Despite coming into Tuesday night’s game with a two game winning streak, Dan Bylsma and the Penguins knew they needed to get more shots on goal if they wanted to increase their chances of winning.
The Penguins got out to a 1-0 lead through two periods with a 26-12 shot advantage then relied on Marc-Andre Fleury to close out the third in a 2-0 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Jussi Jokinen capped off a dominating first period with his 17th goal of the season 16:41 into the game. Matt Niskanen took a pass from Evgeni Malkin and fired a slapshot towards the net. Jokinen swooped in and redirected the puck past Jaroslav Halak who was starting for the second straight night.
Lee Stempniak nearly made it 2-0 in the second period when he batted a puck out of mid-air into the open cage. The puck hit the crossbar and bounced back out denying Stempniak of his first goal as a Penguin.
The Penguins outshot the Capitals 13-6 in each of the first two periods, but faced an onslaught in the third. Washington came out flying and tallied 20 shots on goal but couldn’t get anything past Marc-Andre Fleury. Late in the third, Stempniak forced a turnover at the defensive blue line and Sidney Crosby poked the puck ahead to lead a two on one. Crosby looked off the goalie then fired a wrist shot that beat Halak on the stick side.
The Capitals gained a power play late in the game, as they did the night before, but could not convert as time ran out.
- The Penguins are 7-0-1 in their last 8 games vs Washington.
- Marc-Andre Fleury has allowed just 11 goals in his last seven games against the Capitals.
Three Stars
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Sidney Crosby
- Jussi Jokinen
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
