Penguins snap Caps' 5-game winning streak

[December 20, 2018]  Bryan Rust scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period, and Sidney Crosby finished with a goal and an assist as the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The defeat snapped Washington's five-game winning streak, the team's second-longest of the season. Pittsburgh earned its third win in four games.

The Penguins also held Alex Ovechkin without a point, ending two streaks for the Capitals' captain. He had scored goals in six straight games and registered points in 14 in a row before coming up empty Wednesday despite finishing with five shots on goal.

Matt Murray finished with 31 saves for the Penguins, who survived several good scoring chances from the Capitals in the final two periods. Murray made 14 stops in the third period alone, stopping the Capitals from every angle.
 

Neither team scored in the first period before the second period brought more offense from the Penguins and Capitals, who wore their old-school red, white and blue uniforms with stars on them.

Lars Eller gave Washington a 1-0 lead when he scored after a cross-ice pass from Tom Wilson at 6:38 of the middle period. Eller broke in alone and beat Murray.

The Penguins tied it on the power play when Crosby deflected a shot past goalie Braden Holtby at 9:15 of the period. The Capitals have struggled to kill penalties lately, having allowed seven extra-man goals in the past three games.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) scores a goal on Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (70) in the second period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Washington then had problems clearing the puck out of its zone late in the second period, which proved costly as Rust knocked in a loose puck from in front with 1:02 left.

The game-winning goal was originally credited to Crosby but changed to Rust during the intermission.

Washington barely missed on two chances in the third period when the puck squirted past Murray. The first one died right on the line, and on the second one, Pittsburgh defenseman Marcus Pettersson dove and knocked the puck away just as it was about to cross the line.

Holtby finished with 28 saves.

--Field Level Media

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.