Both teams played as though pumped full of adrenaline; the pace was ferocious, the checking fierce, and the goalkeeping phenomenal. In the end, it was an unlucky bounce that decided the game.
Fast First Period
The first fifteen minutes of the game were played at a feverish pace: lots of shooting, lots of hard hitting, lots of pressure at both ends. Both goalies were tested; neither letting a shot by. It seemed each team sought to overwhelm the other through sheer energy.
The last five minutes of the first period saw both teams slowing down somewhat, spreading out on the ice and trying to run plays, instead of assaulting the puck in a mad scramble.
The Caps got a half-a-dozen good chances late in the period when the Penguins got a penalty, but Pittsburgh survived the pressure.
The Capitals seemed to have the offensive advantage in the first period but Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was unbeatable.
