We have some young guys

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PITTSBURGH (AP) A cathartic celebration 20 years in the making began with a poke of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s stick. It built as the puck that Kuznetsov tapped away from Sidney Crosby made its way to Washington Capitals teammate Alexander Ovechkin.It neared its crescendo as Ovechkin flipped it back to Kuznetsov Evgenii Dadonov Jersey Kids , who at this point had split two Penguins and was streaking toward the Pittsburgh net. And it culminated jubilantly and unexpectedly in the corner moments later, with the puck in the net and Kuznetsov’s teammates mobbing him after he ended two decades of frustration with a flick of the Russian’s wrist.The ghosts of past playoff failures, many of them at the hands of the Penguins, were gone. Dispatched over the course of six games of grit and guile, the last a 2-1 overtime win in Game 6 on Monday night that gave Washington a 4-2 series victory and a spot in the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay.”It’s pretty emotional,” Kuznetsov said after his seventh goal of the playoffs 5:27 into overtime pushed the Capitals into the NHL’s final four for just the third time in franchise history. ”I don’t really have a word for it.”Maybe because there aren’t many that can accurately describe the anguish Washington has felt during much of the Ovechkin Era, one filled with postseason failure after postseason failure, many of them coming with the team on the precipice of a breakthrough.Only this time they didn’t crumble. Even with Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson and Andre Burakovsky out. Even with a handful of rookies – including Australian Nate Walker – thrust into the lineup. Even on the road against a two-time defending champion with a special knack for torment.”Again, it doesn’t matter what happened (before),” Ovechkin said. ”We have to stick together. We knew it was there we just had to battle and we just had to fight through it.”Alex Chiasson scored Washington’s only goal of regulation, a shot from the right circle that gave the Capitals the lead in the second period. Braden Holtby http://www.officialhockeypanthersshop.com/authentic-adidas-james-reimer-jersey , benched at the start of the playoffs, stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced and received a dash of luck when Pittsburgh’s Tom Kuhnhackl hit the far post early in the extra period.The puck flitted away harmlessly. Play continued. And a few minutes later Kuznetsov’s goal joined Dale Hunter’s overtime Game 7 winner vs. Philadelphia in the first round in 1988 and Joe Juneau’s poke by Dominik Hasek vs. Buffalo in the Eastern Conference finals in 1998 in franchise lore.”I’m not expecting myself to score game winner in that situation,” Kuznetsov said.Maybe because it’s what the Penguins always seem to do instead. Pittsburgh won nine of its 10 previous playoff meetings with Washington, including taut second-round triumphs in 2016 and 2017 on their way to becoming the first team in nearly 20 years to win consecutive Stanley Cups.A bid for a three-peat came to an abrupt end after another sluggish start. Kris Letang scored for the Penguins and Murray finished with 28 saves but couldn’t close his legs fast enough to stop Kuznetsov’s flick.”You look at the last couple of games, it’s a one-shot difference,” Crosby said. ”You need to get those big plays. Unfortunately couldn’t do it.”Washington spent the series saying its forgettable playoff history littered with squandered leads and blown opportunities – particularly against the Penguins – is not a factor. That this time is different. That this team is different. Twice the Capitals rallied in the third period to stun Pittsburgh, including a four-goal outburst in Game 5 that brought them to the brink of their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 20 years.That last step, however, has always been tricky. Four times previously since 2008 the Capitals won three games in the second round only to come up short in Game 7. This time, a Game 7 wasn’t even necessary.”It’s almost embarrassing that it’s taken this long for us to get past it,” Washington owner Ted Leonsis said. ”But the Penguins are an unbelievable franchise. It’s an unbelievable team.”One that came up just short for the first time since Mike Sullivan took over in December 2015. The Penguins had been 4-0 in elimination games under Sullivan but had trouble getting much going as Washington cut off shooting lanes and created havoc in the neutral zone, leading to 15 Pittsburgh turnovers Youth Jamie McGinn Jersey , the last on Kuznetsov’s poke away from a rushing Crosby that began the series-deciding sequence.The victory wasn’t just a measure of redemption for Ovechkin but for Trotz, who has won over 750 games in the regular season but never made it to a conference final. He has now. So has his team, one that knows as giddy as they felt in the middle of a quiet PPG Paints Arena, much work remains to be done.”We beat the Pittsburgh Penguins today and they’re a hell of a hockey team and we’re only halfway,” Trotz said. ”We haven’t done anything yet. It’s a good feeling getting by the Penguins because there’s a lot of skeletons in the closet. It’s a start.”NOTES: Crosby’s assist pushed his career playoff total to 185, tied with Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman for 10th most all-time. … Walker’s assist was the first ever in the playoffs by an Australian when he set up Chiasson’s score.— The Anaheim Ducks, one of the hottest teams at the start of the NHL season, had another promising development heading into Saturday’s game at the Vegas Golden Knights with the resolution of a contract dispute with young left wing standout Nick Ritchie.The signing of Ritchie to a three-year, $4.6 million deal comes at an opportune time when Anaheim (5-1-1) has suffered a series of injuries.Forwards Ryan Getzlaf (groin), Ondrej Kase (concussion), Carter Rowney (upper body) and Jakob Silfverberg (finger) were unable to play in the Ducks’ 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday at Honda Center.Article continues below ...Ritchie, who started practicing with the Ducks on Thursday Womens Jared McCann Jersey , will likely not play Saturday against Vegas or Sunday when Anaheim hosts the Buffalo Sabres. The 22-year-old Ritchie is in the process of completing his immigration paperwork before he can play, and he is rusty from sitting out all of training camp and the first seven games of the season during the holdout.“My view on Ritchie is he’s got a ways to go, that’s for sure,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle told the Orange County Register. “He’s got some catching up to do. He looks very fit.”Vegas (3-4-0) and Anaheim enter Saturday’s game coming off impressive wins.Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for his 407th NHL victory in the Golden Knights’ 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.Fleury tied Glenn Hall for 10th place on the career wins list, and is 16 from tying Tony Esposito for ninth place (423).William Karlsson scored his first goal of the season and had two assists, and Cody Eakin scored for the Golden Knights, who won consecutive games for the first time this season.Vegas, playing its second game of a five-game homestand, has allowed one goal in its past two games after giving up 19 in the first five.“We played a lot better defensively,” Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “I thought the guys competed defensively. Everyone was important for our team tonight.”Fleury said he saw flashbacks to Vegas’ defensive performance last year, which helped the new franchise to break expansion-team records and make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. “Our speed and transition game, and the way our guys played defensively in our zone Jonathan Huberdeau Jersey , preventing those passes in the crease or the backdoor (passes), and I think we’ve been better in the last few games with that,” Fleury said.Ryan Kesler scored twice to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead heading into the third period against the visiting New York Islanders, his first multi-goal game since a hat trick on Jan. 1, 2017, against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Ducks won 4-1 to start 2-0-1 at the Honda Center this season. They are 3-1-0 on the road.Kesler sat out the first three games of the season while completing a lengthy offseason rehabilitation process after major hip surgery in the summer of 2017. The injury limited him to 44 games last season. His goals against the Islanders gave him three goals and four points to start this season. “I’ve got a little to improve on and it’s a long year, but it’s a good start,” Kesler said. Goaltender John Gibson stopped 34 of 35 shots against the Islanders. He was 35 seconds from his second shutout of the season when New York’s Casey Cizikas scored. The Ducks are off to their best start since opening the 2014-15 season 6-1-0 en route to an appearance in the Western Conference finals. Carlyle joked that reason for the hot start is “just purely coaching, 100 percent,” but he knows his players have made things click by coming together to overcome the rash of early-season injuries.“It’s obviously the players,” he said. “We have some young guys who have provided energy. We have some veteran people. We’ve been able to formulate a group that’s still a work in progress. We know there’s lots of work ahead of us.”
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