Capitals vs. Penguins: Game 5 prediction

The Penguins will look to close out the series and advance to another Eastern Conference finals as they travel to Washington to play the Capitals in Game 5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins proved in Game 4 that they can survive against the best, even without their captain Sidney Crosby, and could close out the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

After their 3-2 win in Game 4 at home, the Penguins hold all the momentum in the series, and are still scoring at a rapid pace without Crosby. Marc-Andre Fleury has held up in net for Pittsburgh, and everything seems to be working in their favor for now.

A big question mark in this whole equation is whether or not Crosby will return for Saturday’s game, or at all in this series if the Capitals survive past Game 5. Crosby returned to skating on Friday, alongside Conor Sheary, and his return could be just the dagger the Penguins need to finish off the Capitals completely.

If Crosby isn’t back on the ice, the Capitals will need to take advantage of the chance while it’s there. They broke through on Fleury in Crosby’s absence in Game 3 and fell just short in Game 4. If the Penguins’ captain is out for Game 5, they’ll need to pull out all the stops and quicken the pace in the first period.

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Prediction: Penguins 3, Capitals 2

I think regardless of whether or not Crosby is back on the ice, the Penguins have this series in the bag. Pittsburgh has taken every injury it’s encountered in stride, whether it was the loss of Kris Letang or Matt Murray before the postseason even truly began or this Crosby injury.

If the Capitals had any chance to come back in this series, Game 4 was their best opportunity, and they couldn’t pull it out. I think the Penguins capitalize on their momentum and finish off this series once and for all.