Penguins snap skid in physical battle with Caps originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — The Capitals came out aggressive for their rivalry game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, firing each of the first five shots on goal. It was all Penguins from there as the visiting team ran away with a 4-1 win to snap its seven-game losing streak.
Darcy Kuemper had been off to a tremendous start to his first year in Washington with a 4-5-1 record that didn’t reflect his efforts thus far. He earned his fair share of the loss Wednesday, however, allowing three goals in the second period with two coming on low-danger chances.
It was a physical battle, with the two teams combining for 66 hits and a couple of five-minute fighting majors. But the Capitals’ offense also never got going as the power play, typically a spark plug for Washington, struggled to generate momentum with the puck.
Here are three takeaways from the Capitals’ loss to the Penguins.
Kuemper unravels in second
The first period went by without a score as each team laid the groundwork for a physical contest. They pushed the tempo and the battle for the puck often extended into the opposite zones, creating plenty of scoring chances as the two goalies stood tall.
Kuemper, who entered the game with a 2.42 GAA in 10 starts, fell apart in the second period. The Penguins took the lead at the 8:43 mark on a shot by winger Jason Zucker that got caught under Kuemper’s pad. He lost the puck and ended up kicking it into the goal.
After Pittsburgh scored another goal short-handed to extend their lead, they struck again on their very next possession. Defenseman Jeff Petry fired a shot from the point that Kuemper never saw. He tried to stick his glove out, but the puck sailed over it for a 3-0 lead.
With the loss, Kuemper fell to 4-6-1 with a 2.48 GAA and .917 save percentage.
Power play goes dark
The power play has been the Capitals’ biggest strength over the last few weeks, accounting for 13 of their 40 goals (32.5%) this season heading into play Wednesday. The unit failed to make an impact Wednesday, going 0-for-2 in opportunities with the man advantage.
As part of the Penguins’ three-goal second period, Washington allowed winger Brock McGinn just the second shorthanded goal of his career on a shot that squeaked through Kuemper’s pads 12:53 into the second.
The Capitals’ power play unit has been playing without several key players such as defenseman John Carlson (lower body) and T.J. Oshie (lower body), but to this point their production had been replaced by the likes of Erik Gustafsson and Dylan Strome. No one made much of an impact on the man advantage Wednesday, however, with the team as a whole allowing more shots against (3) than shots for (1) on power-play chances.
Washington’s lone goal of the night came off the stick of winger Marcus Johansson in the latter half of the third period.
An empty netter with just over 90 seconds to play set up the final 4-1 score.
Physical contest leaves Penguins limping
The Penguins were down as many as three defensemen in the third period as the physical battle sent blue liners Jeff Petry, Jan Rutta and Pierre-Olivier Joseph to the locker room with injuries throughout the game.
Both Rutta and Joseph left the game in the second and didn’t come back out with the team for the final period. Then, Petry took a hit near the Penguins’ bench and limped off. He missed a couple of shifts with center Jeff Carter having to step in at the point for a few minutes.
Even with Pittsburgh missing multiple defensemen, the Capitals couldn’t take advantage. Their record dropped to 6-7-2, allowing Pittsburgh to pull within two points of them in the Metropolitan Division standings. With how muddled the division has been early on, head-to-head wins between these two teams could be crucial for a tiebreaker at season’s end.
Washington will play the Penguins two more times this season with their next matchup scheduled for Jan. 26 back in D.C. For now, the Capitals will turn their attention to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a home-and-home series beginning Friday at Capital One Arena.
