Led by Sidney Crosby’s two power-play goals, the Pittsburg Penguins upended Washington’s season opener, handing the Capitals their first season-opening shutout in franchise history by a score of 4-0.
“They grabbed momentum there to start the [second] period, and we just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Head Coach Spencer Carbery said after the game. “When you look at the whole body of work, probably as disappointed as you could have scripted.”
Entering the first intermission, the Capitals were able to produce some pressure on the Penguins, pushing much of the pace and helping a packed Capital One Arena generate some energy.
After one period of play, the game was scoreless, but the Capitals struggled to gain any form of momentum from that point forward, and throughout the evening, were outshot by Pittsburg 35-19. The Penguins were led by Crosby’s two goals, and Center Evgeni Malkin’s four points, with one goal and three assists. Goalie Tristan Jarry ended his night with a clean sheet, only facing 19 shots on net and saving all of them.
For the Capitals in net, Charlie Lindgren was a late addition to the starting lineup as he stepped in to fill the shoes of Darci Kuemper who took time away from the team as his wife delivered their first baby boy.
“I honestly thought he was really good,” Carbery added post-game. “We put him in a tough spot, he wasn’t slated to play today, but we just didn’t help him and that’s disappointing.”
The Power Play on both sides of the ice fell short for Washington, giving up two short-handed goals in the second period alone. The Capitals followed that by getting shut out on the offensive side, going 0-3 on their man advantages.
Washington had an opportunity toward the end of the first period to try to steal some momentum when Pittsburg’s Rickard Rakell tripped TJ Oshie at 16:39. The Capitals got their first crack at showcasing Spencer Carbery’s power play unit but generated only one shot on net in the man advantage.
The Capitals have a few days to regroup before hosting the Calgary Flames at Capital One Arena on Monday night.