INSIDE HOCKEY

Why the Penguins Won: With the first six games of this series being decided by the slimmest of margins, a winner-take-all Game Seven figured to be a nail-biter. It turned out to be anything but, as the Penguins emerged with the second-largest margin of victory by a road team in the history of Game Sevens.

The Penguins grabbed some momentum just three minutes in, when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury faced Alex Ovechkin on a one-one-on opportunity, showed patience in outwaiting the star forward and robbed him with a glove save. The teams went on to trade chances through the first half of the period, until Washington took the game’s first penalty at 11:29 and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby cashed in on the resulting power play. The first goal has meant little in this series, but the Penguins put the Capitals on their heels just eight seconds later when veteran forward Craig Adams fired his first goal in 42 career playoff games past Washington’s Simeon Varlamov. The young netminder responded well, making two big saves on Pittsburgh’s Miro Satan and killing off a late-period Penguins power play to keep his team within two, but the Penguins came out skating hard to start the second frame and scored on two quick opportunities within the first 2:12, building a 4-0 lead and chasing Varlamov for the first time in these playoffs.

The Penguins played disciplined, finishing the game without a penalty minute. They got contributions from all four lines, with five different players contributing the goals and 10 tallying at least a point. Their defense did a good job of closing the gaps and keeping Washington’s star players to the outside, limiting their time and space – Ovechkin pounced on a misplay by Fleury behind the net to get the Capitals’ first goal but was limited to just three shots in the game, with much of that credit going to the defensive tandem of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. Overall, Pittsburgh simply won the battle of which team could get to its game and set the tone by playing an aggressive puck-management game, keeping things simple and using their skill and speed to force Washington into 19 turnovers.

“Throughout this series they played real sound hockey,” said Washington defenseman Brian Pothier. “And as soon as they had a lead on us tonight, they kept things really simple, and it was really hard to penetrate them.”

Pittsburgh also got impressive leadership from Crosby, who – playing in the first Game Seven of his career at any level – stepped up with a two-goal, three-point performance. “People talk about the nervousness of it all, being on a big stage, but I really think he enjoys the competition of putting it all out there, laying it on the line,” said coach Dan Bylsma. “There’s a steely resolve about [Crosby] when big games come around, and he was that way for every game of this series going in. He was focused, knew the opportunity he had and did a great job on a big stage.”

Why the Capitals Lost: Washington had 18,277 reasons to believe it had an advantage going into Game Seven – the red-clad fans filling the raucous interior of the Verizon Center. But once the Penguins got on the board with their two rapid-fire goals midway through the first period, some of the life dissipated from the Washington faithful, and from their hockey team.

Things might have been very different for the Capitals if Ovechkin had been able to put in one of his early chances. But Fleury was strong early, showing the poise of a goaltender who has a Stanley Cup Final under his belt, while the normally unflappable Varlamov seemed to show some rookie nerves under the bright lights of the Game Seven stage. His replacement, former starter Jose Theodore, let up two more goals – including a power play breakaway to Crosby – but the Capitals were already in a nearly insurmountable hole.

“That game wasn’t characteristic of our team, especially playing so hard and the games being so close the whole series,” said captain Chris Clark. “I don’t think anybody would’ve expected this.”

Key Moment: The Penguins got an emotional boost from the surprising return of Sergei Gonchar, their number one defenseman and power play quarterback, who missed Games Five and Six after a knee-on-knee collision with Ovechkin in Game Four. Gonchar hadn’t even skated until Tuesday, but on Wednesday night he was in Pittsburgh’s starting lineup and made a big play to help get the scoring started. On the Penguins’ first power play, he took a slapshot from the point – shifting all of his weight to his left leg to avoid putting pressure on the injured knee – and got it right to the skate of Crosby, who was waiting at the side of the net. Crosby angled his skate to kick the puck up to his stick, then tucked it between Varlamov and the post, giving the Penguins the early lead.

What’s Next: The Penguins now wait for the winner of another Game Seven, Thursday’s showdown between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, to see who they’ll play in their second consecutive appearance in the Eastern Conference Final. They’ll gladly take the rest after this grueling series, in which five of the seven games were decided by a single goal, three in overtime. And players like Gonchar and Kris Letang – who played through an injury to score three important goals in this series, including one in Game Seven – will use the time to recuperate.

The Capitals offered a stick salute to their fans as their excellent season drew to a close, one round better than last season but still not how they’d hoped to finish. Still, this series figures to be just the first, thrilling chapter in a rivalry that will span the careers – and postseasons – of Crosby, Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and their teams.

“We made it further than we did last year,” said Clark. “It’s one step closer to where we want to be, but obviously it’s very disappointing not making it to the next round.”