Pivotal Game 5: Pens 4 - Caps 3

My apologies for the lack of a new post yesterday - HM was watching the game at a friend's and was flabbergasted by the results, to tell the truth. I was actually watching with some "hockey virgins", who interestingly enough kept asking "Why does it seem like the Caps are always playing defense?" Um - I didn't have a very intelligent answer for that one. It was just a yucky effort overall...

So tomorrow is HM's 21st birthday (cough cough- just go with it) and of course Mother's Day for all the fabulous moms all the world over, and I was hoping that our men in red would deliver an early gift with a "W" at home. The Pens were of course without d-man Sergei Gonchar, who suffered a knee injury resulting from the collision with AO. Make that a little reckless, but certainly unintentional collision - at you Brooks Orpik (he who almost ended Hurricane Erik Cole's career with an intentional and nasty hit from behind). Orpik and Ovie (along with their respective pals) certainly had some words towards the end of the first period. The boys showed lots of jump, despite their quick turnaround from last night, in the first period. Shots on goal through the first were pretty much even, unlike the fiasco last evening. But neither team could light the lamp and both clubs went into the locker room scoreless.

The Caps took it up a notch in the second period, laying more hits and being much more aggressive. The visitors finally got on the board first as Jordan Staal scored with an assist by (could it be.... Satan? Sorry, couldn't help myself). But Ovie answered with a phenomenal shot of his own at 6:16 to tie the contest at 1-1. And right in Orpik's grill to boot!

The Penguins suffered a brain freeze and had six men on the ice, resulting in a too many men penalty and the Caps made them pay. Nick Backstrom netted a nice goal on the resulting power play to take a 2-1 lead. Coming into tonight's game, Backstrom matched a Capitals playoff record with points in seven straight games, including goals in each game in Pittsburgh.

Ruslan Fetotenko snuck past Varlamov early in the third to tie it at two apiece. Be still my beating heart - not again! 30 seconds later, former Capital and agitator Matt Cooke took advantage of a juicy rebound to give the blasted birds a 3-2 lead. Our kitten Gabby, named after the Caps' fearless leader, was too nervous to watch at this point (and she loves hockey) and turned away from the tube!

With under 4:08 left in the third as HM bit her nails to the quick, the Great 8 nailed another beauty with help from Mike Green and Nick Backstrom! Heck of a game from Backie...

Just when I thought my heart couldn't take any more excitement, this crucial Game 5 went into OT. Cindy Crosby almost decapitated Varly as he slid into him and knocked his helmet off. The youngster shook it off and the action continued. Milan Jurcina took a tripping call, sending his team short-handed. Then in a flash, Geno Malkin took a shot that seemed to deflect off of Tom Poti and in an instant, the Penguins had the victory. Hockey Mom and all the Caps faithful breathed another huge sigh of dissappointment (and disbelief) as the boys truly stepped up and played well tonight.

Game 6 goes back up to the Burgh on Monday. The boys' grandpa will be in attendance (cheering on the obnoxious ice fowl). If history is any indicator, my boys' team lost the last game he came to watch - hopefully the Penguins will do the same.