The Penguins saved their season, but the biggest story could be in Carolina.
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins: Pittsburgh win 3-2 (Washington leads series 2-1)
Alexander Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, and Varlamov made 39 saves, but the Penguins outshot the Capitals 42-23, and scored the overtime goal to get their first win of the series at home. The Penguins did a lot of things right offensively, but this win shouldn't have been this close. Pittsburgh drew 7 power plays but only scored once whiel allowing a power play goal on two attempts for Washington. They still can't solve Ovechkin and Varlamov, the top two stars in the playoffs for the Capitals. The series has been tight in all 3 games thus far, so the critical game 4 can go either way.
Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes: Carolina wins 3-2 (Carolina leads series 2-1)
Suddenly the Boston Bruins are the underdogs. Carolina won their second straight game to take the 2-1 series lead. The Hurricanes outshot the Bruins 41-23, and although Thomas stopped 38 shots, he needed a lot more offensive help. Carolina also limited their penalties while drawing 3, scoring on the power play once. It was a tough win for the Hurricanes, but they probably didn't expect any win to come easy against Boston, and they executed well. The Staal line was a bit quiet for a bit under 20 minutes averaged between the 3 forwards, combining for an unassisted goal by Staal, which may be good news or bad for the Hurricanes heading forward.
Boston is probably the only two of the top seeds in the East to worry about their situation. Washington needs to find a way to stay disciplined, which would have limited the Penguins offensive opportunities and their gigantic shot advantage. Other than that, their top players are still performing so it's all systems go for the Capitals. The Bruins, on the other hand, were thoroughly matched-up and even out-played by the Hurricanes in game 3, and they can't rely on Tim Thomas all day to try and steal a win. They lost home ice advantage in game 2 and now lost the game advantage in game 3. Interestingly, the top seed in the East and West are both down in their series 1-2.
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