WASHINGTON — Sidney Crosby scored twice to take his NHL-leading playoff goal total to 12, and the Penguins chased rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov early in the second period while shutting down Alex Ovechkin most of the night in a 6-2 victory that eliminated the Capitals on Wednesday night.
“Any player knows: When there are expectations, you want to respond,” Crosby said after his first Game 7 at any level. “We had two great teams that battled for seven games, and it’s good to be on this side.”
Everyone chipped in for the Penguins, from the stars to the second thoughts, from regular-season scoring leader Evgeni Malkin’s two assists, to fourth-line forward Craig Adams’ first goal in 42 career postseason games. Second- year defenseman Kris Letang, 38-year-old Bill Guerin and Jordan Staal scored, too. Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves and didn’t allow a goal until his team led 5-0.
Pittsburgh’s 4-3 series victory after trailing 2-0 moves it closer to a second consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, something the team last did in 1991 and 1992.
The Penguins will face Boston or Carolina in the Eastern Conference finals. Those teams play their second-round Game 7 at Boston tonight.
For the Capitals, this setback extends some dispiriting trends. They are 2-6 in Game 7s, including 0-3 against the Penguins. And they have lost 7-of-8 playoff series against Pittsburgh — including four times after Washington held a two-game lead.
“I can’t describe the ups and downs of the series,” Crosby said.
Nothing but ups for his team on this night, in part because Pittsburgh scored goals eight seconds apart in the first period. And just kept on scoring.
Crosby put the visitors ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal about 7 1/2 minutes in from his favorite spot on the ice: the net’s doorstep. He added something of a finishing touch with another power-play goal in the third period, stealing the puck from his rival, Ovechkin, before beating Varlamov’s replacement, Jose Theodore.
