INSIDE HOCKEY

Why the Capitals Won: After dropping three consecutive contests, the Capitals returned to Pittsburgh facing elimination, and the Penguins looked determined not to let the opportunity to clinch the series on home ice slip away. Pittsburgh fired 18 shots at goalie Simeon Varlamov in the first period, but Washington’s defenders and rookie netminder managed to withstand the early barrage, spotting Pittsburgh only a 1-0 lead after the first. That instilled some confidence in the Caps, who felt they were in a good position if they came out better in the remaining periods.

The game turned into something of a track meet after that, with the teams trading leads and goals throughout the second and third periods. Varlamov played a strong game, stopping 38 of the Penguins’ 42 shots, many of them second or third chances. And the script eventually played out much the same as Saturday’s Game Five in Washington, with the home team down by one late in the game, then getting a dramatic goal from its superstar to send the game to overtime – Saturday it was the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin who delivered, and in Game Six it was Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. It would end in much the same way too, with the home team missing a prime scoring opportunity in the extra frame and the visitors coming the other way shortly after to get the game winning goal off a fortunate bounce.

“When you’ve got nothing to lose and you’re throwing everything at them, sometimes you get a lucky break and things go in,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “We’ve never quit yet, in any situation.”

Why the Penguins Lost: Pittsburgh came out flying in the opening period, but after the Capitals held them to a single goal on 18 shots, it seemed to get into the players’ heads. The Penguins sat on their 1-0 lead and started to get away from what had been making them successful – controlling the puck, making simple plays and outworking their opponent.

“I would have liked that period to keep going, skip the intermission,” said coach Dan Bylsma. “But [the Capitals] were playing hard. We weren’t missing opportunities, we were getting second chances, we were battling in front. To their credit they kept it at one, partially due to their defensemen, partially due to the goaltender, and then they were able to bounce back in the second. The game kind of seesawed back and forth after that point.”

The Penguins didn’t quit, battling back from deficits of 2-1 and 4-3, but this time the luck in the extra period went Washington’s way. Pittsburgh is also struggling to adapt to the loss of top defenseman Sergei Gonchar – injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Ovechkin in Game Four – and has been experimenting with dressing seven defensemen and one fewer forward. The official word on Gonchar is that he’s day-to-day, but he hasn’t skated and it’s difficult to imagine him returning to the lineup soon.

Key Moment: The first five minutes of overtime saw each team miss out on an outstanding opportunity to win the game, with Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi ringing a shot off the crossbar and Ovechkin unleashing a blast that Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury grabbed with a lightning-fast glove – a highlight-reel moment on a subpar night for Fleury, who stopped only 19 of Washington’s 24 shots.

But it was the Capitals’ David Steckel who emerged as the overtime hero, deflecting in a shot from Brooks Laich at 6:22 of the extra period. It was an especially gratifying moment for Steckel, who missed an opportunity with a wide-open net in Saturday’s overtime, then saw Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin get the game winner soon after.

“We’ve gotten bounces too, but it always seems something like that happens – Scuds hits the crossbar, and they march down and get one a minute or two later,” said the Penguins’ Bill Guerin. “They got the bounce in the end.”

What’s Next: In the six games of this thrilling series so far, three have gone to overtime. All but one have been decided by a single goal, and the one that wasn’t was decided by two, with the insurance tally coming late in the contest. Was there any question this series was bound to go to a Game Seven?

“It’s two evenly matched teams and that’s what you would expect, that’s what it came down to,” said Penguins defenseman Mark Eaton, who contributed his fourth goal of the playoffs in the losing effort. “We can’t hang our heads about tonight. It’s Game Seven, it’s what we play for. It’s fun, it’s going to be exciting and we’re looking forward to it.”

Monday’s Game Six was the teams’ third in four days, but the players will have to wait until Thursday to think about being tired. This series has gone from being a best-of-seven to a winner-take-all Wednesday night at the intimidating environment of Washington’s Verizon Center, where the Penguins eked out their Game Five overtime win.

“The league wants us to play seven games and they got it,” said Ovechkin. “It’s going to be a hard game for both teams, but we have five players on the ice and the sixth player is our fans. They’re going to be with us, and we’re going to be flying out there.”

“This is so good for our game, when the best players can shine on the brightest stage,” Boudreau said. “I just wish it was for the Cup.”