Penguins vs. Capitals: Game 5 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

The Washington Capitals were able to keep their season alive in Washington, D.C., on Saturday as they took down the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1, to force a Game 6.

Alex Ovechkin was all over the ice for the Capitals. He scored once and dished out an assist as he paced his team to victory. T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams, always a clutch playoff performer, also scored. 

Braden Holtby brushed aside 30 shots and played like a seasoned postseason goalie. He was composed throughout and made key saves during a few Pittsburgh flurries.

Matt Murray was solid again, stopping 16 shots, but he could not close out the series on the road. The rookie netminder is putting in a historic playoff run, though, and he was already in elite company heading into the game, per Sportsnet:

He is also keeping longtime starter Marc Andre-Fleury, a Stanley Cup champion, on the bench and earned praise early in the series from former NHL goalie Martin Biron: 

On the day he was announced as a Hart Trophy finalist, per ESPN.com, Sidney Crosby contributed an apple while Chris Kunitz scored.

The game began with a quick tempo and few whistles as each team created numerous chances off the rush. Yet penalties proved costly for both sides.

Early in the first period, Ovechkin delivered a power-play blast to put Washington ahead in front of a rambunctious home crowd, via NBCSN:

The goal tied him with another Washington great, as CapitalsPR noted:

Ovechkin was the best player on the ice, which earned high praise from ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun:

The Penguins quickly responded as Kunitz finished off a rebound in front thanks to some slick puck movement. 

The team's official Twitter account shared the replay:

Crosby made a little history himself on the goal, per NHL Public Relations:

Ovechkin continued his tear into the second period. He started by breaking down the defense on numerous occasions, hitting a crossbar and then striking again on the power play to set up a rebound for Oshie.

The team's official Twitter account shared the replay:

Washington head coach Barry Trotz's line change proved effective as the Evgeny Kuznetsov-Oshie-Ovechkin line seemingly made an impact on every shift.

The Capitals kept applying the pressure. Several minutes later, Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin's awful turnover landed on the stick of Williams in the slot before he trickled one past Murray, via Rogers NHL GameCentre Live:

DK Pittsburgh Sports' Josh Yohe shared his disdain for Dumoulin's error:

Thanks to some sloppy play and penalties by the Capitals, Pittsburgh was able create some momentum during the second half of the period. Thankfully for Washington, it had Holtby to bail the team out, as the NHL showed: 

This prompted reactions from numerous NHL writers and former NHL goalie Chris Mason:

Washington was able to preserve its 3-1 lead into the third period.

Pittsburgh came out and continued to control play in the third, which NHL.com's Tom Gulitti noted: 

However, the Penguins were unable to convert on a few chances and a power play. Washington recovered, playing solid hockey and stifling Pittsburgh for the remainder of the contest.

Aside from extending the series, the victory also means Washington will get Brooks Orpik back into the lineup. The defensive stalwart was suspended for three games after a brutal hit on Pittsburgh's Olli Maatta. The Capitals missed the rugged defender, as the Penguins have been generating too many scoring chances for Washington's liking.

Despite making the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, Washington has failed to advance past the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Failure to do so this season would be even more of a disappointment, considering the team ran away with the Presidents' Trophy, finishing with the league's best record by 11 points over the Dallas Stars.

For Washington, time is running out to make a Stanley Cup run during the primes of Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin. Both have played their entire careers with the franchise but have seen other stars such as Crosby, Patrick Kane and Anze Kopitar enjoy considerable postseason success and championships.

Saturday's win was a solid step, but taking two more against a confident Penguins squad will prove to be difficult.

Pittsburgh still looks to be the favorite to hoist the cup. The team is playing with tremendous speed and confidence, which seems to be fueling Murray. Despite the loss Saturday, Pittsburgh still outshot Washington on its home ice and could have won if not for the strong play from Holtby.

Postgame Reaction

Even though the Capitals were down 3-1 after being outplayed for long stretches of the series, they appeared to be supremely confident heading into tonight's Game 5.

Trotz kept his word to assistants, according to Sports Illustrated's Alex Prewitt:

That was likely due to his group's faith in Holtby, who was instrumental in guiding his team to a win. When he plays well, good things tend to happen for Washington.

Ovechkin had high praise for his goaltender after the game, per Chris Gordon of the Russian Machine:

"

Ovechkin on Holtby and his magical saves: "That’s why he’s the best goalie in the league."

— Chris Gordon (@Chris_Gordon) May 8, 2016"

Confidence was also present in Pittsburgh's locker room.

Head coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged that his team is still playing well despite the loss Saturday.

He also noted that the team has faced adversity for much of the season and that he expects his group will rebound in Game 6, per Penguins TV's Josh Getzoff:

An intriguing development in the third period was the absence of Patrik Hornqvist. The sniper, who normally skates alongside Crosby on the team's top line, was benched down the stretch, although Sullivan did not elaborate much as to why. Per NHL.com's Dan Rosen:

Hornqvist finished the game 10 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time and two shots on goal.

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh needs to close this series out at home in Game 6. Giving a top team like Washington more momentum to build off is a recipe for disaster, especially with a rookie goaltender who has yet to play in a Game 7.

SportsNet's John Shannon suggested that the Capitals employed a defensive approach to tonight's game, which helped fuel their win:

While this may be true, it is not in the Capitals' best interest to sit back and play defensively the entire game. They were at their best when attacking Pittsburgh and making them play in their defensive zone.

This allowed Washington to get out to a 3-1 lead, but the Penguins took control of the game when the Capitals began playing conservatively. Washington needs to come out aggressively in Game 6 as Pittsburgh will look to knock out the Eastern Conference's top-ranked team.