Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins

Ilya Protas scores first NHL goal, Capitals defeat Penguins, 6-3

The 100th career matchup between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin didn't materialized. The Penguins opted to sit Crosby and several other regulars after clinching a playoff berth for the first time since the 2021-22 season and home ice advantage throughout the first round.

Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel, Parker Wotherspoon, Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar also missed Saturday’s game against Washington, which kept its faint playoff hopes alive.

Ovechkin scored a late empty-net goal to pass Ron Francis for the fifth-most road points in NHL history.

Ryan Leonard scored twice for Washington and became the eighth rookie in team history with 20 goals in a season, Aliaksei Protas scored and Tom Wilson continued a six-game point streak with a goal and an assist, giving him back-to-back 30-goal and 60-point seasons.

Logan Thompson stopped nine shots for the Capitals, who have won six of their last eight games.

Anthony Mantha scored his team-best 32nd goal, while Noel Acciari and Kevin Hayes also scored for Pittsburgh.

Arturs Silovs made 25 saves for the Penguins, whose three-game win streak ended. Pittsburgh has wins in six of its last nine games overall.

Ilya Protas, playing in his second game, scored his first NHL goal on the power play to give the Capitals a 5-3 lead.

The Penguins showed a video tribute honoring Ovechkin and his longstanding rivalry with Crosby during a television timeout in the second period. Ovechkin received a standing ovation from the visiting crowd, as he stood up from the bench and waved while players tapped their sticks on the ice in appreciation.

The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, as Pittsburgh scored its three goals on seven shots.

Up next

The Penguins and Capitals meet again in Washington on Sunday afternoon.

Series tied 1-1