Caps nip Pens for first winning streak of season

[November 08, 2018]  T.J. Oshie scored with 1:14 left to give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

The Capitals, who beat the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Pittsburgh, meanwhile has lost five in a row, the first time that's happened under coach Mike Sullivan.

Oshie, who had been knocked out of the game due to injuries in the first and third periods (stick to the face and shoulder to the face, respectively), came back in time to take a John Carlson pass and beat goalie Casey DeSmith from just outside the crease for the game-winner.

The tally snapped a 1-1 tie and gave Washington the victory in a game where the Penguins applied constant pressure. Pittsburgh outshot Washington 42-22, but Penguins goalie Braden Holtby came up big with 41 saves.

Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead thanks to a Sidney Crosby goal in the first period. Jack Johnson sent a backhand pass over to Crosby in the right circle, and the two-time NHL goal-scoring leader quickly fired a shot past Holtby with 7:44 left in the period.

The Penguins had several chances in late moments of the opening period and first minutes of the second period but could not convert. Washington also found a few chances but did not tie the game until Alex Ovechkin's power-play goal in the second period.

Carlson (two assists) made a cross-ice feed to Ovechkin, who one-timed it past DeSmith from the left circle at 7:09.

Both teams kept up the aggressive play in the third period, and Washington got a lengthy power play when Evgeni Malkin got called for roughing (two minutes), plus a five-minute major and a 10-minute game misconduct after apparently using his shoulder to hit Oshie's face/head.

However, Pittsburgh was aggressive in its penalty kill, and the Capitals did little with the man advantage. The Penguins got the next good scoring chance when Garrett Wilson came in alone on a breakaway but Holtby made the save.

Washington and Holtby then held on until Oshie's late, game-winning goal.

--Field Level Media

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