Jagr has first opportunity in overtime

But he came too close to the Washington goalie and failed to take a shot.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins were prepared to write a new chapter in their storybook adventure of befuddling the Washington Capitals.
Trailing 3-1 midway through the third period of Game 4, the Penguins created another nightmare for Washington when Jaromir Jagr and Janne Laukkanen scored power-play goals to force overtime.
In the extra session, Jagr nearly scored the game-winning goal. But Jagr skated too close to Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig to get off a shot.
Minutes later, Washington's Jeff Halpern ended the game with a 10-foot goal.
Jagr struggled to explain what happened on his close call.
Second thoughts: "I tried to go backhand, but then I was worried because I was so close," he said.
Kolzig said, "I really think he lost control of it. I think he wanted to move it to his forehand and I think it rolled off his stick.
"My momentum was going to the left, and I just got my pad on it. If he didn't [plan to switch], I made a great save.
"If he was trying for his forehand, then I got lucky and that negated a few of the lucky breaks that they got when Mario [Lemieux] put it in off a defenseman and Jagr put it in off [a teammate] to Laukkanen."
Kolzig said the difference between a 2-2 series tie and a 3-1 deficit couldn't be measured.
"It's been done before, coming back from 3-1, but with all the experience and veterans they have on that team plus two of the greatest players in the world, it probably would have been insurmountable," he said.
Striking back: After being shut out 3-0 in Game 3, the Capitals ended their scoring drought with 12 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the first period on Steve Konowalchuk's power-play goal.
Lemieux tied the score 1:15 into the second period when he fired the puck into the crease from just outside the red line and it banked off defenseman Sergei Gonchar's skates past Kolzig.
The Capitals took the lead 2-1 late in the second period on a controversial power-play goal.
Washington defenseman Brendan Witt beat Hedberg with a shot from the top of the right face-off circle, but the Penguins argued that Chris Simon had entered the crease before the shot.
A Laukkanen tripping penalty triggered Konowalchuk's second power-play second goal, a deflection of a Gonchar shot, with 10:51 remaining in the third period.
Pittsburgh defenseman Bob Boughner said the Capitals probably were overdue for a break and three regulation power-play goals helped.
"It's tough to try and decide what to do [defending] on the power-play," Boughner said. "We try to get up closer to [pointman] Gonchar and try an take him away, but eventually he's going to get one or two shots."