Capitals vs. Penguins: Game 6 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

After losing a 3-0 lead and with Game 7 looming in Washington, the Pittsburgh Penguins punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Washington Capitals in Game 6 on Tuesday.

Nick Bonino, who helped fuel Washington's comeback with one of three delay-of-game penalties in a two-minute span in the third period, was in the right spot in front of Braden Holtby and scored on a rebound six minutes and 32 seconds into overtime, via Sportsnet:

The Penguins had three huge chances three minutes into overtime, but a combination of Holtby, a bouncing puck and Jay Beagle kept the puck out of Washington's net.

Beagle's stop was the most important and most impressive, as he dove to bat the puck out of midair with his stick, via NHL on NBC:

The Cauldron's Andy Glockner was left awestruck:

Facing elimination, the Capitals came out flying to start the game, but it was the Penguins who got on the board first.

Entering the Washington zone while most of his team changed, Phil Kessel threw a wrister that beat Holtby on the short side at the 5:41 mark of the first for his 17th career playoff goal in 33 games, via NBCSN:

It was a surprising goal for a Vezina Trophy candidate like Holtby to allow, and it was unsettling for the Washington Post's Neil Greenberg:

But TSN's Frank Seravalli was quick to give credit to Kessel:

The Penguins continued to stay on the forefront and created some of the best chances in the rest of the period, but Holtby was equal to the challenge.

Pittsburgh's forecheck also proved too much for the Capitals' transition game, and they were unable to muster much of an attack.

Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski was surprised Washington had as many shots as it did in the first:

Because of their inability to establish possession in the Penguins zone, the Capitals were hemmed in, but Holtby continued to turn away Pittsburgh pressure.

A double-minor high-sticking penalty against Brooks Orpik—in his first game back from a three-game suspension—ensured that the Penguins continued to overwhelm Washington early in the second.

It was none other than Kessel who doubled Pittsburgh's lead as he rushed the net after receiving the puck inside the dots, meandered around a dropped-down Holtby and finished, via the NHL:

Just seconds earlier, Kessel had hit the crossbar with another quick wrister—but he made no mistake slotting in his 18th career playoff goal. TSN's Conor McKenna marveled at Kessel's night:

Orpik stayed in the box, and 33 seconds later, Carl Hagelin deflected an Olli Maatta shot past Holtby to put the Penguins up 3-0 with 12:22 to go in the second period.

The NHL showed Hagelin's ability to redirect the shot past Holtby:

Hagelin—dealt from the New York Rangers to the Anaheim Ducks and finally to the Penguins in the last year—gave the Record's Andrew Gross a reason to take a shot at some of Hagelin's doubters:

Washington's nightmare start didn't surprise WFAN's Brian Monzo:

Two Pittsburgh penalties, though, gave the Capitals some life at the end of the second period.

After coming up empty on the first one, T.J. Oshie, who netted a hat trick in Game 1, ripped a one-timer over the shoulder of Matt Murray while falling down, via the NHL:

Oshie's fifth goal of the series ensured there would be some uneasy Penguins fans in the third period. Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan praised the forward's play:

Things got even more interesting when Justin Williams wheeled around from behind the net, stayed on the forehand and lifted a wrister over Murray to make it 3-2 with 12:37 left in the game, via NBCSN:

It was Williams' 14th goal in his 19th elimination game as he breathed new life into Washington. NHL.com's Brian Compton was prepared for a wild finish:

With 9:28 left, Chris Kunitz, whose penalty led to Oshie's goal, was called for delay of game when he flipped the puck directly out of play from the defensive zone.

It set up a opportunity for a Capitals equalizer, and Seravalli expected ridiculousness:

Four Penguins became three 1:06 later when Bonino batted the puck out of midair and into the stands following a shanked Alex Ovechkin shot. CBS Sports' Chris Peters sent out a warning:

Pittsburgh's trio of defenders hung tough, and with Murray stonewalling a few attempts, one Penguin came out of the box. But a third straight delay-of-game penalty put another Penguin in the sin bin—this time, it was Ian Cole with 7:26 remaining in the game and 1:04 left Bonino's penalty.

It didn't sit well with ESPN's John Buccigross:

With a ton of open space and time to operate, John Carlson blew a slap shot right through the arm of Murray with 6:59 to go, via the NHL:

It was the first time a team blew a three-goal lead in an elimination game since the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the second round in 2013—much to the shock of hockey's newest fan, Tony X:

Even experienced hockey writer Peter Botte of the New York Daily News was stunned by the comeback:

Pittsburgh fans' anxiety heightened when an official whistled Kris Letang for interference with 2:46 left in the game after Letang flattened Oshie before Oshie got to the puck.

Sportsnet's Ken Reid didn't agree with the call:

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman T.J. Lang did:

The Capitals didn't find a fourth goal in regulation, though, as the Penguins killed off the penalty and held the surging visitors at bay for the final minutes.

The NHL on NBC showed how fans of both teams were likely feeling as the game headed to overtime:

The Penguins will face the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning for a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning defeated the New York Islanders in five games in the second round.

While Tampa Bay has had more recent success in the playoffs, the Penguins are the hottest team in hockey. A fantastic series awaits.

Postgame Reaction

From the brink of disaster to one series win from the Stanley Cup Final, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was put through the full spectrum Tuesday night.

But a win is a win, and it was a big one at that. Sullivan boiled it down for the media after the game, via the Penguins:

Things could have been much worse for Pittsburgh after those three delay-of-game penalties, and Sullivan described fiasco, via the Penguins:

It was a new obstacle for Sullivan, via Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Had this been the Penguins under Mike Johnston early in the season, things might have played out differently, according to defenseman Ben Lovejoy, via Dan Rosen of NHL.com:

The Penguins in this series proved they are the team to beat; they outplayed and outperformed the league's best regular-season squad in the Capitals.

With their depth, speed and physicality, Pittsburgh should be a nightmare matchup for the Lighting, who play a similar brand of hockey minus the physicality.

If one thing is certain, it's that the Eastern Conference Final is going to be fast and filled with highlight reel-worthy plays, as these are two of the most skilled teams in the league.