Defending champion Penguins find Stanley Cup form against Capitals in Game 7
Defending champion Penguins find Stanley Cup form against Capitals in Game 7
WASHINGTON — For the last period of Game 5, all of Game 6, and the opening two minutes of Game 7, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like a group of players that had forgotten how they won the Stanley Cup 11 months ago.
Then in the fourth and fifth minute of Game 7, the memory of how to succeed all came back to them.
“That might be the best game that we’ve played in the playoffs to this point,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said after the Penguins downed the Washington Capitals 2-0 in Game 7. “I thought that was the closest thing to the Penguins’ identity that we’ve seen in the playoffs so far.”
After being dominated by the Capitals for four periods in two losses that tied the best-of-seven series 3-3, the Penguins rediscovered the level of composure and efficiency they commanded in last year’s run to the Stanley Cup.
“Obviously a lot of people counted us out after last game, and I can understand it,” Penguins center Matt Cullen said. “We didn't have a good game and they ran all over us. It was a credit to the character in the room to respond the way we did and come out and throw together a good game."
It was actually an exceptional game. After surviving the Capitals storming of the castle in the opening minutes, the Penguins did a much better job moving the puck out of their zone.
In the third period, when the Capitals were looking to mount a full charge, the Penguins limited Washington to six shots on goal
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