tom Kuhnhackl scored a minute apart in the first period, Matt Murray stopped 47 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins took control of their Eastern Conference semifinal with a 3-2 win in Game 3 on Monday.
Carl Hagelin added his third goal of the playoffs for Pittsburgh, which took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series on another contentious night guaranteed to keep the NHL player safety office busy. Two days after Washington's Brooks Orpik earned a three-game suspension for an illegal hit on Pittsburgh's Olli Maatta, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang took a shot at Capitals forward Marcus Johansson sure to be reviewed before Wednesday's Game 4.
Alexander Ovechkin and Justin Williams scored in the third, but the Capitals find themselves in a deficit against a franchise they have beaten just once in eight previous playoff meetings.
The Penguins were hardly crisp but turned Washington mistakes into goals while Murray did the rest. The 21-year-old rookie outplayed Vezina Trophy finalist Braden Holtby to move Pittsburgh within two wins of a spot in the conference finals.
Playing with the urgency they lacked early in a 2-1 loss in Game 2, the Capitals outshot Pittsburgh 49-23 and outhit the Penguins 58-25. It hardly mattered.
The NHL's best team during the regular season has just one goal in the last six periods against Murray, who is playing so well Marc-Andre Fleury - who dressed for the first time since suffering a concussion on March 31 - might want to get used to the view on the bench.
Wearing the same Pittsburgh gold uniforms that team owner Mario Lemieux wore during the club's consecutive Stanley Cup runs in 1991 and 1992 - runs that included victories over Washington - it seemed like old times for the Penguins. The defense in front of Murray was steady even with Derrick Pouliot making his playoff debut while replacing Maatta, who is out indefinitely after taking a shot to the head from Orpik.
Pittsburgh's depth at the blue line could be tested in Game 4 after Letang made a run at Johansson that had some of the hallmarks of the elbow Orpik threw at Maatta. Johansson was skating into the offensive zone when he was headed off by four Penguins. The puck was steered away and long gone by the time Letang turned toward Johansson and launched himself into the forward. Letang earned a penalty for interference and Johansson remained on the ice for several moments before skating away.
Unlike Maatta, Johansson returned. By then, however, the Capitals were already on their heels after the Penguins counterattacked brilliantly. Sidney Crosby keyed a rush that ended with Conor Sheary chasing down a blocked shot in the corner and feeding it to Trevor Daley at the point. Hornqvist reached out and expertly smacked the puck off the ice, allowing it to skid right by Holtby to give Pittsburgh a lead perhaps it didn't deserve just 6:37 into the game.
A minute later Washington's deficit doubled when Nicklas Backstrom whiffed while trying to intercept Letang's long stretch pass to Cullen. The ensuing 2-on-1 ended with the puck smacking off Kuhnhackl's back and into the net.
Murray hardly appeared phased by having his team's franchise goaltender active for the first time in more than a month. He withstood whatever Washington threw at him, everything from heavy blasts from the point to chaos from in close.
When the Capitals weren't firing away they were giving it up.
Nate Schmidt opened the door for the Penguins to make it 3-0 late in the second period, flipping a blind backhand pass deep in the Washington end into the slot. Two passes later Hagelin was tipping in a slick feed from Nick Bonino, who drew Holtby out, and then tucked the puck around the sprawled goaltender to Hagelin in front of the open net.
Ovechkin's fourth of the postseason, a blur that whizzed by Murray's mask 8:02 into the third, gave Washington momentum, but there wasn't enough time to catch up.
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The Washington Capitals will be reeling after losing Game 3, and falling behind 2-1 in their second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins after an incredible 47-save performance from opposing netminder Matt Murray.
But while it won't soothe the defeat, they have two important moments to build on.
Alex Ovechkin and Justin Williams broke out of five- and 15-game goal-less droughts as a third-period comeback bid spurred by their captain fell just short.
Here's Ovechkin's goal - a blistering shot among 18 attempted in the contest:
Ovechkin's shot is just so good. #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/abmANSn7VI
— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 3, 2016
With contributions from Ovechkin and Williams being vital to their success, the Presidents' Trophy winners will hope these goals will awaken two streaky scorers in time for Wednesday - and a Game 4 they absolutely must have.
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It was an unlikely candidate with the best lick on public enemy No. 1.
Kris Letang, who drew the Washington Capitals' ire even before he delivered an illegal check to the head of Marcus Johansson in Game 3, has been on the receiving end of a handful of hits in Game 3, but none more crushing than this collision with Nicklas Backstrom.
This type of crash is obviously worrisome for the Penguins and Letang, who has suffered concussions previously. He did stay in the game.
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After losing in a Game 7 for the fourth consecutive year, Bruce Boudreau's tenure as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks came to an end Friday, and the 61-year-old admitted he wasn't surprised by the decision.
"I always had the sense that something was going to happen unless we actually won the Cup," Boudreau told The Orange County Register. "The worrywart in me is always worried about that. I didn't know where it would go. I had let some people know that it was great working with them before it happened. And I thought it was going to happen."
Boudreau admitted he was glad general manager Bob Murray made the decision quickly, and said he was happy to get the chance to help the team turn its season around after a rough start through the first couple months.
Now, Boudreau is already looking ahead to where he will work next, admitting he's already had conversations about future opportunities. He is hopeful he won't have to wait long before he finds another job.
"I love the game," he said. "I love the people involved in the game. There's no place I'd rather be than a hockey arena. I just know that's me."
The only current coaching vacancies in the league belong to the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild.
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Kris Letang hit on Marcus Johansson https://t.co/bT9d8gb0hF
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) May 3, 2016
For the second straight game in the Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins series, a dangerous hit has led to a player being helped off the ice. This time, that player was Capitals forward Marcus Johansson.
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang received a two-minute penalty for interference after catching Johansson up high with a late hit during the first period of Game 3.
Johansson went directly to the dressing room, but returned to action early in the second.
After Letang served his penalty, he was immediately greeted by Daniel Winnik, who earned a two-minute penalty for slashing in his retaliation for the Johansson hit.
This hit comes just one day after Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik was suspended three games for a late hit that injured Olli Maatta in Game 2.
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