It certainly didn’t unfold the way Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff envisioned. For the better part of last night’s Game 3, the Pittsburgh Penguins were outshot, outworked, outhustled, outhit and outplayed by the Washington Capitals.
Indeed, nearly everything about last night’s 3-2 victory over the Caps was ugly. From Tom Kuhnhackl’s off-the-numbers goal to Kris Letang’s shoulder-to-the-chops hit on Marcus Johansson to the 49 shots on goal yielded by the locals.
Everything except the outcome.
Thank the kid.
Rookie Matt Murray stopped 47 shots to literally save the day for the Penguins, who now hold a 2-games-to-1 lead in this dogfight of a second-round series.