Penguins eliminate Capitals on Nick Bonino’s Game 6 OT goal

PITTSBURGH – This is how it ends this time for the Washington Capitals.

With a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday night, eliminating them from the postseason. 

This is how it ends this time for the Washington Capitals: On a Nick Bonino goal at 6:32 of overtime, converting the rebound of a Carl Hagelin shot past Braden Holtby.

This is how it ends this time for the Washington Capitals: Like it has every other time for Alex Ovechkin in his career, falling short of a championship round appearance after an NHL-best regular-season record.

Meanwhile, for the Penguins, their postseason journey continues, despite a squandered three-goal lead and a calamitous third period collapse that including three consecutive delay of game penalties.

Phil Kessel got the Penguins on the board early doing as Phil Kessel does: Unleashing a wicked wrister through the legs of defenseman Karl Alzner and then through goalie Braden Holtby at 5:41 of the first period. It’s a signature Kessel shot – as Ovechkin is to the power-play blast from the circle, Kessel is to the wrist-shot through an opponent’s unwitting screen. If anything, Holtby shouldn’t have been beaten short-side with it.

(Alzner, meanwhile, was done after two shifts in the second period. The original thought was that it was a Sidney Crosby slash on his foot. Alzner later said it was a groin injury he had been fighting.)

The game appeared to turn on a terrible penalty by Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik.

A former fan favorite in Pittsburgh, Orpik sliced open the face of Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist behind the play, earning a double-minor penalty on which Pittsburgh scored two goals. The same Brooks Orpik that cost himself three playoff games with a suspension after a Game 2 head-shot.

Kessel struck again, taking a Kris Letang pass from the point with the Capitals’ penalty killers giving him too much space. By the time Matt Niskanen closed on Kessel, he had already cut in front of Holtby, drawing him out of his net and tucking the puck past him for the 2-0 lead.

Carl Hagelin made it 3-0 just 33 seconds later, tipping home an Olli Maatta shot from the point past Holtby.

Yes, the Carl Hagelin that Holtby stoned earlier in the period with a great pad save. Yes, the Olli Maatta that Orpik knocked out of Game 2 with the hit that earned the Capitals defenseman his 3-game suspension; the Olli Maatta that made his return in Game 6 as that suspension ended just in time for Orpik to take a game-altering penalty.

You can’t script this stuff.

The Capitals closed it to 3-1 late in the third period, as T.J. Oshie scored a power-play goal while falling to the ice. It was his sixth of the postseason.

They closed it to 3-2 in the third period at the Penguins fell asleep defensively and Justin Williams scored an easy goal in front of Murray – his third of the playoffs and fourth straight game with a point.

Then came perhaps the most regrettable hat trick in Pittsburgh Penguins history.

Three consecutive delay of game penalties by the Penguins late in the third period – in a span of 2 minutes and 2 seconds, with Chris Kunitz and Nick Bonino and Ian Cole going to the penalty box – allowed the Capitals to complete a three-goal rally with a 5-on-3 power-play goal by John Carlson.

The Penguins put the puck over the glass twice, giving the Capitals 1:58 of 5-on-3 power play time. They killed the first one. Then Cole put the puck over the glass again, giving the Capitals 1:04 more of 5-on-3 power-play time.

John Carlson’s blast 27 seconds into that 5-on-3 tied the game at 3-3. 

The Capitals had new life, and the Penguins were suddenly the ones on the ropes.

Overtime got off to a thrilling start, as Jay Beagle’s full-body dive across the goal-line stopped a Trevor Daley shot.

It ended a few minutes later on Nick Bonino’s goal.

This is how it ends this time for the Washington Capitals: With a valiant, gutsy effort in Game 6. But this was the end. Again. 

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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