Murray stops Caps; Pens take 2-1 series lead

Matt Murray came up huge for the Penguins Monday night. (USATSI)

Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins was the only show in the NHL Monday night and did it ever leave a lot to talk about.

Aside from the Penguins taking a 2-1 lead in the series, the game was full of aggressive, physical play and some questionable behavior from teams on both sides. In the end, it was Penguins rookie goalie Matt Murray stealing the show with 47 saves to help hold off the Capitals for a 3-2 win.

Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways from Pittsburgh’s victory in Game 3:

1. The Penguins survived thanks to their rookie goalie: The Penguins got the bounces early — a deflection goal for Patric Hornqvist and a puck bouncing into the net off of Tom Kuhnhackl‘s back — and they got the goaltending late. That was the story in a game in which they ended up holding on for a 3-2 win. If not for Matt Murray between the pipes, who knows where this game would have gone.

The Capitals outshot Pittsburgh 49 to 23. They put 21 shots on net during desperation time in the third period, trailing 3-0, and very nearly came back. It seemed like almost the entire period was spent in Pittsburgh’s end, but there was Murray battling through the onslaught of shots and making plays. The Penguins were so pinned in, in their own zone that they had to ice the puck six times just to get the puck away from their net for a few seconds.

In terms of possession, the Capitals took 67 percent of the shot attempts at even strength in the game. Washington had 85 attempts at the net in all situations. That’s a lot of reading and reacting for Murray, who just continually battled through and finished the night with 47 saves.

Marc-Andre Fleury actually was in uniform for this game, available as a backup. However, with the way Murray played in Game 3, it should be his net going forward. This was a huge performance for the youngster.

Stats via HockeyStats.ca.

2. Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin teamed up for a great goal: The Penguins have needed a lot from the players looked to as secondary scoring in this series. Their line with Nick Bonino, Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin has given them a lot of that this series so far.

Bonino made a heck of a play to get around Braden Holtby before centering a pass to Carl Hagelin, who had to fight through defenseman Nate Schmidt for the puck. He actually ended up shooting Schmidt into the net with the puck for what would be the game’s eventual winning goal.

Hagelin goes between the legs. The defensemen’s legs that is. #WSHvsPIT #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/rGJNxMeWV8

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 3, 2016

All three of the players on that line have brought a lot to this team in the speed department and they showed a little creativity right there to go along with it. Bonino has eight assists now, while Hagelin picked up his third goal. Kessel also grabbed an assist on the play, improving his postseason point total to eight points in eight games.

3. Ovechkin ends goal drought: Alex Ovechkin had gone five games without a goal, 18 full periods. That’s a long time for an elite shooter like him, but he ended it Monday night with a wrister from distance that seemed to give Matt Murray a hard time.

The last time Ovechkin put one past a goalie was Game 3 against the Flyers. We’re not used to seeing him go long stretches without a goal like this, but that’s the nature of the playoffs. The Penguins have done a good enough job not letting Ovechkin get too much space. Perhaps that one will help him get going in the series, though.

4. Will Kris Letang play in Game 4? After the hit he delivered on Marcus Johansson, Kris Letang is at risk of being suspended. In the wake of the Capitals losing Brooks Orpik for three games, the Department of Player Safety is under a microscope. On top of that, they had Capitals coach Barry Trotz hinting that the Penguins get preferential treatment.

This is a tough decision, but it looks suspendable. The question is how long should Letang sit? The department will be considering the length of time from when Johansson released the puck to when Letang delivered the hit. They’re also going to be keeping a close eye on if the head is the principal point of contact (which appears to be the case). On top of all that, they’ll consider the fact that Johansson returned to the game.

The hit is already being reviewed and we should know more about a potential hearing soon. Our Adam Gretz has more on this play here.

5. Violent play taking center stage: Letang’s hit was just the latest in a series of plays in this series that have gained extra attention. On top of Orpik’s suspendable blow to Olli Maatta, there was Tom Wilson getting fined for a knee-on-knee hit on Penguins rookie Conor Sheary.

In Game 3, there were 83 hits recorded – 58 for Washington and 25 for Pittsburgh. The intensity has definitely been there all series. It’s a rivalry after all, but it’s somewhat surprising that two of the most skilled teams in the league are playing the series completely on the edge.

There’s certainly no love lost between these two teams and while there haven’t been any fisticuffs yet, this thing appears to be reaching a boiling point. There were only seven penalties doled out in Game 3, which isn’t too bad, but with the way things are going, this trend is probably going to continue. That means there could be more injuries, more suspensions and in some cases, some pretty ugly play.

That’s how some series can go, but from the Capitals’ perspective, they’ve got to find a way to start scoring again. They had their late push, but through two periods, they weren’t generating nearly enough quality from their numerous attempts. Washington should play physically because they can, but they also need to get back to finding the net. Without their scoring attack firing, they’re just wasting energy by trying to beat Pittsburgh into the ground.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)