Malkin, Penguins light up Capitals
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins spent the first three months of the regular season looking tired, lethargic, blah.
Then the calendar flipped to January and the urgency the Penguins lacked for long stretches as they slogged through their opening 40 games returned. So did the goals. Now they’re coming bunches and so are the wins. And suddenly a legitimate shot at a three-peat doesn’t seem quite so far-fetched after all.
Phil Kessel scored twice and picked up an assist, Evgeni Malkin had two goals and two assists, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions pulled away late for a 7-4 victory over the Washington Capitals on Friday night.
“Now we feel so much better, we enjoy playing,” Malkin said. “We know we can score so many goals.”
Bryan Rust, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist also scored as the Penguins won their fourth straight to draw within four points of first-place Washington in the crowded Metropolitan Division. Sidney Crosby had two assists to push his scoring streak to 11 games, the longest active streak in the NHL.
Matt Murray stopped 29 shots for Pittsburgh, which won its seventh consecutive home game by jumping on the Capitals before using a four-goal outburst in the third period to fend off a Washington comeback thanks in part the NHL’s top-ranked power play. The Penguins scored three times with the man advantage, including twice in the third on goals by Rust and Malkin.
“In all my years around this league, I haven’t been around a group as dynamic as this,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice to push his season total to an NHL-best 32 and Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetzov also scored for the Capitals, but Washington couldn’t keep pace.
Braden Holtby finished with 27 saves but gave up three goals in the opening eight minutes of the third period before being pulled in favour of Phillpp Grubauer as Pittsburgh broke open a tight game.
“We can play better,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. “We were a little loose with the puck at times, so it’ll be a good lesson for us.”
The Penguins improved to 10-3 since New Year’s Day, a stretch in which they’ve climbed from 10th in the Eastern Conference to within striking distance of Washington with still two months to go before the post-season.