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
By Field Level Media
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.
For more information, contact us