Washington 5, Pittsburgh 3
When: 12:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 23, 2020
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
Referees:
Trevor Hanson, Chris Lee
Linesmen:
Devin Berg, James Tobias
Attendance:
18573
By Field Level Media
T.J. Oshie scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period Sunday as the Washington Capitals topped the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3, in a battle for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Oshie's goal came at 10:40 off a short-range rebound. Carl Hagelin added an empty-netter, his second goal of the game.
The Capitals, who snapped a four-game losing streak, moved two points ahead of Pittsburgh, which has a game in hand.
Jakub Vrana and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington. Braden Holtby made 32 saves.
Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh, which lost its third straight. Matt Murray made 18 saves.
Vrana opened the scoring at 6:12 of the first period. From a faceoff in the far end, he got the puck and raced past everyone. Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson made a late attempt to sweep the puck away from behind and fell in the process. Murray stopped Vrana's shot, but Pettersson's momentum carried him and the puck over the line.
Hornqvist tied it at 14:47 of the second period. A shot from the left point by Kris Letang went off defenseman Radko Gudas in front, and Hornqivst batted in the puck.
Crosby gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead 26 seconds later. He took a pass from Jason Zucker while driving to the net. He was upended by Oshie but got off a shot while in the air. Oshie's momentum carried him and the puck into Holtby and over the goal line.
Wilson tied it at 1:16 of the third period during four-on-four play. Pettersson turned over the puck to Nicklas Backstrom, who set up Wilson for a breakaway. Wilson slipped the puck past Murray's right skate.
At 4:41 of the third period, Hagelin gave Washington a 3-2 lead on a rebound in a crowded crease. John Carlson's assist gave him 475 career points, a franchise record for a defenseman.
Malkin's highlight-reel goal tied it again. He moved down the left side, slipped the puck between Carlson's skates and flipped it past Holtby at 8:50 of the third.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Pittsburgh |
|
Washington |
|
Evgeni Malkin 2 |
Points |
Carl Hagelin 2 |
|
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
Goals |
Carl Hagelin 2 |
|
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
Assists |
Nicklas Backstrom 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Matt Murray .818 |
Save Percentage |
Braden Holtby .914 |
|
Matt Murray 18 |
Saves |
Braden Holtby 32 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Pittsburgh
|
35 |
3 |
0-3 |
1-1 |
10 |
34 |
| Washington
|
23 |
5 |
0-1 |
3-3 |
14 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
Washington will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Capitals have a W/L % of .605 after a win and .625 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Penguins have a W/L % of .595 after a win and .625 after a loss.
For more information, contact us