Letang lifts Penguins past Capitals, 3-2, in OT

By Kevin Gorman, TRIBUNE-REVIEW May 6, 2009

Kris Letang’s first goal of the playoffs — at 8:41 of overtime — lifted the Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal before a sellout crowd of 17,132 at Mellon Arena.

The Penguins cut the Capitals’ lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1.

Sidney Crosby won a faceoff against Washington’s Dave Steckel, and Letang blasted a shot past goalie Simeon Varlamov, who had stopped seven shots in overtime and 39 of 42 total shots.

Evgeni Malkin gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 15:01 of the third, firing a wrist shot past goalie Simeon Varlamov to end the Penguins’ 0-for-7 drought with a man-advantage. It was Malkin’s fifth goal of the playoffs, his first of the series.

But Pascal Dupuis drew a two-minute interference penalty at 17:32, and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom scored a power-play goal off the rebound of an Alexander Ovechkin miss 38 seconds later to force overtime.

Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 1:23 of the first period with his eighth goal of the playoffs, and his fifth of the series after a hat trick in Monday’s 4-3 victory in Game 2.

The Penguins’ Ruslan Fedotenko tied the game at 9:29 of the second, when Capitals defenseman Milan Jurcina deflected a pass intended for Max Talbot back to Fedotenko, who beat Varlamov to make it 1-1. It was Fedotenko’s second goal and fourth point of the playoffs.

Game 4 is at 7 p.m. Friday at Mellon Arena.