Broad Street Bulletin

Washington @ Pittsburgh - Game-4: Penguins win 5-3

Looking to head back to Washington with a 3-1 series lead, the Capitals started off on the right foot with a goal from Nicklas Backstrom, scoring on the first shot of the game.  Pittsburgh responded with three unanswered goals before the first period would end.  The Capitals would fail to regain the lead, losing 5-3.

Alexander Ovechkin has been the center of attention lately, scoring 5-goals in the first 3-games (including a hat-trick), and receiving a death threat from a 17-year old Pittsburgh fan.  The Penguins would hold Ovechkin to just 2-shots on goal, and Sergei Gonchar would leave the game following a knee-on-knee collision with Ovechkin in the first period.  Many Penguins players felt Ovechkin went out of his way to injure Gonchar, but Ovechkin denied these claims.  Gonchar would not return.

First Period

• Nicklas Backstrom scores 36-seconds into the game; Capitals take 1-0 lead.
• Sergei Gonchar ties the game up on a power-play goal 4-minutes in.
• Halfway into the first period, Bill Guerin gives the Penguins a 2-1 lead with his 3rd goal of the playoffs.
• Ex-Flyer Ruslan Fedotenko scored with just over 4-minutes remaining in the first period, giving the Penguins a 3-1 lead.
• Sergei Gonchar was injured in a knee-to-knee collision with Alexander Ovechkin.  Ovechkin denied there was intent to injure, but many Penguins players insist he did.  Gonchar would not return to the game.

Second Period

• Chris Clark got his first goal of the playoffs, closing Pittsburgh's lead to 1-goal.

Third Period

• Sidney Crosby notched his 9th goal of the playoffs, on a tip-in, 4-minutes into the period.
• Milan Jurcina scored a short-handed goal; Once again, the Penguins lead would be cut to one.
• Maxime Talbot got his 2nd goal of the playoffs, giving the Penguins a 2-goal lead, with 5-minutes remaining in regulation.  

The Penguins trailed the series 2-0 when they arrived back home for game-3, and will be pleased to return to Washington with the series tied up 2-2.  Rather than playing Washington in their building down 3-1, the Penguins are right back in, with momentum on their side. 

Game-4 of the Crosby/Ovechkin match-up was strange, in that it was high scoring, with no goals from Ovechkin, and just 1-goal from Crosby.  Crosby and Ovechkin accounted for 9 of 17 goals in the first three games.

Series Tied 2-2

Game Summary