|
 Malkin had three assists and Crosby added his 20th goal of the
season to lead the Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Capitals on
Wednesday night at the Verizon Center.
"They came out and wanted to win," Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby
said. "Their top players were very good tonight. We found a way to
shut them down the first three games and tonight I think they
stepped up their game. We had to know that was coming."
The Penguins (35-17-9) avoided a series sweep with the victory and
moved three points ahead of the Capitals (33-19-10) in the
Metropolitan Division standings. They are one point behind the
second-place New York Rangers, who have two games in hand on the
Penguins and three on the Capitals.
"We know how good Washington (is), one of the most dangerous teams
in the league," said Malkin, who moved into seventh place in the
NHL's scoring race, three off the pace set by Chicago's Patrick
Kane, Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek and Washington's Nicklas
Backsrom. "We lost the last three games (to the Capitals) and this
was a chance to beat them tonight. We have more confidence right
now."
 Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of 24 shots to
improve to 28-13-6. Capitals netminder Braden Holtby allowed four
goals on 26 shots to fall to 29-14-9.
Right winger Patric Hornqvist, center Brandon Sutter and left winger
Chris Kunitz joined Crosby with goals for the Penguins, who have won
three straight games since losing to the Capitals 3-1 in Pittsburgh
on Feb. 17.
Defenseman John Carlson, right winger Troy Brouwer and left winger
Alex Ovechkin scored goals for the Capitals, who have lost
back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since Jan.
16-17.
"They had good focus and I didn't like our focus," Capitals coach
Barry Trotz said. "It was an ugly game to watch in terms of the way
we played and the number of penalties on both sides."
The Penguins carried a 3-1 lead into the third period, but when
Brouwer swatted his own rebound past Fleury for his 18th goal of the
season with 4:09 gone in the period, it looked like the pendulum had
swung in the direction of the home team.
But just 3:03 later, Malkin stripped Washington rookie Evgeny
Kuznetsov of the puck at center ice and helped set up Kunitz for his
16th goal of the season. Kunitz had beaten Kuznetsov up the ice to
jam in rebound of a shot from left winger Blake Comeau.
The Capitals again brought the fans out of their seats when Ovechkin
blasted a pass from Carlson through Fleury for his 39th goal of the
season and 18th on the power play. But Fleury shut out the Capitals
the rest of the way to salvage the two points and avoid a series
sweep.
[to top of second column] |
The animosity between the teams was evident in the first period when
Capitals right winger Tom Wilson was checked into the Penguins'
bench, sparking a melee that included Malkin yanking the helmet off
Capitals center Michael Latta and Penguins right winger Steve Downie
grappling with anyone wearing red.
The Capitals received three power plays in the first period, but the
Penguins' penalty killers swarmed Ovechkin to keep them off the
scoreboard while scoring a short-handed goal of their own.
Hornqvist opened the scoring when he swatted a pass from Malkin past
Holtby and inside the left post for his fourth goal in three games
and his 19th of the season.
The Capitals had three chances to tie the score on the power play,
but with Crosby in the penalty box for holding Wilson, Washington
defenseman Matt Niskanen entered the offensive zone and fired a back
pass off the boards intended for rookie right winger Andre
Burakovsky.
The puck never reached Burakovsky and Sutter chased it down in the
neutral zone for a clean breakaway. He went forehand to backhand to
beat Holtby, giving the Penguins more goals on their first eight
shots of the game than they had in their previous 91 against him in
three previous losses this season.
"That was huge," said Crosby. "It changes momentum, gives us a
two-goal lead. They end up scoring late (in the period), so instead
of being 1-1 going into the second we still have the lead."
After Holtby stopped a point-blank shot by Malkin in the closing
minute of the first period, the Capitals broke the other way and
Carlson blasted a feed from left winger Jason Chimera for his 10th
goal of the season with 8.6 seconds left in the period.
NOTES: Capitals D Brooks Orpik played 703 games for the Penguins
from 2002-14, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 2009. "He helped
teach me to be a pro," Penguins D Kris Letang said. Capitals D Matt
Niskanen also played in 214 games for the Penguins from 2010-14. ...
The Penguins return home to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday
and expect to have newly acquired LW Daniel Winnik for that game.
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