ColePens
RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
MATCH: Penguins vs. Capitals
SERIES: Second Round, 2-2
TIME: 7 p.m. EST
PLACE: Capital One Arena
TV: NBC
RADIO: 105.9 FM, the X
1. Both teams have split their home games in the series. It's become a best-of-three series.
2. Jake Guentzel continues to be red hot for Pittsburgh. He extended his scoring streak to eight games, while recording his 9th and 10th goals in Game 4. Guentzel joined Mario Lemieux as the only 2 players in NHL history to have 10-plus goals in each of their first 2 postseasons.
3. Pens defenseman Kris Letang set another milestone, collecting his 58th career playoff assist, moving a head of Larry Murphy for the top spot in franchise history.
4. Caps goalie Braden Holtby has a 2.07 GAA this postseason (3rd best among remaining teams). His 2.38 GAA in the Second Round against Pittsburgh is the best mark of any goaltender in the Second Round.
5. The Caps have won 5 straight Game 5s when the series is tied at 2-2 with 4 of those victories coming on home ice. Alex Ovechkin has 11 points (7G-4A) in 15 career Game 5s
Jake Guentzel?
After Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist during Game 3 on Tuesday, the Penguins' official postgame notes package included a superlative that listed him among Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux.After Thursday's game, the run he is on was statistically comparable with Gretzky and Messier.
Lemieux? Guentzel had usurped him.
Even Super Mario hasn't had a 10-game start to a postseason like Guentzel. Neither has Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin.
The skinny, boyish-looking 23-year-old Guentzel is hotter than any of them ever have been in a playoff run.
"I mean, just kind of feel like the bounces are going in right now," Guentzel said after scoring twice in a 3-1 Game 4 victory Thursday against the Washington Capitals.
So long, Mario. Penguins' Jake Guentzel adds to historic playoff numbers
Mike Sullivan decided to defy convention, taking his chances by tinkering with the trio that was toying with the Washington Capitals.The Penguins coach dropped Hornqvist to the second line, reuniting the right winger with midseason linemates Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin. Sullivan promoted Dominik Simon to skate on the right wing with Crosby and Guentzel.
It was a bold move, given that the Penguins were trailing the Capitals, two games to one, in the best-of-seven series. Bolder still because of how bad it would have looked had it backfired.
And it didn't work. Yet it worked wonders.
Kevin Gorman: Mike Sullivan's bold line changes prove pivotal for Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Guentzel-Crosby-Simon
Hagelin-Malkin-Hornqvist
Sheary-Sheahan-Kessel
Kuhnhackl-Brassard-Rust
Dumoulin-Letang
Oleksiak-Schultz
Maatta-Ruhwedel
Murray
Washington Capitals:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-DSP?
Stephenson-Backstrom-Oshie
Connolly-Eller-Vrana?
???-Beagle-Chiasson
Kempny-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Djoos
Holtby