Penguins vs. Capitals might go down as the best NHL game of the season

Two facts currently reign in the NHL.

I’ll be frank with you. I missed this one as it aired live. And when I went back, watched it and realized what I had missed, my reaction channeled that of Jamie Benn.

To recap:

The Capitals took a 3-0 lead. Pittsburgh erased it with six unanswered goals, part of a nine-goal (!!) second period. Washington scored twice in the third to tie it. And Pittsburgh won in OT. Final score: 8-7. Fifteen goals between two of the NHL’s best rivals.

Oh, and there was a hat trick and controversy sprinkled in there, as well.

How nuts was it? Here’s all the Penguins could muster in description afterwards to the Post-Gazette.

“A wacky game,” Sidney Crosby said.

“Crazy,” Malkin added.

“It wasn’t your typical game there,” Daley said.

“That second period was one of the craziest periods I’ve been associated with,” Sullivan said. “I don’t even know how to assess it.”

Neither do we, Mike. But we’re going to try. Because those three hours of hockey were everything magnificent about the Metro Division this season rolled into one heck of a hockey game. And, quite possibly, the best hockey game of 2017.

It’s hard to understate just how dominant the pair of Penguins elite centers has been this year.

Crosby is on the goal-scoring tear of his life, with 27 goals in 37 games to lead the NHL. He’s on pace for well over 100 points. He might hit 60 goals. And Malkin’s no different, with 49 points in 43 games, Malkin should hit at least 90 points before it’s all said and done. Crosby and Malkin lead the league in goals created (20.7 and 18.8, respectively). They are forces to be reckoned with.

And they certainly were against the Capitals. The two combined for four goals and Crosby racked up three assists. Malkin’s possession stats (a 79 percent Corsi For) in all situations were ridiculous.

With their team down big early, the two Penguins superstars grabbed the wheel and drove the bus straight at the Capitals’ net. Just like they’ve done all season, better than anyone else in the league.

The two teams combined for nine goals in one period. Let that sink in.

And has any momentum swing snowballed as quickly as the Penguins’ lead-grab in that frame? It took five minutes for Pittsburgh to turn a 3-0 Capitals lead into a 5-3 Penguins advantage.

You know something odd happened when you open NHL TV and see the goal dots stacked up like this.

The madness is even better when you condense it:

What better way to encapsulate the Metro Division as a whole this year? Everything about that cluster of teams screams unpredictability.

Who could’ve imagined the Columbus Blue Jackets winning 16 games in a row, much less becoming one of the most dangerous clubs in hockey? Who could’ve imagined the New York Rangers relying on a lethal offense to carry them as Henrik Lundqvist struggled? Who could’ve predicted that Cam Ward would go from on the outs in Carolina to a dark horse Vezina Trophy candidate?

The Metropolitan went from a top-heavy division to the strongest dogfight in hockey almost overnight. That it culminated in a 15-goal slugfest between its two premier teams shouldn’t be a surprise.

That’s not Braden Holtby. That’s his backup, Philipp Grubauer. Holtby’s spontaneous combustion in the second period was so fast I’m not sure anyone actually got a picture of him before the dust particles floated away.

Holtby entered the game in Pittsburgh with a 5-0-0 record, a .978 save percentage and three shutouts in his last five starts. Pittsburgh put that stretch to the sword.

Which is par for the course for Metro bunkmates this season. Columbus’ 16-game streak ended at Holtby’s net. Montreal’s strong start to the season hit a roadblock and a 10-0 loss against the Blue Jackets. When Metropolitan teams and players start getting comfortable, their neighbors show up to egg their house.

When Metro teams meet this season, ires are drawn out.

John Tortorella running up the score on the Penguins. Tom Wilson sending a Devils defender out on a stretcher. Metro matchups are as much about thrills these days as they are about lingering animosities.

So, of course the Penguins and Capitals left that thrilling hockey game with something to complain about.

Connor Sheary and Sidney Crosby combined for the game-winning goal. There’s no question about that.

What is in question is how the referees missed this.

Textbook tripping! But no call. If there had been a call, it’s quite likely the Capitals end up with the win and two points.

Will that extra lost point cost the Caps a playoff spot? No. Both are destined for the playoffs. But could it affect seeding? Could it determine whether one team has a easier path to the Stanley Cup than the other? What if, like a true butterfly effect, it alters the future in horrible ways?

The Capitals and Penguins strayed from the designated path into an uncharted jungle of beautiful hockey chaos.

Boy. We sure do.