Sidney Crosby scored 1:11 into overtime, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-4 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
Crosby collected his third goal of the season when he pounced on a rebound off a Kris Letang shot and flipped it by Vitek Vanecek and into the open net to give the Penguins their second win over their rivals in three days.
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Sidney Crosby scored 1:11 into overtime, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-4 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
Tom Wilson scored twice for the Capitals. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller both picked up their first goals of the season but Washington let leads of 3-1 and 4-2 slip away. Vanecek, who sparkled in his NHL debut last week, made 25 saves but gave up a rebound that Crosby pounced on for the winner.
DeSmith, despite some shaky moments, gave Pittsburgh life by stuffing Carl Hagelin at the end of a three-on-none — not, that's not a typo — to keep the deficit at two. The save gave the Penguins the spark they needed.
The Penguins played the third period without defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola. Pettersson left late in the second after taking a blindside hit from Washington's T.J. Oshie at center ice. Officials assessed Oshie with a 5-minute major, then after a video review reduced the penalty to 2 minutes for interference.
Penguins: Host the New York Islanders for a two-game set beginning on Friday. All three meetings between the clubs last season went to overtime, with the Islanders taking two of three in the extra period.
Colton Sceviour, Evgeni Malkin, Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel also scored for Pittsburgh. Crosby finished with a goal and two assists as the Penguins rallied from a two-goal deficit. Casey DeSmith finished with 22 saves and added his first career assist when he set up Blueger for a rare shorthanded 3-on-5 goal in the second period.
Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) is defended by Washington Capitals' Zdeno Chara (33) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Tom Wilson scored twice for the Capitals. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller both picked up their first goals of the season but Washington let leads of 3-1 and 4-2 slip away. Vanecek, who sparkled in his NHL debut last week, made 25 saves but gave up a rebound that Crosby pounced on for the winner.
Pittsburgh stuck with DeSmith for a second straight game after his steady play on Sunday helped the Penguins pick up their first victory of the season. Pittsburgh also welcomed Kasperi Kapanen to the lineup after he missed the opening week of the season after visa issues in his native Finland delayed his arrival in the United States.
Washington jumped on the lethargic Penguins, opening a quick lead thanks to a pair of goals from Wilson, including a pretty redirect off a centering pass from the corner by John Carlson in the waning seconds of the first.
Pittsburgh Penguins' Colton Sceviour (7) celebrates his goal with Teddy Blueger (53) as Washington Capitals goaltender Craig Anderson lies in the goal crease during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
DeSmith, despite some shaky moments, gave Pittsburgh life by stuffing Carl Hagelin at the end of a three-on-none — not, that's not a typo — to keep the deficit at two. The save gave the Penguins the spark they needed.
Pittsburgh rallied to pull even at 4-4 by the end of the second thanks to power-play goals by Guentzel and Malkin and a breakaway score by Blueger set up by a remarkable clearing pass from DeSmith, Pittsburgh's first 3-on-5 goal since Matt Cooke against Philadelphia on Feb. 18, 2012.
INJURIES
Washington Capitals' Carl Hagelin (62) can't get his stick on a rebound off Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) with Penguins' Kris Letang (58) defending during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
The Penguins played the third period without defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola. Pettersson left late in the second after taking a blindside hit from Washington's T.J. Oshie at center ice. Officials assessed Oshie with a 5-minute major, then after a video review reduced the penalty to 2 minutes for interference.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Begin a six-game homestand on Friday night against Buffalo. Washington swept a pair of games from the Sabres to start the season.
Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson (43) celebrates his first of two goals during the first period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Penguins: Host the New York Islanders for a two-game set beginning on Friday. All three meetings between the clubs last season went to overtime, with the Islanders taking two of three in the extra period.
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Pittsburgh Penguins' Colton Sceviour (7) puts the puck behind Washington Capitals goaltender Craig Anderson for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)