The Washington Capitals had home ice advantage and momentum from their overtime win in Game Six, the Caps felt they were ready to advance.
The Penguins had the services of their playoff veteran Sergei Gonchar, who had missed the last two games with a knee injury. The Penguins made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals last year, and they too were ready to win.
The first ten minutes of the game were a chaotic free-for-all. The Caps started with their checking line, so the hitting was hard from the drop of the puck. Three minutes in, offensive powerhouse (ten goals, three assists in the series) Alex Ovechkin got a breakaway opportunity, but Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleurry got a glove on it. At the opposite end, Caps goalie Simeon Varlamov was also tested by a few good shots.
Ten minutes into the period, the pace changed as the Penguins settled down and started playing with precision, passing crisply on offense and forechecking with intensity when the Caps had the puck.
The Capitals did not sharpen up in response; instead, their play got increasingly sloppy. The Caps seemed unable to clear their zone or control the puck, turning it over eleven times in the first period (versus zero turnovers for Pittsburgh.)
