With Sergei Gonchar out of the lineup for Game 5 against the Capitals, the Penguins opted to recall Alex Goligoski from Wilkes-Barre and play with seven defensemen. The reasoning for this was clear. First, the Penguins needed someone to help run the power play with Gonchar out and currently the Pens do not have anyone on the roster with Goligoski’s skills with regard to that. Second, the Penguins played most of game four with five defensemen and everyone had extra minutes added to their menu. So seven D made sense for game five and to be perfectly honest the team played just as well one forward short as they had all series.

The Capitals played a much more disciplined game than any previous one of the series. They allowed the Penguins only 3:59 of power play time and took only two non-coincidental penalties all game. Of that 3:59 of PP time, Goligoski skated for 3:14 of it (81%). He also skated for 6:18 at even strength where as Boucher played for 12:05 at even strength and just 0:46 on the power play.

Boucher can certainly play with the man advantage but it seems clear that in Gonchar’s absence it will be Goligoski helping to run the offense.

The Capitals are reeling. Although they won’t admit it, they know that they were lucky to be up 2-0 in their series with the Penguins as they headed back to Pittsburgh for game 3. And that luck came in the form of a goal tender named Varlamov. Sure, the Capitals have played hard in every game so far, but the Penguins have, by in large, been better both offensively and defensively.

Last nights victory by the Penguins without Gonchar in overtime completely changed the complexion of this second round match up. And it did so in more ways that one. First, it broke the curse of the team who scores first losing the game. Second, it put the Capitals down for the first time in the series. Third, it continued to show that there is a tried and true way to beat Varlamov – throw the rubber at him.

After a scoreless first period, the Penguins struck first in the second just over five minutes in. Jordan Staal (1) found the far post on Varlamov to break the ice. But then Ovechkin answered less than a minute later. Seemingly tired and hounded by Brooks Orpik as he entered the Penguins zone Ovechkin stopped up just inside the blue line and ripped a shot that found the only opening Fleury had allowed high to his glove side to tie the game. It was another soft goal allowed by Fleury who, after stopping twelve first period shots would go on to allow two on ten in the second to send the Penguins into the third down 2-1. The score first and lose curse seemed to be coming to fruition again.

But the Penguins answered less than a minute into the third. Malkin pushed deep into the Capital’s zone and dropped the puck to Fedotenko trailing the play. Fedotenko (4) beat Varlamov from long range to tie the game. Then at 6:27 of the third the Penguins third line struck again. Pressuring the Capitals net, the line had Varlamov scrambling when the rebound came out to his left. Both Kennedy and Cooke simultaneously jumped on the puck and it was Cooke who found it a fraction of a second before his line mate and tickled the twine for a 3-2 lead.

All the Penguins had to do was hold on from there. But they could not as late in the third the Capitals rushed the Pittsburgh Zone. Green fed Backstrom in front of the net who then fed Ovechkin (10) on Fleury’s left. Fleury was too far out of the net to seal off the post and the game was tied 3-3.

To overtime …

Both teams had golden opportunities in the opening minutes of play but both Fleury and Varlamov stood tall. That was until 3:28 of the OT frame. Killing a penalty, the Capitals pushed the puck into the Penguins zone and the Penguins gathered the puck and broke out. Capitals fans are still moaning that there should have been an interference on the play but, like the previous game when a Penguins was leveled from behind in an obvious piece of interference that led to a goal, there was no call. The Penguins stormed down the ice and Malkin carried the puck. He threw the puck to the net and it deflected off the stick of a sprawled out Capital and into the net behind Varlamov. The final score was 4-3. The series is now 3-2 Penguins.

But it is not over. The series resumes Monday at 7:00 in Pittsburgh. That is still a must win game for the Penguins because they do not want to go back to Washington for a game 7 on Wednesday. And with as good as the Capitals have played, they are bound to potentially have a better game than the Penguins. So the Penguins have to come ready to play.

Then of course, there is Varlamov. If he has a great game he could singlehandedly send the series to a seventh game.