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Caps take a 2-1 lead after two periods, Sidney Crosby leveled on questionable hit

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Business picked up in a few ways in the second period. The Penguins got on the board early thanks to an Evgeni Malkin breakaway goal that beat Semyon Varlamov on the five hole. The crowd at Heinz Field went wild in celebration as the Penguins Russian star kicked off the offense.

The Caps wouldn’t be held off the board for long as Mike Knuble put home a loose puck in the crease that Marc-Andre Fleury couldn’t get a handle of just four minutes later.

If that sounds like trouble for Fleury, he wouldn’t learn from his mistake as he got caught scrambling once again. This time Eric Fehr took advantage of Fleury’s inability to control the puck and scored at 14:45 of the second to put the Caps ahead 2-1.

The period ended with a flurry of controversy for Pittsburgh, however. What was believed to be a tying goal by Sidney Crosby was waived off because Mike Rupp made incidental contact with Semyon Varlamov. Referees made the call immediately to waive it off sending the crowd into a chorus of boos.

They’d get a chance to boo more as the period came to an end when David Steckel caught Crosby with his head turned, crushing the Penguins captain and putting him down on the ice. Crosby was slow to get up but left the ice on his own power. Consider the stage set for an possibly explosive third period.