It was complete domination on the part of the Washington Capitals as they extended their season with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Here are three things we learned from the win:
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Welcome to the show
T.J. Oshie and Andre Burakovsky broke out for the Capitals in Game 6.
Oshie scored his first of the series — and fourth of the playoffs — on a power play in the first period to open the scoring. He entered the game with three assists in the first five games.
Meanwhile, Burakovsky finished with two goals including the dagger in the third period which extended the lead to 5-0. The Swede has improved his game significantly since coach Barry Trotz shuffled his lines, with a goal and an assist in Washington’s Game 5 loss.
Look for Burakovsky to get more ice time than his 13:52 during Game 7.
The lone positive
There wasn’t much to cry home about when it comes to the Penguins’ Game 6 performance.
Jake Guentzel may have been the lone bright spot for Pittsburgh after he cut into the Capitals’ lead with his ninth goal of the post-season. He now leads all playoff goal scorers.
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It continues to be nothing but positives for the 22-year-old, who hasn’t stopped his domination so far in these playoffs.
Scary sight
Not even a week removed from his latest concussion, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had another scare in Game 6 when he was driven head first into the boards by Washington defenceman John Carlson late in the first period.
Crosby appeared to be slightly shaken after the hit but played out the rest of the first period and started for Pittsburgh to start the second. Not only did Crosby return to the game right away, but he wasn’t even seen by a concussion spotter, which surprised some.
The Pens suffered a scare in Game 3 after Crosby took a Matt Niskanen cross-check to the face. He was diagnosed with a concussion the next day but missed just one game and returned for Game 5.
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