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Pittsburgh Penguins: One More Game To Close Out Round 2

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

May 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) handles the puck as Washington Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) defends in overtime of game three of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) handles the puck as Washington Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) defends in overtime of game three of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals by a score of 3-2 in game four on Wednesday, and are now up 3-1 in the series.

With this lead, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to close out the series any day now. They will have three opportunities to do this, and unless they’re the Golden State Warriors or the Cleveland Indians, they shouldn’t be expecting to blow it.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins have everything they need to move on in these playoffs, despite setbacks. They should be looking to close it out sooner than later and get some well-deserved rest for the third round.

Winning Without Crosby

Superstar captain Sidney Crosby experienced a hard couple of collisions to his head in game three, and as a result has been diagnosed with a concussion. Missing game four on Wednesday, it looks as if he will be out for quite some time with this injury.

This is quite scary given Crosby’s history dealing with concussions. We can only hope that he recovers as soon as possible and returns to the lineup. Nevertheless, the Penguins seem to be able to win without him.

I mean, yes, he was our leading scorer throughout the regular season, but as the Penguins displayed on Wednesday, we have many players who can come in and step up in his place.

Crosby is a big piece, if not the biggest piece to our team. However, the Penguins are built so well we can win without him.

Fleury On Top

Marc-Andre Fleury has been phenomenal this series. He has kept every game close for the Penguins and has given us opportunities to win.

I’ve said it multiple times before and I will say it again, Fleury is the best goalie in these playoffs, and he’s showing up all the naysayer’s. Throughout the season, many people wanted him traded by the deadline. The decision to keep him however is looking very smart right now as he has replaced the injured Matt Murray effectively.

Fleury has been the better goalie in this series ahead of Braden Holtby. If he continues his strong play, the Penguins should not have much difficulty in eliminating the Caps in these upcoming days.

Keeping the Streak Going

The Penguins have a long history with their rival Washington Capitals. And this history includes many more playoff series wins going to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

More from Pens Labyrinth

Well it looks like we’re just going to keep our winning streak going against them, and Washington’s losing streak will also continue. In fact, the Capitals have never moved past the second round in the Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby era. Many thought this year would be the year the Capitals would finally break this drought, but our Penguins had something to say about that.

Next: Penguins Can Still Win Without Sidney Crosby

History repeats itself I guess. And it’s enforcing the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins can own the Washington Capitals time in and time out. The Washington Capitals may have been the only team better than us in the regular season, but the postseason is a whole ‘nother story.

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