ARLINGTON, Va. – Both coaches seemed content to let their top lines go head-to-head during Game 1 of the Penguins’ second-round playoff series against Washington.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz made it clear after his team’s practice Sunday that he doesn’t see any pressing need to stray from that approach when the teams meet in Game 2 Sunday at 3:10 p.m. at Capital One Arena.
“I don’t think I’m going to be set on [seeking] any matchups,” he said. “You can’t chase a matchup all the time, or your top guys are losing ice time.”
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin, who play alongside Tom Wilson on Washington’s first line, scored to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead in the series opener, but each member of the Penguins’ No. 1 unit – Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel – got a goal in the third period to make the Penguins’ 3-2 victory possible.
Kuznetsov said Saturday that, “I don’t think it really matters who you play against in the playoffs, because every line is so dangerous,” and seemed satisfied with the way his group performed against Crosby’s.
“Overall, I think it was a pretty nice game,” he said. “They got some good looks and we got some good looks, too. We have to score those empty-net chances we have. If you want to beat those guys, you have to score on those chances.”
Ovechkin, one of hockey’s most lethal goal-scorers, missed an empty net from inside the left circle about five minutes into Game 1, at which point the Capitals had a 1-0 lead.
Carlson: ‘You play it differently if they’re not calling stuff’
There were just four power plays – three for the Penguins, one for Washington – handed out in the opener, which obviously put a premium on five-on-five play.
It’s while possible that the referees assigned to Sunday’s game will call it a lot tighter than Brad Meier and Dan O’Halloran did in Game 1, Capitals defenseman John Carlson said players have to be able to adapt to whatever approach the officials take.
“You play it differently if they’re not calling stuff,” he said. “If they are, you try to navigate those waters the best you can.
“I don’t think we have a way we would like it to play out, necessarily. It’s just about executing, whatever way it’s going. If they’re not calling anything, play tougher, play harder and win the five-on-five battle.
“And if they’re calling a lot of penalties, you’d better be ready to score on them.”
Orpik reflects on time with Penguins
The Penguins have won two Stanley Cups in a row, which certainly has eased some of the sting from the series of playoff disappointments that preceded their recent championships.
But Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, a core member of the Penguins’ Cup-winning club in 2009, noted Saturday that after the Penguins drafted Evgeni Malkin and Crosby, adding them to a lineup that already had goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, expectations were that the titles might almost come in bunches.
“We had a really good team when I was there,” he said. “We had the potential to get more Cups than we did. We just, for whatever reason, fell short.”
Two-goal leads have been trouble for Capitals
The Capitals have lost three games in these playoffs.
In each of those, they failed to protect a two-goal lead.
That obviously could be a troubling trend for Washington, although Carlson suggested that the Capitals didn’t stop trying to add to their advantage and slip into a defensive shell during the opener.
“I don’t think we crawled into a hole, by any means, and just let them shove it down our throats all the time,” he said. [The Penguins] scored a nice goal, a timely goal. I don’t think they were really killing us, by any means.
“We have done that in the past, where we just try to sit back and don’t attack the game or situation. I don’t think [Game 1] was one of those.”
Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG
First Published: April 28, 2018, 5:15 p.m.