But Varlamov and the Capitals' defense couldn't prevent Sidney Crosby from doing what he does best: scoring inches from the goal mouth. Crosby knocked down Brooks Orpik's point shot in front of Varlamov, then took two hacks at the puck before whacking it out of midair past the sprawled goaltender with 4:18 remaining.
Pittsburgh then was the recipient of a power play when Laich was whistled for slashing the stick out of Chris Kunitz's hands.
"He's got one hand on the stick and he's reaching for the puck with two minutes to go in an elimination game," Boudreau said of Kunitz. "I wasn't happy at all."
Varlamov, though, stopped both shots he faced in the final minutes to send the series to overtime for a third time.
"He played great," Boudreau said of his 21-year-old goalie. "He plays with the composure of a 10-year veteran."
Varlamov made three stops in a frantic and furious overtime before Steckel struck.
Steckel's goal not only helped him erase the memories of his miss in overtime on Saturday, it also vindicated him for a penalty he took early in the third period. He was in the box for slashing when Penguins defenseman Kris Letang snapped a shot from the middle of the circle past Varlamov's glove.
Late in the second period, Steckel was reunited with Laich and Matt Bradley on what had been one of the Capitals' best lines before Boudreau busted them up earlier in the series. On the winning goal, all three of them touched the puck.
After Letang's goals put the Penguins ahead 3-2 on the power play at 4:40 of the third period, Semin scored his first goal of the series to tie it. Semin ripped a wrist shot from the bottom of the circle past Fleury, who was screened by Laich at 5:38.
Less than a half minute later, Kozlov's second goal of the game put Washington ahead 4-3. Ovechkin fired a shot that hit a Penguin before crackling off the glass behind the goal and coming back out front. While this was happening, Penguins defenseman Hal Gill attempted to take a shortcut through the crease. But what he ended up doing was interfering with Fleury, preventing him from getting into position to stop Kozlov's short-angle shot from about the goal line.
The game stayed that way until Crosby did his thing in the final minutes of regulation in a game that had an announced 17,132 on the edges of their seats for most of it.
Boudreau joked that he would be enjoying it a lot more if he weren't so stressed.
"If I wasn't behind the bench, I would sure enjoy watching," he said.
"It's fun now, it might not have been fun if they had scored. This is so good for our game. When our best players can shine on a bright stage like this. I just wish it was for the Cup."
GAME 7
PENGUINS@ CAPITALS
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: 1370 AM
