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For years, Penguins fans in D.C. have celebrated wins over the Capitals by congregating on the steps facing 7th Street outside the National Portrait Gallery and chanting.
“D.C.’s our house!” they shouted after a regular season win in November 2013. “You can’t beat us!” they yelled after the Penguins erased a two-goal deficit with three third-period goals in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Capitals this year.
A small contingent of Capitals fans reclaimed the steps after Washington evened the series with a 4-1 win at Capital One Arena in Game 2, but the scene after that contest was nothing like the one Saturday night. Not even close.
After the Capitals scored four unanswered goals in the third period of a 6-3 win to take a 3-2 series lead, the steps were overrun with red-clad fans, and they weren’t lining up to see Michelle Obama’s portrait.
The chants were numerous, including “Crosby [stinks],” “Let’s go Caps,” and my personal favorite, “One more game! One more game! One more game!”
NBC Sports Washington’s Alan May, Craig Laughlin and Michael Jenkins joined the postgame celebration on the steps, where one Capitals fan lit a “Terrible Towel” on fire and waved it in the air.
About that one more game. … A win in Pittsburgh on Monday would clinch Washington’s first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 1998 and deny D.C.-based Penguins fans the chance to celebrate on 7th Street again until next season. A Capitals loss at PPG Paints Arena would mean another nerve-racking Game 7 at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.
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