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National Hockey League
Washington 5, Pittsburgh 2
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 7, 2020
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Dean Morton, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Brad Kovachik
Attendance: 18656

Nic Dowd produced his first career multiple-goal game with two goals and an assist Saturday as the Washington Capitals won a Metropolitan Division showdown against the host Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2.

Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and Richard Panik each had a goal and an assist for Washington (41-20-7), which built a 4-0 lead en route to ending a two-game losing streak and maintaining a grip on at least a share of first place in the Metropolitan. Philadelphia (41-20-7) defeated Buffalo on Saturday night to tie the Caps atop the division.

Goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 26 Penguins shots.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh (39-22-6), which is third in the division and five points behind the Capitals. The Penguins had won two straight.

Matt Murray made 23 saves.

Dowd opened the scoring at 1:52 of the first. He was alone in the slot and one-timed a feed from Garnet Hathaway, who was near the end board, past Murray's blocker.

Off a two-on-one, Backstrom made it 2-0 at 16:15 of the first. He converted a pass from Jakub Vrana and beat Murray glove side.

Panik completed Washington's three-goal first at 18:38. Off a two-on-one that turned into a three-on-two, he took a pass from Nick Jensen and lifted the puck past Murray from below the right circle.

With 1:12 left in the second, Pittsburgh's Jared McCann blocked a shot and set himself up on a breakaway. Holtby stopped him, but McCann was impeded and awarded a penalty shot. Holtby made a kick save to preserve the Capitals' three-goal lead.

The Penguins opened the third period on a power play that bled over from the second, but it was Washington that capitalized. Dowd, off a two-on-one with Carl Hagelin, scored a short-handed goal for a 4-0 lead. He lifted the puck past Murray's glove.

Crosby broke up what would have been Holtby's first shutout of the season at 5:09 of the third. He converted a centering pass from Conor Sheary to make it 4-1.

Malkin cut it to 4-2 with a power-play goal at 12:16 of the third, but Oshie answered 56 seconds later to boost it to 5-2.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Pittsburgh
Nic Dowd 3 Points Sidney Crosby 2
Nic Dowd 2 Goals Sidney Crosby 1
Nic Dowd 1 Assists Sidney Crosby 1
N/A Power Play Goals Evgeni Malkin 1
Nic Dowd 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Braden Holtby .929 Save Percentage Matt Murray .821
Braden Holtby 26 Saves Matt Murray 23
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 28 5 0-1 4-5 14 26
Pittsburgh 28 2 1-5 1-1 6 29
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Penguins have a W/L % of .590 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Capitals have a W/L % of .585 after a win and .630 after a loss.