Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 29 shots in a turn-back-the-clock performance to shut out the Washington Capitals 2-0 in Game 7 on Wednesday night, sending Pittsburgh to the Eastern Conference finals to face the Ottawa Senators.

 

This was the Fleury who backstopped the Penguins to the Cup in 2009 and was almost unbeatable early in the second-round series, and his return was all they needed to eliminate the Presidents' Trophy winners in a meeting of the NHL's top two teams.

 

Mistakes by Alex Ovechkin and defensemen Matt Niskanen and Kevin Shattenkirk in clearing the puck out of the defensive zone led to Bryan Rust's goal 8:49 into the second and Patric Hornqvist's 4:14 into the third. Ovechkin had one of the Capitals' best scoring chances of the game from the slot, and his shot went off the shaft of Fleury's stick.

 

Braden Holtby stopped 26 of 28 shots for Washington.