Penguins Get Dismantled on Night of Guentzel Trade
The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered an ugly loss on a headline-filled night.
PITTSBURGH – Just before puck drop between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, it was slowly being revealed that Jake Guentzel had been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was one of the most anticipated moves of the trade deadline, but the final details were not expected to be announced until after the game.
Regardless of trades or roster personnel, the Penguins still have their eyes on the playoffs and had a test ahead of them in the Capitals.
First Period
The Penguins got an early opportunity, with the Capitals taking a penalty off the opening draw. Despite the early man advantage, the Penguins fell behind by allowing Tom Wilson to score a nifty short-handed goal. Right away, the Penguins had a mountain to climb.
The rest of the period was rather uneventful, with neither team adding to the goal count. The Penguins killed off a crucial four-minute double-minor penalty but never seemed very threatening on offense.
The first period came to an end with the Capitals up 1-0 in goals and 17-14 in shots.
Second Period
Jansen Harkins took a penalty with six seconds remaining in the first, opening a power play chance for the Capitals to kick off the second frame. The Capitals took full advantage and scored just seconds into the period.
30 ticks into the period, Alex Ovechkin found a loose puck and potted his 840th career goal. It’s not the usual way he scores on the power play, but his chase for the all-time goals record continues.
The Capitals followed the Ovechkin goal up with three more to take a 5-0 lead before the end of the second. Defenseman Nick Jensen scored his first of the season, forward Hendrix Lapierre notched his sixth, and Ivan Miroshnichenko picked up the first of his career.
Tristan Jarry was pulled after the fourth goal for Alex Nedeljkovic.
Third Period
After a disappointing second period, the Penguins had to skate through one more frame. Even if it looked like they already gave up, there were still 20 minutes to play.
The disaster continued for the Penguins as the Capitals added a sixth tally in the opening minutes of the third period.
The Penguins managed to put together a few shots on goal in the third period, but Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren maintained his shutout.
That shutout lasted up until the final horn with the Penguins losing 6-0.
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