This time, slow start dooms Penguins

WASHINGTON -- No, Game 2 was not lost in 86 seconds.

Just as Game 1 wasn't lost after 17 seconds.

But those early first-period goals the Penguins have surrendered in each of the first two games of this second-round series against these opportunistic Washington Capitals have become an alarming trend.

They have placed the Penguins in an untenable position. Look, the Penguins are a team quite capable of scoring with the best in the NHL, but chasing the game isn't exactly sound strategy any time of year, especially in the playoffs and particularly when you're missing your leading scorer.

In Thursday's Game 1, after Evgeny Kuznetsov put the Capitals ahead early on a breakaway, the Penguins were able to overcome a two-goal deficit with a spirited third-period comeback.

No such luck in Game 2.

"We killed ourself early in the first period," Kris Letang said after Sunday's loss at Capital One Arena.

This was as an assisted suicide, of course.

Patric Hornqvist's well-intentioned backcheck somehow turned the puck right over to the one player who doesn't need any help: Alex Ovechkin. With the puck on his stick from 40 feet, the greatest goal-scorer of his generation wasn't about to miss at the 1:26 mark:

"Just a bit of of a broken play," said Matt Murray, who settled down after it, stopping 28 of the 31 shots he faced. "Guy's coming a million miles an hour down the slot and he just rips it. He's one of the best shooters in the game. Put a pretty good shot on it."

Indeed, he did.

But it was also the second straight game that the same five players were on the ice for the Penguins on the opening goal: Brian Dumoulin, Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Hornqvist and Letang.

The line of Crosby, Hornqvist and Guentzel have been the Penguins' lifeblood since Evgeni Malkin went out in Game 6 of the Philadelphia series. But they have also been overaggressive at the start of periods. Dumoulin's pinch set Ovechkin's goal in motion with Hornqvist trying in vain to get back.

But it was more than just Ovechkin's goal that put the Penguins back on their heels.

Sunday's first period — when they were outshot 20-10 and outpossessed by a whopping 67-33 Corsi For percentage (all situations) — was easily the worst 20 minutes of hockey the Penguins have played in eight playoff games. The common thread in each of their three losses have been the starts. They also gave up goals in the first 37 seconds of Game 2 and 2:31 of Game 5 against Philadelphia.

"You're coming into a tough building with guys that want to dictate the pace," Letang was telling me. "They came hard. I think we didn't match that urgency early."

But it was more than that. The Penguins were careless in managing the puck, turning it over, like Phil Kessel did to Chandler Stephenson that started a 2-on-1 shorthanded break at 12:25 of the first:

Fortunately for the Penguins, that sequence did not lead to a goal. The Penguins were able to make a game of it and certainly had their chances. They outshot Washington 23-12 the rest of the way.

But in a game where the bounces — and certainly a few questionable calls — didn't go their way, the only thing the Penguins can control is what they can control. Obviously, that includes their starts.

"Our first period was probably one of our worst in the playoffs and our second and third was really good," Hornqvist said. "Yeah, it's a 1-1 series. We know it's going to be a long series. Two good teams going after it, learn from it, and make sure we have a better start."

If not for that gad-awful opening 20 minutes on Sunday, who knows how it ends? Surely, Mike Sullivan would have loved to have found out:

Pushback and responses to adversity and early deficits are great. But the key for the Penguins moving forward is making sure they're not required.

"We responded the right way and played hard," Murray said. "I really liked our game tonight, to be honest. Except for the first period where we might not have had our best, but other than that, I really liked our game."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY