and 2.00 blocks.

Braden Holtby spun around and saw the puck on the goal line. Maybe it was in. Maybe it wasn’t.
But after mounting another two-goal lead and this time building on it instead of blowing it Baker Mayfield Jersey , the Washington Capitals made sure it wasn’t close enough for one questionable call either way to make a difference. With fresh memories of coughing up that same lead in Game 1, this time they took it to the Pittsburgh Penguins and emerged with a 4-1 victory in Game 2 to tie the second-round series.
”You can see what happen last game when we get the lead 2-0 and they come back and win the game,” said Alex Ovechkin, who scored his seventh goal of the playoffs. ”They’re experienced team, they’re not going to give up and they’re not gonna give easy play for us. We have to earn it. Today I think we play a solid game, everybody was in and we get the result.”
It was a result that came with controversy and a potentially significant aftermath as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion-Penguins came out on the wrong side of a coach’s challenge, the NHL’s video review on what would have been their second goal and lost defenseman Brian Dumoulin after a hit to the head by Tom Wilson.
Holtby stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced to frustrate the Penguins, robbing captain Sidney Crosby and linemate Jake Guentzel with sliding pad saves to continue his strong play in the postseason.
The Penguins thought he should’ve allowed one more goal to Patric Hornqvist in the third period. No definitive replays showing the puck over the goal line and Wilson’s hit that injured Dumoulin left them steaming but also kicking themselves for starting slow and falling behind again.
”They won the game in the first period,” Hornqvist said. ”I don’t think we played our best game. … They were all over us.”
After blowing three two-goal leads through the first seven games of the playoffs Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey , Washington at least temporarily solved that problem. Ovechkin beat Matt Murray 1:26 in, Jakub Vrana scored on the power play later in the first period and, unlike Game 1, the Capitals made it 3-0 when Brett Connolly scored on a breakaway early in the second.
”Game 1 it was tough, we played a really good game I think and they just kind of found a way to get some breaks and score some timely goals,” Connolly said. ”We learned from that this time around.”
The Capitals are learning some about Murray, having now scored all five of their goals against him in this series glove side. He made 18 of his 28 saves in the first period and had to in order to keep Washington from turning this into a blowout.
Murray was not the least bit happy when the league ruled Connolly’s push on him moments before Vrana’s goal was not enough to keep him from being able to make the save.
”Pretty disappointed,” Murray said. ”As a goalie you just want to be able to do your job and when something like that happens and you can’t do it, you just want to see the rule upheld.”
Pittsburgh had an even bigger reason to be angry when Wilson wasn’t penalized for checking Dumoulin in the head with his left shoulder in the second. Dumoulin never returned Cheap Marcus Davenport Jersey , could potentially miss Game 3 on Tuesday and Wilson is in danger of being suspended.
”He made contact with his head,” Crosby said. ”Given his history and things like that, I’m sure the league will take a good look at it.”
Wilson watched multiple replays and came away believing there was nothing else he could do on the play because Dumoulin stopped and braced for a hit from Ovechkin at the last second. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said he had an opinion of the hit but declined to share it.
Wilson was already ready to move on.
”It’s a bit of an unfortunate play that he got hurt,” he said. ”We’ll see what happens and we’ll keep moving forward here. There’s more important things going on. We’ve got a team in here that’s pretty good and confident and we’ve got to go to Pittsburgh and get a game.”
NOTES: The Capitals have now killed 22 consecutive penalties dating to Game 2 of their first-round series against Columbus. … Kris Letang scored Pittsburgh’s only goal on a floater from the point in the second period. … The Penguins were without star center Evgeni Malkin for the third consecutive game because of an apparent leg injury. Sullivan said Malkin could return for Game 3. … Ovechkin tied Crosby and Guentzel for the playoff lead in goals. … The Penguins’ streak of road playoff victories ended at six.
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The deadline for Kevin Durant to opt into his contract with the Warriors for next season passed Friday night without him doing so, making the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP a free agent – yet his intention has always been to stay put and re-sign with Golden State.
Much like a year ago, Durant declined to opt in for the second year of his deal, allowing him to work on a more lucrative contract once the signing period begins Saturday night.
Durant only had to inform the Warriors if he planned to opt in, and the team had long been prepared for this move – merely a procedural decision – knowing his plans for months.
The 29-year-old Durant could sign for as many as four years and about $160 million. He has made clear all along his commitment to the Warriors, especially after winning a pair of championships in his first two seasons with Golden State.
A year ago Derwin James Jersey , Durant declined to opt in for the second year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent. That also was expected as he wanted to do whatever he could to give the franchise financial flexibility to keep the core of the team intact to chase more titles.
Then, the Warriors won another one earlier this month – and Durant hoisted the MVP trophy a second time.
After the season, Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Golden State would reward Durant with ”whatever he wants.”
”Sometimes you don’t negotiate. I’d love to have him for 10 years. Kevin Durant, look what he did for us last year, he did us a great service,” Myers said. ”He’s earned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. I just want him to sign a deal. But want him to be happy and want him to know that we want him as long as he wants to be here. He’s earned that, to kind of lay out the terms. He can do whatever he wants. That shouldn’t be a long negotiation. Our goal, to be honest, is to try to keep the whole thing together Cheap Josh Jackson Jersey , so that’s the pieces of the puzzle we’ve got to try to figure out.”
Durant, recipient of the NBA Cares Community Assist award for this past season honoring all his charity efforts, led the Warriors to a finals sweep of LeBron James and the Cavaliers by averaging 28.8 points – he shot 52.6 percent and 40.9 from 3-point range – 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.00 blocks.
That’s after last postseason when he averaged 28.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 55.6 percent and scoring more than 30 points in nine of his 15 games on the way to a first career championship in his 10th NBA season.
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