Penguins Smothered By Dominant Capitals, Rivalry Changing

WASHINGTON D.C. — One night after getting a goalie goal, the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-21-8) struggled to get a skater to score. The revamped and increasingly dominant Washington Capitals (31-10-5) smothered the Penguins’ every offensive hope and got just enough offense to pin down the Penguins for a 4-1 at Capital One Arena Saturday.

The Penguins are now 1-1-0 at the start of their seven-game road trip, which is their longest since 1997.

The Penguins made a game of it in the third period. Sidney Crosby took a Capitals turnover at the offensive blue line and sprang Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell on a two-on-one. It was easily the Penguins’ best chance of the game. Rust (19) toe-dragged around defenseman John Carlson and snapped a wrister past Capitals goalie Logan Thompson.

The goal pulled the Penguins to within 2-1.

However, defenseman Kris Letang’s tripping minor penalty with about four minutes remaining was the end of their hopes. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored at the end of Letang’s power play at 17:50 of the third period to end the competitive portion of the game.

Brandon Duhaime (6) scored the empty netter.

It was a slog from the beginning for the Penguins against the new-look Capitals, with a bevy of new players from years past and certainly a new-found love of defensive structure.

The Penguins reached the five-shots allowed plateau without allowing a goal for the second time in two games. While that might seem to be an innocuous accomplishment, it’s been a constant hindrance this season, especially with the now-waived Tristan Jarry in goal. However, with Blomqvist in net, the Penguins didn’t allow a goal until the eighth of the game.

Baby steps.

Blomqvist’s numbers undersold his stellar performance. He stopped 29 of 32.

For most of the game, Washington contained the Penguins like the large steel gates and fencing set up all around the nation’s capital to guide cars and pedestrians ahead of Monday’s Inauguration. They took their oath to defend seriously.

Defenseman Jakob Chychrun’s (13) slapshot from the blue line made a sharp left turn when it hit Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier’s stick and eluded Joel Blomqvist at 7:42 of the first.

Capitals goalie Logan Thompson earned shutouts in his last two starts and had allowed just one goal over his last three starts, including a 1-0 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

The Penguins were outshot 8-1 when Washington scored, and their shot wasn’t particularly good, as Blake Lizotte hit the net from more than 40 feet away.

The Capitals ensured the game would stay on slow ice by packing the zone and suppressing the offense, which has otherwise dominated the rivalry between these teams for most of the last 35 years.

The Penguins were trapped on the perimeter and the game settled into trying hard, without many results for either side until a Penguins mistake in the second period. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson committed a turnover behind the Penguins net, and one quick pass by Pierre-Luc Dubois to Alexei Protas (19) in the slot became a 2-0 Capitals lead at 12:08.

Neither Sidney Crosby nor Alex Ovechkin were significant factors. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Crosby had four shots in the first 40 minutes and just two attempts at even strength. However, the Penguins were mired in Capitals coach Spencer Carbery’s defensive structure at even strength.

Thompson’s shutout streak reached more than 198 minutes before Rust’s goal.

Penguins Notes

The game was Tom Wilson’s 800th career game. He is the third member of the 2012 NHL draft class to reach the milestone, behind Morgan Reilly and Cody Ceci.

The Penguins were 7-1-1 in their last nine games at Capital One Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan sidestepped specifics but did offer a little bit of insight into his team, “They’re really competitive games. They’re usually emotionally charged,” Sullivan said in the pregame availability. “These two organizations have been at the top of the league for a long time. There’s a long history of competition against them, and I think both teams bring out the best in one another.”

Ovechkin trails Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record by just 21. However, the Penguins’ penalty kill used a dedicated shadow to keep the puck away from the all-time great sniper.

Letang missed the Penguins game Friday due to illness. He was back in the lineup Saturday, but his housemate P.O Joseph was out due to illness.