PITTSBURGH — If you believed a matchup with the rival Washington Capitals might prompt the Penguins to put their best game on the ice, well, what were you thinking?
Saturday’s matinee at PPG Paints Arena was very much a Penguins-Capitals game. Entertaining, sure, with skill and scoring and the usual sassiness. The NHL and ABC jumped at the chance to put it in their prime time slot for good reason.
But for the Penguins, who lost again, 6-3, it was hardly a display in discipline.
They allowed another goal soon after scoring one of their own. They gifted their guests a 5-on-3 during the second period. Tristan Jarry gave up a goal from Highland Park. And Tom Wilson netted the game-winner on a 2-on-1 rush.
On that play, Evgeni Malkin tried to bank a pass off the boards to Chad Ruhwedel but Wilson picked it off and went the other way. His shot from left circle fooled Jarry, who was leaning hard to the short side and left his glove exposed.
The Penguins have now lost four straight games and seven of their last nine. Their latest defeat put them closer to the fourth-place Capitals in the standings than the second-place New York Rangers, who shut them out, 3-0, on Thursday.
The first period was packed with action. Five goals were scored, including one for each team in the first 61 seconds. Fists flew, like the hard left that Sidney Crosby landed on Nic Dowd when the Capitals center was not looking. And Malkin got his latest milestone, earning his 700th career assist on Bryan Rust’s goal.
Maybe the only thing missing in the first 20 minutes was goaltending. Tristan Jarry watched Dmitry Orlov score on a snap shot from 40 feet, one of the softest goals he has given up during his All-Star season. Not to be outdone at the other end, Ilya Samsonov handed the Penguins the lead late in the first period.
He let Jeff Carter’s backhand shot dribble through him for a tying goal. Exactly one minute later, Brian Boyle scored from an even slimmer angle to make it 3-2. The big center’s 10th goal of the season ricocheted in off Samsonov’s mask.
The Capitals evened the score again a few minutes into the second period. After Kris Letang, Jeff Carter and Brian Dumoulin filled up the penalty box, Alex Ovechkin scored from his sweet spot in the left circle during a 5-on-3 power play.
The Penguins had ample opportunity to up their total in that period, both before and after Ovechkin’s blast. But they missed just wide on a few good looks and fired other shots into Samsonov’s gear when the goalie was out of position. He did earn a pair of tough saves, including one on Malkin, in the final minute.
The Capitals controlled the third period, firing nearly twice as many shots.
The Penguins displayed plenty of passion against the Capitals, as they often do. But it was hardly a stingy, playoff-style effort for coach Mike Sullivan’s squad.
With the two teams trading chances, the odd-man rushes for the Capitals may have been in the double digits, mostly 3-on-2s and 4-on-3s. But unlike their recent losses to Colorado and New York, the Penguins did well to neutralize those.
Well, at least until Wilson got the winner on that 2-on-1 with 8:25 remaining.
In the late stages, Malkin drilled the post behind Samsonov. Moments later, Evgeny Kuznetsov scored on an empty net. Martin Fehervary would add another.
Crosby and John Marino were back in the Penguins lineup after missing Thursday’s loss in New York due to illnesses. Jason Zucker returned from injury, too.
The Penguins host the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.
