Capitals Gain, Penguins Slide Continues

After climbing to the top of the Metropolitan Division in 2019-20, the Penguins unraveled, losing six-straight games and going 3-8 in their final 11. Even a prolonged Covid break couldn’t shake us from our funk. Months later we fell like a spent leaf to Montreal in the qualifying round of the playoffs.

The past, as they say, is prologue. In the wake of a disheartening 6-3 loss yesterday afternoon to blood rival Washington, we appear to be vice locked in a death spiral of similar proportions.

We’ve lost four in a row by a combined score of 18-9. We’re 2-6-1 in our past nine, not to mention oh-for-April. Our last victory, the exhilarating triumph over the Wild 10 days ago, seems but a distant memory.

Sucked into a whirlpool of difficult opponents, fatigue and our own bumbling, we’re showing few signs of escaping.

The Pens once more contributed to their own demise with a sloppy, error-prone and at times listless effort. But not before unleashing all of their pent-up frustration on the opening shift in one manic rush. The Pens poured into the Capitals’ zone four-men strong. Bryan Rust struck from the doorstep following an energetic cycle to get us off and running.

Predictably, our lead didn’t last long. Sixteen seconds to be exact. That’s how long it took for Marcus Johansson to relieve Brian Dumoulin of the puck some three feet from our net and chip it past Tristan Jarry. Yet another momentum-crushing goal.

Six minutes later Caps defender Dmitry Orlov drove to the top of the left circle on the rush and beat Jarry clean.

Two-one, bad guys.

The Pens regained the lead late in the period, thanks to a couple of all-too-brief moments in the sun. Evan Rodrigues made a power move out of the corner and tried a jam shot at the side of the net, only to be denied. However, Jeff Carter swooped in and somehow beat Ilya Samsonov with a seeing-eye backhander 86 seconds before the horn. (Still don’t know how that puck went in.)

Exactly one minute later Teddy Blueger dug the puck out of the corner and fed Kris Letang at the right point. Tanger alertly hit Brian Boyle with a return pass down low. The big fella walked out of the corner and roofed a sharp-angle shot over a crouching Samsonov for the go-ahead goal.

Entering the second period clutching a 3-2 lead, we promptly self-destructed. Eschewing our normally disciplined ways, we took three penalties in a span of 1:41, including a pair within three seconds of each other. Handing a team that boasts Alex Ovechkin as the triggerman an extended 5-on-3 power play is equivalent of committing on-ice hari-kari. Ovi promptly ripped a shot past Jarry from the left circle.

With the score knotted at 3-apiece, the contest was very much up for grabs going into the third period. But the Caps seized control, piling up a ridiculous 19-7 edge in shots on goal over the final 20 minutes. At 11:35, Tom Wilson chipped the puck past a pinching Chad Ruhwedel, raced into the Pens’ end on a 2-on-1 and smoked Jarry from the left faceoff dot.

The black and gold had one last stab with 2:39 left when Martin Fehervary was whistled for high-sticking. However, our best chance went for naught when a Evgeni Malkin missile rang harmlessly off the post. Twenty-six ticks later countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov split our net with a long-range empty netter.

For all intents and purposes, that was all she wrote. Fehervary struck for a second empty-netter to run the score to 6-3.

Puckpourri

It was a bizarre game statistically as well as esthetically. Thanks mostly to a fast start, the Pens held the edge in shot attempts (74-66), scoring chances (44-30) and high-danger chances (18-15). However, the Caps enjoyed a whopping 45-32 advantage in shots on goal.

Sidney Crosby and Jason Zucker returned to the lineup. Although not for a lack of effort, their combined presence failed to provide the anticipated spark. Zucker fought (grappled with is more accurate) Trevor van Riemsdyk behind the play following Wilson’s goal.

From a possession standpoint, the reformed Malkin-Zucker-Rickard Rakell line sparkled (66.67 Corsi), as did the Carter-Rodrigues-Kasperi Kapanen combo (72.73). However, Sid’s line floundered (40 Corsi).

Although Dumoulin arguably wore the goat horns for his giveaway and sending the puck over the glass at a critical juncture, our top two lines finished a collective minus-14 (minus-7 each). Sid and Geno led the way at minus-3 apiece.

Jarry stopped 39 of 43 shots. Over his past seven appearances he’s posted a 3.55 goals against average and .894 save percentage.

A lone bright spot? Some rare production from our support players. Carter (his 17th) and Boyle (his 10th) lit the lamp, while E-Rod and Blueger picked up helpers. “The Boyler” has four goals and eight points over his past 15 games. None too shabby for a fourth liner. What a pickup he was and is.

There’s no rest for the weary…or the slumping. The Pens take on Nashville today at 4 o’clock. A hungry, physical Predators team that’s fighting for their playoff lives. Where are the Red Wings when you need ‘em?

The fading Pens (41-22-10, 92 points) have fallen eight points behind the front-running ‘Canes and Rangers in the Metro. We’re four points up on the Caps…who have two games in hand.