Capitals Beat Penguins As Alex Ovechkin Scores Twice

The Washington Capitals hosted the division rival Pittsburgh Penguins on January 11th with sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division at stake. The Capitals, Penguins and New York Rangers entered the evening with 57 points each, three points behind the front running Columbus Blue Jackets. The Rangers and Blue Jackets were not scheduled, so either the Capitals or Penguins would be just a point behind Columbus if they won the game in regulation.

A game between these two also feature, among others, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. It was Ovechkin who struck first, scoring a goal just 35 seconds into the game for a 1-0 Washington lead. It was the 1000th point of Ovechkin’s career. Ovechkin scored the game’s second goal on a power play in the second period. Pittsburgh got on the board with two goals in the third period, but Washington scored three times to win 5-2.

Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and three assists for Washington. Crosby had one assist in the game; Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist scored the Pittsburgh goals. The Penguins are 18-2-2 at home, but just 8-7-3 on the road this season. If that continues, it could be an issue come playoff time. Washington is 16-5-1 at home and 11-4-4 on the road.