The Pittsburgh Penguins couldn’t have envisioned it happening this way. Who could?
Pittsburgh coughed up a 3-0 lead in Game 6 as the Washington Capitals just wouldn’t go down easy. The Penguins continued to hammer and hammer, however, and Nick Bonino scored the 4-3 overtime game-winner.
With that, the Penguins advanced to the third round to face the Tampa Bay Lightning while the Capitals face another summer of soul-searching.
Crosby-Lemieux-Letang pic.twitter.com/ps37ofBIjm
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 11, 2016
Bonino really was a fitting scorer. The Penguins didn’t get a ton of production from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, yet guys like Phil Kessel and Bonino helped Pittsburgh patch up four wins against their rivals.
Again, the Capitals did not go down without a fight. Braden Holtby made some enormous saves, although Jay Beagle stole the show in that regard:
The crossbar camera captured Jay Beagle's game-saving stop in OT. #WSHvsPIT #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/zuD5TsVeO0
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 11, 2016
Seriously, that Capitals comeback was something many hockey fans will remember for years, even if it ultimately fell short.
Penguins will have home ice vs Lightning.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) May 11, 2016