After getting embarrassed by the Senators last night, the Penguins put forth a much better effort against the Capitals. Unfortunately, the effort amounted to nothing more than a sixth straight loss as the Penguins fell 1-0 to drop out of playoff contention.
Jason Chimera scored the lone goal of the game on a breakaway when he took a pass from Joel Ward and beat Marc-Andre Fleury stick side. The play started with Evgeni Malkin losing the puck in the offensive zone. Paul Martin had cheated down the boards, expecting a pass from Malkin, and left defensive partner Zybnek Michalek to fend off a 2 on 1. Michalek did not realize Martin was trapped, and went after Joel Ward along the boards. Ward fed Chimera who cut up the center of the ice alone and scored his 14th goal of the season.
The Penguins tried to counter in the second period, controlling most of the play and out shooting Washington 11-6, however, very few of the shots led to effective scoring chances. Eric Tangradi was able to power his way to the front of the net but free agent acquisition, Tomas Vokoun, stuffed him.
The third period featured a barrage of chances from both sides. The Capitals, led by captain Alex Ovechkin, came out firing at Fleury. Alexander Semin missed two wide open chances to score and Fleury made a few excellent saves to keep the deficit at one. The Penguins, as they have in the midst of this losing streak, failed to score on the limited chances they were given. Dustin Jeffrey, returning to action after a setback to his ailing knee, had a small window to stuff in a rebound. Instead, the puck grazed off the post and went across the crease and,eventually, out of harm’s way. In the dying minutes of the game, the Penguins had a few chances to squeak out a goal. But, Vokoun shut the door and when the clock hit zero, the Penguins were replaced by the Capitals for eighth in the conference.
The lack of offense has been nothing new to Pittsburgh who has scored just six goals in their last six games while surrendering nineteen goals in the process. At the same time, it is hard to score when Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Jordan Staal are all missing from the lineup.
The Penguins did get a small bit of good news when Sidney Crosby decided to make the two game road trip with the team. Dan Bylsma announced that Crosby would be practicing on his own and would eventually hold a press conference to address the media. While there is still no timetable for Crosby’s return, the fact that he is skating again is encouraging that he could return this season.
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