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Caps fall to Penguins, running winless streak to four at most inopportune time

Visiting Pittsburgh scores on its first two shots and never looks back in a 4-1 win that puts the Capitals outside of playoff position as the season turns for home.

By Bailey Johnson | 2024-04-05

Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and Capitals right wing Tom Wilson battle on the boards during the third period of Thursday's 4-1 Pittsburgh win at Capital One Arena. (Nick Wass/AP)

On paper, the road was supposed to get easier for the Washington Capitals once the calendar turned to April. After emerging from a difficult March schedule still holding a playoff position, an April slate that featured more teams below the playoff line than above it appeared to give Washington a chance to create some separation and solidify its spot in the postseason.

But after beginning the month with a blowout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, the Capitals returned to Capital One Arena on Thursday to host the Pittsburgh Penguins and again fell flat. The Penguins scored on their first two shots of the game -- a point shot from Ryan Shea that beat goaltender Charlie Lindgren through a screen and a point shot from P.O Joseph that deflected off defenseman Nick Jensen's skate -- and Washington was doomed to a fruitless, uphill battle from there in what became a 4-1 loss.

Lindgren allowed just one more goal after the initial two, but Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 30 of 31 for Pittsburgh and held the Capitals at bay when they launched a rally early in the third period. Former Capital Lars Eller hit the empty net with 2:37 remaining to seal the loss.

"As crazy it sounds, I didn't mind a lot of the things we did tonight," Washington Coach Spencer Carbery said. "A little bit of score effects [with Pittsburgh ahead] because we had the majority of the chances, the [offensive] zone possession. All the analytics are going to favor us tonight. But one of those where you get down in a game and you just can't find a way back."

The Penguins were well outside the playoff race just a few weeks ago, but as the Capitals' skid has grown to 0-3-1, other teams in the Eastern Conference have sputtered and Pittsburgh has gone on a 5-0-2 run, pulling within two points of playoff position. A win by the New York Islanders in Columbus knocked Washington down to ninth in the East, only one point away from the second wild-card spot -- but looking increasingly far away from the postseason as the skid continues. Washington has just seven games remaining in the regular season.

Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic makes one of his 30 saves on a shot by Alex Ovechkin in the third period. (Nick Wass/AP)

The Penguins may have been motivated by the 6-0 drubbing in Pittsburgh that Washington delivered last month, but the Capitals' inability to generate offense or finish chances Thursday night was often self-inflicted.

"We try to create extra pass. We're holding puck a little bit longer, try to find the pretty play," captain Alex Ovechkin said. "It's not going to work, especially at that kind of moment in the season when everybody concentrates on winning. Everybody plays a little faster. You have to make a decision quicker."

After Shea's goal at 1:49 of the first period, the Capitals had several dangerous scoring chances around the net but couldn't convert. They squandered a power-play opportunity after Joseph's tally at 11:03 -- without recording a shot on goal -- and began to fall into a pattern of overpassing, eschewing the simple play for the perfect one.

That pattern didn't change in the second period for Washington as it recorded just five shots on goal to Pittsburgh's 10. Another power play came and went without a goal or even a threatening look. Michael Bunting extended the Penguins' lead with a goal off the rush at 9:08, and a smattering of boos rained down from the crowd as the Capitals skated off the ice down 3-0 through 40 minutes.

"Second period, we stumbled a little bit," Carbery said. "We started to get a little bit stubborn and trying to do too much. Everybody was trying to save the world to score."

Washington showed significantly more life to open the third period, and an extended five-on-three power play early in the frame presented a golden opportunity to claw back into the game. But the two-man advantage began with a series of full-ice clears by the Penguins, and the Capitals needed every second to finally get one puck past Nedeljkovic; Ovechkin scored off a feed from winger Sonny Milano as the power play expired.

"I feel like just offensively, we're gripping it a little bit," Carbery said. "Our top guys aren't feeling it right now. They're getting into some scoring situations -- even you see it on the power play. Even that five-on-three, we're just not really clean and crisp with the puck when we get into situations where you're standing there like, 'This is a two-on-one,' or, 'We're in the slot, and we've got it good,' and it's just not materializing."

Any momentum gained from the goal was short-lived for the Capitals. The Penguins were content to burn away the time remaining, aided by a power play with 6:50 left. Washington killed the penalty to center Nic Dowd, but it took two minutes off the clock, damaging the comeback hopes.

"Obviously, we would've liked the win. Some good stuff there and some stuff you can't really control," winger Max Pacioretty said. "But at the end of the day, got to find ways to score goals five-on-five. The recipe is there -- sometimes -- but we've just got to give that extra 5, 10 percent more to try to bury some goals."

Washington pulled Lindgren for an extra attacker with 3:12 left. With 2:37 remaining, Eller pushed the puck into the vacated net, electrifying the pro-Pittsburgh crowd that remained in the building. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, a "Let's go Pens!" chant echoed throughout the arena.

The Capitals have no time to dwell on their latest loss; they face the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Friday, sorely needing to halt their skid.

"We know where we are. This isn't any different for us tomorrow night," Carbery said. "Massive game against a really good hockey team where points and where we stand are hanging in the balance."


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