Photo: NHL via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. T.J. Oshie scored the game-winner with 1:14 left in the game. The win raised the Capitals record to 7-4-3. The Capitals return to action Friday night when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop is 7:00 pm. 

The Penguins would start the scoring with a power play goal from Sidney Crosby to make it 1-0 at the first intermission. Alex Ovechkin would tie the game with his own power play goal midway through the middle frame for a 1-1 tie at the second intermission. T.J. OShie scored the game-winner with 1:14 left in the game.

STARTERS
Braden Holtby (4-3-2, 3.62 GAA, .888 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Capitals. Casey DeSmith (2-0-2, 2.25 GAA, .932 sv%) started in goal for the Penguins. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Jaskin
Stephenson-Backstrom-Oshie
Burakovsky-Eller-Connolly
Vrana-Boyd-DSP

Orlov-Niskanen
Kempny-Carlson
Djoos-Bowey

Brooks Orpik missed his fourth-straight game due to a lower body injury. Nic Dowd was a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

FIRST PERIOD
After a scoreless first half of the opening frame, the Penguins would notch the game’s first score with a power play goal from Sidney Crosby at 12:16 of the first period.

That would be all of the scoring in the opening frame. The Penguins out attempted the Caps in shots two to one (19-9) and led 9-7 in shots on goal. The Pens were 1 for 1 and the Caps 0 for 2 on the power play in the first 20 minutes. The Pens won the battle at the dot 63-37%.

T.J. Oshie left the game early in the first period after he was hit with a high stick under the protective shield. He would not return in the first period, but did return to start the second period.

SECOND PERIOD
The Capitals would tie the game with a power play goal from Alex Ovechkin at 7:09 of the middle frame. The goal was unassisted.

And that would be all of the scoring in the second period. Pittsburgh outshot Washington 17-10 in the middle frame, and led 26-17 after 40 minutes. The Capitals were 1 for 5 and the Penguins 1 for 2 on the power play after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD
The Penguins Evgeny Malkin would be ejected from the game after he applied a hit to T.J. Oshie. Oshie would leave the game and go through concussion protocol, before returning later in the period.

The Capitals and Penguins battled for most of the third period without a score, until T.J. Oshie potted the game winner late in the final frame for the 2-1 win.

SHAVINGS

• Penguins outshot the Capitals 42-22.
• Braden Holtby stopped 41 of 42 shots for a .976 save percentage.
• Alex Ovechkin ties the game at 1-1 with a power play goal. That’s his 235th career power play goal, passing Marcel Dionne (234) for sole possession of 8th place on the NHL’s all-time power play goal list.
• Capitals were 1 for 6 and the Pens 1 for 3 on the power play.
• The NHL box score is here.

SCENES FROM THE DISTRICT

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