Washington Capitals Fade After Dominant Start In 4-1 Loss To Pittsburgh Penguins; Eller Records 400th Career Point
Photo: @Capitals The Washington Capitals fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 4-1 at Capital One Arena on Thursday night in right-wing Tom Wilson’s first game back from his suspension. The… The Washington Capitals lost 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a game at Capital One Arena, with the loss dropping their record to 36-29-10 this season. The loss was the result of a strong start from the Penguins, with right-wing Tom Wilson returning from his suspension. The game was also marked by the loss of LW Matt Nieto, C Jansen Harkins, C Noel Acciari, D Ryan Graves, and John Ludvig due to injuries. Despite the loss, the team remained a point behind the Philadelphia Flyers and tied with the Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Conference wild card race.
Published : a month ago by in Sports
The Washington Capitals fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 4-1 at Capital One Arena on Thursday night in right-wing Tom Wilson’s first game back from his suspension. The loss dropped their record to 36-29-10 (.547 points percentage) this season. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 20 saves in the loss.
Out: LW Matt Nieto (knee), C Jansen Harkins (hand), C Noel Acciari (lower-body), D Ryan Graves (concussion), D John Ludvig (illness)
1:49, 1-0 Pittsburgh: Shea wristed one from the point that beat Lindgren through traffic and past the right pad after Smith curled back in the offensive zone and fed him.
11:03, 2-0: Joseph’s slapper from the point deflected off of the skate of Jensen, who was tied up with Crosby in the slot, over the glove of Lindgren after Letang fed Joseph from the opposite point.
Other Notable Stats: 22-13 Washington in hits, 5-5 in blocked shots, 64% Pittsburgh on faceoffs, Washington got one power play
9:08, 3-0: Bunting flew down the left wing and drilled a slapper under the blocker of Lindgren after getting a stretch feed by Puustinen from the defensive zone.
Shots: 16-13 Pittsburgh, including 10-4 in the second
Other Notable Stats: 14-10 Washington in blocked shots, 36-26 Washington in hits
6:02, 3-1 (PPG): Ovechkin tucked in a cross-ice feed from Milano, who was at the right post, under the pad of Nedeljkovic after Sandin set Milano up down low from the slot in the waning seconds of the man advantage. In three games against Pittsburgh this season, Milano has tallied three points (one goal). Ovechkin’s 19 goals since January 27 are tied for the fourth-most in the NHL. The tally marked Ovechkin’s team-leading 13th on the power play. Lapierre has recorded an assist in back-to-back games and in four of his last five games overall.
17:23, 4-1: After Smith ripped off McMichael and chipped it up the boards, Eller raced down and carried to puck into the open net. The former Capital earned his 400th career NHL point with the goal.
Shots: 31-24 Washington, including 17-8 in the third
Other Notable Stats: 54-39 Washington in hits, 18-8 Pittsburgh in blocked shots, Washington went one-for-four on the power play and Pittsburgh 0-for-two
Washington remained a point behind the Philadelphia Flyers (with a game in hand) for third place in the Metropolitan Division. In the Eastern Conference wild card race, they stayed tied with the Detroit Red Wings (with both teams down to seven games left), one in front of Pittsburgh (one), five clear of the Buffalo Sabres (one), and six safe of the New Jersey Devils (one) but fell one behind the New York Islanders (one).
Next game: Friday at Carolina Hurricanes (7 PM ET, Monumental Sports Network in-market, ESPN+ out-of-market)
Topics: Hockey, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals