GDT: ECSF #5|Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals|Don't let me down

[ColePens]

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


​

5 THINGS
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?

​

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​

Ric Flair has some expensive shoes​

Click to read more...

 

[ColePens]

 

[Jaded-Fan]

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

Huge game. I'll do my part.


Pens are going to let us down big time. Major league choke incoming. Their families will be so embarrassed they're going to disown them.

 

[FlightlessBird]

Bob Grove debunked that last one. Pens won in Columbus with him as a ref.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

 

[ColePens]

Pens are 0-6 with Joanette and the Caps have won FIVE straight Game 5s. Four of those were at home, as tonight's is.

Yikes. Go Pens?

 

[Pengwins]

I still don’t like the lines. Sticking with the same personnel I would go with :

Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Sheahan-Rust
Kuhnhackl-Brassard-Simon

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Pens are 0-6 with Joanette and the Caps have won FIVE straight Game 5s. Four of those were at home, as tonight's is.

Yikes. Go Pens?

Whenever there is a playoff game you turn into Ex-Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Head coach Lou Holtz who if they are playing Central Catholic High School would tell you every stat in the book explaining why Notre Dame would be lucky to get out of ND stadium without getting smoked.

 

[DegenX]

w00t! Good stuff, Cole! LGP!

 

[SouthGeorge]

Great thread! Can we get a goal from the 3rd or 4th line?

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

Great thread! Can we get a goal from the 3rd or 4th line?

No, .

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Pens are 0-6 with Joanette and the Caps have won FIVE straight Game 5s. Four of those were at home, as tonight's is.

Yikes. Go Pens?

5 straight overall or against the Pens?

I know theyve won all 3 game 5s in the Crosby/Malkin era. 2009 series was tied at 2(Pens down 0-2). Last two years we were up 3-1 heading in.

Edit: Been that long I guess that I forgot Pens won 3 straight after being down 0-2 in 09. So we've won 3 straight in all of the series leading up to this one.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Great thread! Can we get a goal from the 3rd or 4th line?

Can Letang go a game without doing a couple of really really stupid things?

As long as we are wishing ....

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

And how about a game without the D double clutching into the nearest shin pads

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Great thread! Can we get a goal from the 3rd or 4th line?

This series is when we had Bones and Cullen stepping up for us. Mainly in 2016, when Sid didnt do much. It was HBK that year. Guentzel - Crosby - Hornqvist took over last year tho. And picking up where they left off.

Whos gonna step up this game? Brassard, Rust, Sheahan, Kessel? Or more of the same? 2 goals by our first line and 2 by Malkin.

Hagelin's second game back. Hopefully start to see the beginning of that 2nd line doing what they did in Jan/Feb. If we get that the rest of the way with how our first line is playing...the bottom 6 can sit and watch.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Can Letang go a game without doing a couple of really really stupid things?

As long as we are wishing ....

It would be nice if him and Malkin didn't take a dumb penalty today.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

w00t! Good stuff, Cole! LGP!

Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives.

No, I think we have to go all out.

I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!

 

[Tom Hanks]

Sheary to score today! Let’s get weird! Go Pens!

 

[Jaded-Fan]

It would be nice if him and Malkin didn't take a dumb penalty today.

Well, now you are talking parting the Red Seas miracle stuff.

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

Brassard and Kessel at an optional skate? Maybe they're feeling better? Please?

 

[Tom Hanks]

Brassard and Kessel at an optional skate? Maybe they're feeling better? Please?

Feeling better was optional too

 

[UnrealMachine]

@ColePens Was the thread title "Cinco de Nada" already taken?

 

[madinsomniac]

Pens are 0-6 with Joanette and the Caps have won FIVE straight Game 5s. Four of those were at home, as tonight's is.

Yikes. Go Pens?

Trends are made to be broken

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I know we have our injuries( which is mainly why there is a game tonight) but looking at these lineups there is no reason the Pens shouldnt take over tonight. Caps already lost Mojo, Williams, Schmidt, etc. No Bura or Wilson now. While we have Malkin and Hagelin back. Their lineup is thin.

They are down to 4 players who can beat Murray's glove side. We saw last game when others were going for it on odd man rushes...over the net. They cant pick their spots like AO and Kuznetzov(who also might have an injured wrist).

We havent scored more than 3 goals yet, if our depth finally steps up this should be the first "relaxing" 3rd period of the series. Pens always had at least one or two of those in each series the last 3 years