Capitals rally late to force Game 6 against the Penguins

Three goals in five minutes sparked sing-song chants of "FLEU-RY!"

Then came the third period, when he hit a post, put his legs in front of a Pittsburgh slap shot, and created an insurance goal, virtually by himself. With players due pay raises and salary-cap constraints looming this summer, this playoff run is the last for the best team to surround Ovechkin, and the window is closing for the 31-year-old to win a Stanley Cup. And that's thanks in part to Ovechkin, who late Saturday night did the thing he does better than virtually anyone who has played this sport: take a puck and, by force of will, deposit it in a net. We didn't, and then they tie it up and get some life off that and then gained some momentum there for a short span.

Nothing can do that quite like goaltending can. Up 1-0 in the first period, Pittsburgh had absolutely nothing going for them. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was given a torrid time, blocking 21 of 26 shots.

The loss stung the Pittsburgh locker room, but it will be a mere footnote in this series if the Penguins take care of business Monday at home in Game 6. The Washington Capitals have allowed three or less goals in seven of their last eight games. Canada is playing right now as I write this against Slovenia.

Despite dominating play, Washington had come up empty handed in three of the first four games against Pittsburgh.

"In big games, you have to play hard", he said. He's one of those guys who just has really good edge-work, so he's really deceptive with his speed.

He has, quite simply, bailed them out. There will be, over those two days, comparisons to 2009, when Washington similarly won the sixth game in Pittsburgh to earn a trip back home - that one on David Steckel's overtime goal at the old Igloo.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan offered no excuses after the defending champions fluffed another chance to wrap up the series. Anything else would require them reaching a level they have not yet shown they are capable of this postseason as now constructed.

The early dominance of the Caps "D" set the tone for a night in which Pittsburgh's high-flying offense, which found success even without Crosby and Conor Sheary earlier in the series, had no time to get into a rhythm. He is not only one of the five or six best defensemen in the entire league, he is one of the best players in the entire NHL regardless of position.

In other words, Washington had complete control of Game 6. That leads all players in the playoffs. They are unable to make plays through the neutral zone. "Just being a little bit better in the offensive zone".

"I think the Backy goal early in the period gave us lots of emotion", says Kuznetsov. "Since probably Game 3, we've had a sense of calmness around what we're doing, and we're having fun now". Tonight is no different. We'll regroup. We're going to enjoy this.

That all starts with the defense.

Backed up to the precipice against a rival that's tormented them for decades, the Capitals finally punched back. There is little reason to believe they will not continue to have that edge in Game 7 because they have had it for pretty much every minute of the previous six games.

This win in Game 6 was the Capitals' most impressive of the postseason as they controlled play the entire night and didn't allow the Penguins to possess the puck long enough to score until the game was out of hand with less than four minutes left. "We've just got to take one game at a time and you have to reset here and, hopefully, we can get some confidence off this win".