WASHINGTON — With the Capitals’ net empty and their place atop the East Division standings wobbling, desperation crept in at Capital One Arena.
It was matched by a miscommunication. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang vacated the net front to skate behind the Tristan Jarry’s net, leaving Washington forward Tom Wilson all alone in front. He scored with just 14.3 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
What part Jake Guentzel played in that mishap can be debated, as he too was in the general vicinity. But his role in securing the win? That isn’t up for discussion.
In the Penguins’ 5-4 overtime victory, Guentzel scored the game-winner with 2:49 left in the extra period off a feed from John Marino. Kasperi Kapanen tallied a pair of goals — one a great individual effort and the other off a dynamic pass from Jared McCann. And Freddy Gaudreau netted a second-period goal in his first game since March 11.
In the process, the Penguins moved into a tie for first place in the East Division standings. Pittsburgh and Washington both have 69 points, though Washington has played one fewer game. More critically, the Penguins clinched a playoff berth for the 15th consecutive season thanks to its win and a New York Rangers loss. That’s the longest active streak in the NHL.
“We’re going to enjoy this one tonight,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “These guys have competed extremely hard all year long to earn their privilege to compete for the Stanley Cup in the playoffs. ... I’m certainly proud of the group for what they’ve accomplished to this point. By no means are any of us satisfied.”
Expectations in Pittsburgh are as high as any sports town in the country, especially given the recent success and the more recent first-round flameouts. It’s Stanley Cup or bust for a lot of the Penguins faithful. That test will come on another day.
For now, what can be appreciated is the consistency with which the Penguins have maintained a level of play during the Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin era.
“A lot of hard work this season,” Kapanen said. “It feels good that it’s starting to pay off.”
The Penguins accomplished their first major team goal in an entertaining, back-and-forth game. As has been the story of the season, the Penguins had to endure adversity in a number of forms — and responded to most of it.
Almost as soon as Gaudreau rejoined the lineup, Evan Rodrigues left it. In the first period, he crumpled to the ice in pain after Mike Matheson’s one-timer blasted him in the left foot area. The injury forced the Penguins to play about 50 minutes with just 11 forwards.
Then, there was more adversity of their own making during that Wilson goal.
“I thought our leadership group was terrific through some of the adversities of the game,” Sullivan said. “We didn’t let it get us down. We just kept playing the game. I think that’s an important aspect of our team identity that we have to continue to work at and get better at. I thought our leadership was great tonight.”
The lead and momentum seesawed back and forth during a back-and-forth game. All three of the Capitals’ early goals came from the same formula: A faceoff win, a shot from a defenseman and traffic in front. Two of those initial shots were off the stick of former Penguin blueliner Justin Schultz, who recorded a pair of primary assists.
However, the Penguins responded on each instance with goals from Kapanen, Gaudreau and Zach Aston-Reese to tie the score at 3 entering the third period.
Then, with less 10 minutes left in regulation, McCann zipped a beautiful pass that sliced diagonally through the neutral zone. It banked off the boards and connected with Kapanen in stride. He came in with a full head of steam to score the go-ahead goal.
As time wound down, Letang very nearly ended the game in regulation. He fired a shot on the empty net that clanged off the post just prior to Wilson’s equalizer.
Then in overtime, Tristan Jarry — who stopped 33 of 37 shots — made a great save to keep the game tied. The Penguins raced ahead on an odd-man rush. Defenseman John Marino eventually found Guentzel hovering on the door step. He one-touched the puck past Vitek Vanecek on the short side.
The Penguins have now won five of their seven games against the rival Capitals, with four of those wins coming after regulation. They poured over the boards in celebration, with a playoff berth ahead of them and another critically important meeting with the Capitals looming on Saturday.
“It’s a start,” Guentzel said. “It’s what we wanted to do at the beginning of the year. We know our division’s tough, so got that first step done here. We’ve got to keep grinding the last five games to see where we end up.”
