GAME SIX is ALL the Caps Needed!

The excitement all around the DMV was palpable across social media on Monday night. The Capitals were back up in Pittsburgh, in enemy territory, for what we all knew was going to be one of the hottest games of the playoffs. And the Pens and Caps did not disappoint.

Especially the Caps who looked like a playoff winning team!!! And they proved they ARE a playoff winning team as they head to the Eastern Conference Final!!

The lineup changed again– we still aren’t used to the constant and inconsistent changes. And no, Jakub Vrana did not start on the top line…sigh…

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Stephenson
Vrana-Eller-Oshie
Connolly-Boyd-DSP
Walker-Beagle-Chiasson

Kempny-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Djoos

Backstrom was out with an injury from Game Five and well – we know where Tom Wilson was.

As the game got ready to go there was a lot of talk about Alex Ovechkin needing to set the tone early in the game. Nathan Walker and Travis Boyd played in their first NHL Playoff game. It was going to be a one-shift-at-a-time kind of night.

Here’s what the FiCP team was sharing during the game as well as what we got from your tweets.

We were between the edge of our seats and throwing things at the TV while screaming during the first period. Oshie pinged off the goalpost on the PP and our hearts sunk a little. Boyd received good marks for his play. Kempny headed to the box for a bit of a lame tripping at the 1125 mark and the Caps PK was pretty darn good. The defense on both sides of the ice kept the shots on goal to a minimum. There were 13 shots total with zero goals.

And we were all freaking out and drinking lots! As our own Tweeter @FederalDuck added a bit of Literary Summary for us all:

Even the Pens played around with their lines to keep the Caps on their toes.

The second period the Caps came out with a lot of hustle – just enough for a Beagle to Walker pass to get a shot to Chiasson to score first for the Capitals. And PPG got really quite as Walker celebrated his first NHL Playoff point.

The Penguins seemed to lose some steam after the goal. The Caps kept peppering Murray- especially that Vrana guy. Man we like him! And then that guy Letang tied it up with a shot under Holtby’s arm and with it came renewed fan energy. Holtby, all-in-all had some awesome saves!

Second Period Literary Summary:

Back at the third period we saw our heroes doing more of the same. Everyone was getting a little antsy. They kept getting close. Holtby kept up the brick wall routine. All players on both sides were looking tired; we think our hearts stopped a couple times. Unfortunately the clock ran out. Gotta say the Caps dug in deep but couldn’t make it happen.

Third Period Literary Summary:

And then there was OT…

It was an amazing OT – made perfect by a heck of a Russian play- Kuzy scored on a pass from Orlov and Ovechkin!!!

The curse is broken. Hallelujah!!!

Author: Maggie Marcum

Managing Editor for Friends in Cold Places.

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