The Capitals grabbed a 3-2 series lead and would clinch the best-of-seven set with a win in Pittsburgh on Monday night. Game 7, if necessary, would be played Wednesday in Washington.

"We're going to Pittsburgh with one goal in mind," Washington coach Barry Trotz said. "It's very simple."

The Capitals have not been to the conference finals in 20 years.

"I don't know if I could tell you exactly what it would mean," Capitals forward T.J. Oshie said, according to the Washington Post. "None of us have ever been there."

The tiebreaking goal came after Alex Ovechkin raced up the right wing and centered the puck to Vrana, who easily put it into a vacated net. That gave Washington a 4-3 lead.

Goalie Braden Holtby (36 saves) started everything with a key save at the other end, beginning the rush that ended with the Vrana goal.

Vrana also posted two assists. Oshie and Lars Eller added empty-net goals later for the 6-3 final.

Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and two assists for Washington, which got a goal and an assist from both Eller and Oshie. John Carlson and Brett Connelly collected the Capitals' other goals.

Pittsburgh took an early 1-0 lead when Jamie Oleksiak scored on a long slap shot just 2:23 into the game.

Washington then took the lead with two goals just 33 seconds apart late in the period.

Carlson ripped a shot past Matt Murray from the high slot on the power play with 1:38 left.

Connolly put the Capitals in front 2-1 when he scored on a shot from the edge of the left circle that was deflected and bounced through Murray's pads with 1:05 remaining.

However, the Penguins then dominated play in the second period and scored two extra-man goals to go up 3-2.

Sidney Crosby got the first one, deflecting a Phil Kessel shot in at 4:43, and then Patric Hornqvist shoved in an extra-man goal from Holtby's left side. That came at 7:45 and put the Penguins ahead in a period where they outshot Washington 18-5.

The third period started better for the Caps as Kuznetsov scored on a breakaway to tie the game just 52 seconds after the second intermission. Vrana got his second assist of the game on the play, springing Kuznetsov with a long pass.

The Capitals then took over, moving to the verge of a series win over their traditional playoff nemesis.

"It might have been our best game of the series, and we didn't come out with the result we were looking for," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I know our group is capable. Our players know that as well."

Crosby added, "It's tough. We did a lot of good things. We felt like we could've won. That's playoff hockey.

"You see with the winning goal. We get a great chance, and it goes back the other way. That's how close it is. We just have to build off of this one, but we did a lot of good things."

Forward Nicklas Backstrom played only briefly in the third period, with the Capitals reporting he has an upper-body injury.

--Field Level Media