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It may finally be the Capitals’ year and other takeaways from Game 3 vs. Penguins

By Michelle Bruton

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 01: Washington Capitals Left Wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal with Washington Capitals Center Nicklas Backstrom (19) and Washington Capitals Right Wing Tom Wilson (43) during the third period. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2018, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 01: Washington Capitals Left Wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal with Washington Capitals Center Nicklas Backstrom (19) and Washington Capitals Right Wing Tom Wilson (43) during the third period. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2018, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Washington Capitals slipped past the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 Tuesday night. Here are three things we learned.

After the first period between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins came and went without a single point, the two teams picked up the pace for a barnburner that came down to an Alex Ovechkin tie-breaking, game-winning goal in the final minute.

With the win, the Capitals take a 2-1 lead in the series — and Capitals fans continue to hold their collective breath waiting to see if Washington can make it past the Second Round of the playoffs.

Here are three things we learned from the Capitals’ win.

Penguins vs. Capitals Game 3: 3 takeaways

1. Tom Wilson needs to be suspended for the rest of this series

Don’t try to say this was simply a very hard, legal hit:

The Capitals’ Tom Wilson has been toeing the line throughout this series and, frankly, he’s been a danger to others when he’s been on the ice. As a result of his high hit on Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese, who left the ice bloodied thereafter, Aston-Reese will have to have surgery to repair a broken jaw and also has a concussion, according to Coach Sullivan.

This isn’t new behavior from Wilson, and he shouldn’t have been on the ice tonight to make this hit. If the Department of Player Safety does its job, he won’t be on the ice to face the Penguins again this postseason.

2. Alex Ovechkin is even more clutch than we thought

The fact that Alex Ovechkin has been and continues to be clutch is not new information to anyone.

But, frankly, Ovechkin has taken it to a new level in this postseason. The captain’s game-winning shot in the final minutes of Tuesday’s game was his fifth goal in the last four games. He has certainly benefited from the talent around him, especially Nicklas Backstrom, who set him up with that momentous goal.

The best part about Ovechkin’s goal was that he pulled a Sidney Crosby and batted the puck out of the air after a deflection, baseball-style.

3. The Capitals are road warriors 

The Capitals have a chance to go up 3-1 in this series if they can take Game 4 in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

That’s not normally a favorable situation for a team, but the Capitals haven’t performed like a normal road team this postseason. During these playoffs, the Capitals have gone 4-0 away from home.

It’s definitely not not the Capitals’ year. We’ll see if they can keep it going on Thursday in Game 4 before the series heads back to Washington.

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