Barry Trotz is downplaying Matt Niskanen's controversial hit on Sidney Crosby.

"I thought it was a hockey play," the Washington Capitals head coach told reporters following a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 on Monday night. "Crosby (was) coming down. (Niskanen) just sort of ran into him."

The Capitals blueliner was given a major penalty and ejected early in the first period for cross-checking Crosby as the Penguins captain was falling after being whacked by Alex Ovechkin on a scoring chance.

Trotz wasn't happy about being asked repeatedly about the hit after the game.

"You want me to defend Ovechkin's hit (on Crosby)? Do you want me to defend (Chris) Kunitz's predatory hit on (T.J.) Oshie?"

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said Crosby will be evaluated overnight.

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He wasn't perfect, but he did his part.

Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby allowed two goals in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, as the Capitals came back for a 3-2 overtime victory.

Holtby had a shutout in the works until the 18:07 mark of the final frame, when Penguins center Evgeni Malkin brought his team within one before defenseman Justin Schultz evened the score just 48 seconds later.

Holtby wasn't overly busy on the night, stopping 28 of the 30 pucks that came his way, but it was enough as the Capitals won their first game of the series after dropping the first two contests on home ice.

In Game 2, Holtby was pulled after allowing three goals on just 14 shots. But he stepped up to the challenge in Game 3, in part due to the encouraging words from coach Barry Trotz, who stated his netminder would be the difference-maker in the series.

Holtby also spoke with his sports psychologist after Game 2, who told the netminder, "The puck doesn't know it's a big game."

Holtby and the Capitals now have a chance to even the series Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

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Kevin Shattenkirk was called out by his head coach, and he responded.

The Washington Capitals defenseman fired home the winner in overtime Monday night, propelling his club to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of their second-round matchup.

Washington cut Pittsburgh's series lead to 2-1 and overcame a late-game rally in which the Penguins scored twice in a 48-second span to tie it up.

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz was critical of Shattenkirk's play when asked about it on Sunday, saying, "that's not good enough for what we need from that third pairing right now."

The blueliner was critical of himself Monday afternoon when asked about his less than stellar Game 2 performance, but playing the hero in Game 3 should help restore his confidence.

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It's time to go to the polls.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left early in the first period of Game 3 following a cross-check by Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen. You can watch it here.

The question remains: was it a clean hit by the Capitals blue-liner or not? What say you?

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Marc-Andre Fleury with a late entry for the save for the year.

The Pittsburgh Penguins netminder made a game-breaking save late in second period of Game 3, diving back to knock away a sure goal by Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov.

The Capitals led 1-0 at the end of the second, with Fleury's key save keeping the Pens in striking distance.

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Sidney Crosby was forced to leave Game 3 against the Washington Capitals after taking a hard cross-check from Matt Niskanen.

The Capitals defenseman was given a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct for the hit, which occurred early in the first period.

Crosby was helped off less than six minutes into the game.

He has a well-documented history of head injuries, missing time earlier this season with a concussion and suffering one in the Winter Classic back in 2011 that forced him to miss the second half of that season and much of the next.

The more concerning aspect of this injury might have been the way Crosby fell, though.

He was knocked slightly off balance by Alex Ovechkin moments before Niskanen hit him.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed on the NBCSN broadcast that Crosby was hit in the head.

The Pittsburgh captain was named a finalist for the Hart Trophy earlier Monday.

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The man whose quick thinking led to one of the most viral moments of the Edmonton Oilers' season is tipping his Stetson to the fans.

"I don't know if there are many (fan bases) in the 30 teams in the National Hockey League that would be able to do what Edmonton and the Oilers did last night," Country music artist Brett Kissel told The Canadian Press on Monday.

"My cowboy hat goes off to them."

Kissel improvised amid microphone issues Sunday night, coaxing the Rogers Place crowd into singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in unison before the start of Game 3 between the Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks.

Related: Ducks owners applaud Oilers crowd for singing anthems ahead of Game 3

Kissel was caught off guard, but said he didn't have time to panic.

"Im thinking to myself, Youve got to be kidding me! Is this for real? And that's when the nerves set in," Kissel recalled. "There was this split second of worry, but the reality is there was no Plan B, so it was either going to work or it wasn't."

The Oilers appreciated Kissel's effort.

"Brett knew the mic was gone," Patrick Maroon said. "As an American, for a Canadian to sing the (U.S.) national anthem was pretty special to me. (It) certainly got me going. That was pretty cool."

Like many fans watching at home, Edmonton head coach Todd McLellan didn't initially know what was going on.

"I didn't realize, to be quite honest, that it was a mic problem," he said. "I thought it was a 'Hey, let's get everybody involved' and as it turns out, a glitch can produce a great moment. The people of Edmonton showed their respect to our neighbors down south."

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Fans will soon know who was this season's most valuable player.

Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid are this year's finalists for the Hart Trophy.

Bobrovsky was the NHL's top goaltender this season, owning a league-best 2.06 goals-against average and .931 save percentage, leading the Blue Jackets to their best season in franchise history, as they finished with 108 points.

Crosby ended the season as the NHL's leading goal scorer, as the Penguins center finished with 44 goals. He was second in league scoring with 89 points, behind only McDavid. Crosby is a two-time winner of the Hart Trophy, last capturing the award in 2013-14.

McDavid was the league's top scorer, finishing the season with 100 points, doing so in only his second NHL campaign. The Oilers captain led the team to a 47-26-9 record, as Edmonton qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2006.

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Cross one of the most intriguing names on the potential general manager market off the list.

The Calgary Flames have inked GM Brad Treliving to a multi-year contract extension, the club announced Monday.

Treliving has served in the role for the Flames since April 2014, and Calgary has gone 125-103-18 in his GM tenure.

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A kind gesture by the Edmonton Oilers faithful was not lost on the opposition.

Anaheim Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli released a statement congratulating Oilers fans who sang both the American and Canadian National anthems ahead of game 3 after country music star Brett Kissel's mic suffered a malfunction.

Related - Watch: Oilers fans sing 'Star-Spangled Banner' after apparent mic issue

"Congratulations to the Edmonton fans for creating such a special moment last night by singing both of the national anthems. To hear the audience passionately sing both the Canadian and United States anthems was inspiring and powerful. Well done, Edmonton!"

Oilers fans will have the opportunity to show off their pipes again on Wednesday for Game 4.

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