Marc-Andre Fleury made a huge save early on against Alex Ovechkin and the Penguins took it from there.
Sixteen years ago today, the Penguins went into the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. and came away with an easy win against the Capitals in Game 7 of a playoff series between the two teams.
The series had featured massive swings with the Penguins falling into a 2-0 hole and then evening things up with two wins at home.
Pittsburgh won in overtime in Game 5 before the Capitals forced a seventh game with an overtime win of their own.
Going into Game 7 on the road, it felt like anything was possible. Three of the six games needed overtime and no lead ever felt safe as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin were trying to propel their young teams to new heights.
Early on in the elimination game, Alex Ovechkin had a chance to set a tone with a breakaway just three minutes into the contest — but Fleury stood tall, setting a tone of his own.
It took a little time but the Penguins eventually stormed their way through the game, sending the Capitals home for the season.
Sidney Crosby and Craig Adams each scored late in the first period, only 8 seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead. Early in the second period Bill Guerin and Kris Letang extended the lead to 4-0 before Jordan Staal added a 5th goal for the Penguins.
Ovechkin got the Caps on the board late in the second before Sidney Crosby made it 6-1 and Brooks Laich got the Capitals within four, with the game ending at a score of 6-2.
Who would’ve thought at the time the two teams wouldn’t meet again in the postseason for another 7 years?