The Penguins and Capitals weren't even three minutes into overtime Monday night when Carl Hagelin, digging the puck out of the corner, fed Tom Kuhnhackl at the right faceoff dot.
The game on his stick, the German unleashed a torrid wrist shot, his only attempt in Game 6. Naturally, it rang off the left post behind Braden Holtby's outstretched blocker:
"I didn't even see it," Kuhnhackl was saying. "I just shot it as quick as I could. Just kind of heard the reaction of the crowd."
The reaction was a collective groan at PPG Paints Arena, soon to be followed by the whoops and hollers of Washington players pouring onto the ice but, mostly, stunned silence.
Capitals 2, Penguins 1.
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, VIDEOAfter Sidney Crosby, of all people, turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Evgeny Kuznetsov split the defense of Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin and skated in on a clear breakaway. Kuznetsov deked Matt Murray backhand-to-forehand, sliding the puck through the goalie's legs at 5:27:
Game over. Season over. A dynasty -- or at least as close as there's ever been to one in the NHL's salary cap era -- over.
"Empty," is how Murray would describe his feelings.
A quarter-century apart, Kuznetsov joins David Volek as the answer to a trivia question: Which players ended the Penguins' bid for a third-straight Stanley Cup?
And while it would be convenient to point the finger at Murray and say the goalie was the reason why the Penguins' season is over sooner than expected, it would also be a bit disingenuous. Goaltending was a contributing factor, of course. But so too was a lack of defense in front of Murray and a stunning lack of secondary scoring.
The last one was perhaps the most disappointing.
The difference in Game 6 -- and really the difference between this year's Penguins and those of the past two springs -- was their inability to score a timely goal at crucial moments. There was no Nick Bonino or Chris Kunitz or Matt Cullen ... or, well, you get the point.
Mike Sullivan had spoken glowingly all spring about his team's ability to "elevate" its game and to play its best when the "stakes are highest." That just never materialized.
"It's disappointing, we wanted to win it all again," said Carl Hagelin. "We had a good chance, came up short."
In the end, the Penguins didn't even get primary scoring. Crosby and Jake Guentzel, who carried the offensive load in the series, were held to one shot combined as Washington settled into a 1-1-3 trap that completely stifled any offense in a game that became an air-tight slog, a game that doesn't exactly complement the Penguins' quick transition game.
"It definitely stings," the crestfallen captain said. "You understand just how difficult it is and what a fine line it is between winning and losing."
During the regular season the Penguins had tied for the league lead with an average of 34.4 shots per game, but were held to just 22 in Game 6. It was the fourth time in the series they were held to 25 or fewer.
Now, let's just compare the two defining moments of overtime: Kuhnhackl's near-goal and Kuznetsov's goal.
The Penguins' best opportunity to win came down to a player with all of two goals this season, the last of which was Jan. 2, or four months and five days ago.
"I don't have the words right now," Kuhnhackl said. "Obviously, I'm really disappointed. It would have been nice to go to a Game 7."
Obviously, it would have been far more preferable had Evgeni Malkin or Phil Kessel or Derick Brassard, players with far more pedigree and salary, would have had that same scoring chance as Kuhnhackl. Or even Conor Sheary or Bryan Rust. But all of the aforementioned were non-factors in Game 6 and for most of the series.
In the coming days we should have a better understanding of the extent of the injuries, presumably, which compromised Malkin, Kessel and Brassard this spring. Hagelin, who missed the first three games with his own upper body injury, said that wasn't the case.
"No, I don't think so," the Swede said through his missing teeth and stitches around his mouth. "We've been banged up every playoff, and so are they. That's not an excuse. We have to find a way to win games.
"We gave up some untimely goals through the series."
Indeed they did. More than just the odd-man rushes -- the 2-on-1's and the breakaways -- that they allowed, it's when they allowed them. The opportunistic Capitals simply took advantage of a team that stresses offense almost to the detriment of its defense. Sullivan preaches to his defense to play aggressively in the offensive zone but seemingly every time his defense pinched, Washington made them pay.
• In Game 1, Kuznetsov scored on a 2-on-1 just 17 seconds in while Alex Ovechkin scored on a breakaway at the :28 mark of the third.
• In Game 2, Ovechkin scored on an odd-man rush just 1:26 into the game.
• In Game 3, Ovechkin scored the game-winner on a 2-on-1 with 1:07 to play.
• In Game 5, Kuznetsov scored on a breakaway :52 into the third period:
Almost fittingly, Kunzetsov finished the series on a breakaway. Sure it would have been great if Murray made one of those "timely" saves, but give credit where credit is due. Kuznetsov is not Kuhnhackl. A 27-goal scorer, like Kuznetsov, doesn't miss on too many breakaways.
"If you give them opportunities like that, they're going to score," Murray said. "That's a pretty good line. Probably one of the best in the league. They showed why. They're a dangerous group. We gave them too many chances."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Capitals, PPG Paints Arena, May 7, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS