Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-6 36pts) v. Washington Capitals (20-9-3 43pts)
Game Recap:
The Washington Capitals fall short against their rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals were lackluster with all five of their powerplay opportunities and the Penguins were able to make one count in four chances on the powerplay. The Capitals also were bit hard with some bad puck luck that saw one opportunity hit the post and another two getting on the goal line, but not cross the line. The Capitals now have to refocus and get back on track when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Lineups:
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust
Zach Aston-Reese — Evgeni Malkin — Phil Kessel
Tanner Pearson — Derick Brassard — Patric Hornqvist
Riley Sheahan — Matt Cullen — Garrett Wilson
Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang
Olli Maatta — Jamie Oleksiak
Marcus Pettersson — Jack Johnson
Matt Murray
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Chad Ruhwedel, Derek Grant
Injured: Justin Schultz (fractured left leg), Dominik Simon (lower body)
Washington Capitals:
Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly
Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd
Michal Kempny — John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen
Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey
Braden Holtby
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington
Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)
First Period:
Capitals Penalty – :55 – Tom Wilson 5 minute major for Fighting
Penguins Penalty – :55 – Jamie Oleksiak 5 minute major for Fighting
Capitals Penalty – 4:05 – Alex Ovechkin 2 minutes for Roughing
Penguins Penalty – 4:05 – Kris Letang 2 minutes for Roughing
Capitals Penalty – 6:54 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Holding
Capitals Penalty – 14:10 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Cross Checking
End of 1st – PIT – 0 WAS – 0
Shots 09 08
Faceoffs 09 06
Hits 07 06
PP 0/2 0/0
End of 1st – PIT – 0 WAS – 0
Shots 09 08
Faceoffs 09 06
Hits 07 06
PP 0/2 0/0
Analysis:
A really fast paced and penalty filled start of the game for the Capitals and Penguins. Both team’s goalies have come up big, and have both generated some really good scoring chances.
Need to Do:
The Capitals need to stay out of the box and continue forcing the play in the Penguins zone. Keep the legs moving and draw some penalties on the Penguins so they can give their powerplay a chance to make a difference.
Second Period:
Penguins Penalty – :48 – Bryan Rust 2 minutes for Holding
Penguins Penalty – 2:58 – Marcus Pettersson 2 minutes High Sticking
Capitals Goal – 6:38 – Lars Eller (5) from Tom Wilson (7)
Capitals Penalty – 8:06 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Tripping
Penguins PPG – 9:15 – Sidney Crosby (16) from Evgeni Malkin (26) and Kris Letang (20)
Penguins Penalty – 12:12 – Jake Guentzel 2 minutes for Holding
Penguins Goal – 18:58 – Bryan Rust (7) from Jake Guentzel (16) and Sidney Crosby (22)
Penguins Penalty – 20:00 – Brian Dumoulin 2 minutes for Holding
End of 2nd – PIT – 2 WAS – 1
Shots 21 18
Faceoffs 19 16
Hits 16 17
PP 1/3 0/3
Analysis:
This has been a good game for the Capitals, but their powerplay has just been putrid this game. The Capitals have been good at even strength but their special teams needs improvement.
Need to Do:
The Capitals have the luxury of starting the 3rd period with a full 2 minute powerplay, but they need to mix it up and take away the predictability. The Capitals are still in this, but they need to play smart and clean up their play in their own zone as well.
Third Period:
Capitals Penalty – 4:13 – Matt Niskanen 2 minutes for Tripping
Penguins Penalty – 5:16 – Phil Kessel 2 minutes for Tripping
End of 3rd – PIT – 2 WAS – 1
Shots 30 32
Faceoffs 34 22
Hits 23 24
PP 1/4 0/5
Analysis:
A hard fought game from both teams, but the Capitals inability to capitalize on the powerplay opportunities, plus not having the puck luck on their side really hurt the Capitals in this game.
Next Up:
Washington (20-10-3 43pts) v. Buffalo (20-10-5 45pts)
Pittsburgh (16-12-6 38pts) v. Minnesota (17-14-2 36pts)
