Posted by Scott Burnside
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
The series is over and the Penguins are moving on. Here are our memorable moments from the Washington-Pittsburgh postseason showdown:
1. Any questions about Simeon Varlamov and his ability to face down the talented Penguins were answered early in the series, when he swept what looked like a sure Sidney Crosby goal to safety with the heel of his stick at the end of a Penguins two-on-one. That save helped preserve a Game 1 victory for the Caps.
2. Does it get any better than watching Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby go toe-to-toe, with each star collecting three goals on the same night? That's what happened in Game 2, when the Caps opened a two-game series lead with a 4-3 victory. "Sick game; sick goals by me and him," Ovechkin said after the game.
3. Sometimes, the magnifying glass can reveal warts as well as beauty. And so it was in Game 2, when Evgeni Malkin, silent in the series at that point, took a silly offensive-zone penalty for slew-footing Dave Steckel. Four seconds later, the Caps scored on the power play.
4. Not an auspicious start for the Penguins in a must-win in Game 3: The first shot of the game ended up in Pittsburgh's goal when Mike Green's dump-in bounced off the end boards and past a startled Marc-Andre Fleury, who had for some reason pitched his stick behind his goal. The puck bounced to Ovechkin, who promptly deposited it in the net.
5. With 4:59 left in regulation in Game 3, Malkin finally let his presence be known in this series, capping off a dominant game with a rising slap shot on the power play that helped the Pens to a 3-2 overtime win.
6. With 5:05 left in the first period in Game 4, Ovechkin swooped in on Pittsburgh defenseman Sergei Gonchar in the Penguins' zone. Gonchar passed the puck and then was struck knee-on-knee by Ovechkin. The hit left Gonchar writhing on the ice in agony. He would not return to the series until a dramatic appearance in Game 7.
7. It wasn't a thing of beauty, but Malkin's attempted centering pass glanced off Tom Poti's stick and into the Capitals' net 3:28 into overtime of Game 5 to close one of the most compelling playoff games in a long time, a 4-3 victory that gave the Pens a 3-2 series lead.
8. In a series like this, there will always be regrets about the ones that got away. No one felt that more than Steckel, who had a glorious chance to end Game 5 in the first half-minute of overtime. But Steckel couldn't corral the puck in front of an open Pittsburgh net and his shot went high and wide.
9. And then there's redemption. After the Penguins had tied the game late in regulation in Game 6, it was Steckel who somehow managed to get his stick on a Brooks Laich shot and deflect it past Fleury, handing the Pittsburgh netminder his first overtime loss and setting the scene for Wednesday's seventh and deciding game.
10. About three minutes into Game 7, Ovechkin raced in alone on Fleury. With the Verizon Center crowd in full throat, this might have been the start the Capitals needed, but Fleury stoned Ovechkin with a great glove save, sending the Penguins on to an emphatic 6-2 victory.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
