Update: The Penguins made Malkin’s go-ahead goal stand as the game-winner. Jake Guentzel scored on an empty net to ice a 3-1 win for Pittsburgh. The Pens’ series with the Washington Capitals is now tied 2-2.
Also, Matt Murray looked pretty sharp in the third period ... but he only needed to make three saves during that final frame. Credit the Penguins for protecting a goalie who might not have been 100 percent, and maybe ding the Capitals for a flat push to try to tie up Game 4.
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Growing animosity isn’t the only reason why a best-of-seven series can be so fun. Sometimes, you’ll see a narrative come full circle.
For better or for worse, goal reviews can loom large over those “game of inches” moments. After seeing a controversial review go the Washington Capitals’ way earlier in the series, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins saw a big goal stand in Game 4. In each instance, it wasn’t by much.
[NBC’s Stanley Cup Playoff Hub]
Somewhat amusingly, Malkin’s power-play goal didn’t need to stand up to the scrutiny of proving that the puck was indeed over the line. Capitals head coach also challenged for goalie interference on the play, but the 2-1 goal stands and the Caps lose what could be a valuable timeout.
You can watch the replay(s) in the video below:
Here’s a grab of the moment of truth:
From a different angle:
NHL situation room email after goal review in Caps-Pens included this shot of puck in net pic.twitter.com/XyOaw5EjxN
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) May 4, 2018
To jog your memory, this is video of the Patric Hornqvist would-be goal that didn’t stand from Game 2:
One other thing to follow: how is Matt Murray feeling after taking this hard shot to the shoulder/collarbone area? He seemed to labor at times despite staying in the net during the second period. It’s a situation to consider as Game 4 goes along, and possibly during the rest of this series, especially if trainers get a better look at the repeat champion goalie.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.