Scott Taetsch/NHLI via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-1 Sunday night at Capital One Arena. The win moves the Capitals record to 9-2-4 (22 points) on the season.

SUMMARY

The Capitals got off to a quick start, scoring a shorthanded goal in the early going, and would add to the lead in the first on a goal by the red-hot Garnet Hathaway. Through one period, the two teams failed to convert on one power play opportunity each and the Capitals led in shots, 9-8, and 2-1 on the scoreboard. The second frame saw the Caps dominate the Pens through much of the period, and added an additional two goals from Daniel Sprong and Conor Sheary. The Capitals added two goals in the third frame, powering past the Penguins, and converted on their third power play opportunity of the evening with a goal from Tom Wilson. The Penguins would be unable to recover any momentum, failing to beat Vitek Vanecek again.

The Capitals finished with 32 shots on goal to Pittsburgh’s 25 and converted on one of three power play opportunities, while the Penguins failed to score on either of their two man-advantages.

STATS

• NHL box score
• Natural Stat Trick
• Money Puck

STARTERS

Vitek Vanecek (3-2-0-3, 2.51 GAA, .906 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Capitals. Tristan Jarry (5-2-0-3, 2.23 GAA, .929 sv%) got the start in goal for the visiting Penguins. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Tonight’s lineups for the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. pic.twitter.com/gbsEP6BDz8

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) November 15, 2021

Injured: Nic Dowd, Nicklas Backstrom (hip), T.J. Oshie (lower-body), Anthony Mantha (shoulder).

FIRST PERIOD

The Penguins received the game’s first power play less than three minutes into the contest, as Daniel Sprong was called for holding. The Capitals, however, would be the first to score, as a 2-on-1 by right wing Tom Wilson and defenseman Martin Fehervary ended with Fehervary scoring a shorthanded goal and his second goal of the season; Garnet Hathaway recorded the secondary assist on the play.

2 on 1 shorthanded beauty! pic.twitter.com/7rJ5Lnk6Qq

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 15, 2021

The Caps received their first man-advantage in the closing seconds of the Pittsburgh power play, but failed to convert. The two teams would trade chances and go back-and-forth for much of the period until a beautiful pass from Alex Ovechkin to Hathaway put the Capitals up 2-0 with just under six minutes left in the frame; Trevor van Riemsdyk picked up the secondary assist.

*chefs kiss* pic.twitter.com/F07GwvQb5H

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 15, 2021

After narrowly missing a third goal, the momentum went the other way as the Penguins cut the Caps’ lead in half on a goal by forward Jake Guentzel, who scored his fourth goal of the season on assists from Kris Letang and John Marino.

The two teams would head into the first intermission with the Caps up 2-1 on the scoreboard and with the advantage in shots 9-8.

SECOND PERIOD

The Capitals managed to kill of an early power play for the Pens, limiting the Black and Gold to one shot. The Caps received a power play of their own at the 5:26 mark as Jeff Carter was sent to the sin bin for slashing the Capitals’ (and former Penguin) Conor Sheary; the hosts would be unable to convert with the man-advantage.

The middle frame went without any scoring (though plenty of opportunities for both clubs) until a turnover by the Penguins led to a goal from Daniel Sprong, a former Pittsburgh draft pick, assisted by Lars Eller and Sheary.

🎯 pic.twitter.com/7CyZ6KvpsX

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 15, 2021

Just over two minutes later, Sheary would notch his third goal of the season on assists from Connor McMichael and Sprong, with Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry down in a scramble in front of the net; the goal is Sheary’s second in as many games.

Who wants another???! pic.twitter.com/3M5trkSKoD

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 15, 2021

The two teams ended the period with the Caps dominating on the scoreboard, and leading the Pens 23-17 in shots.

THIRD PERIOD

The Capitals began the final 20 minutes in much the same way as they ended the second, with Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring his sixth goal of the season on an assist from Alex Ovechkin to give the home team a 5-1 lead.

GIVE THE BIRDS THE BIRD pic.twitter.com/SVe1NZRCi9

— NBC Sports Washington (@NBCSWashington) November 15, 2021

With Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the box for cross-checking, Tom Wilson scored on the breakaway for his fourth of the 2021-22 season and the Capitals’ sixth goal of the game; Kuznetsov and John Carlson picked up assists.

MOARRRRR GOALS!!!! pic.twitter.com/SglmKcDnFE

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 15, 2021

The Penguins would be unable to find any offense the rest of the way, and the Capitals did not add to their lead despite continuing to put immense pressure on Tristan Jarry.

POST-GAME

The Capitals had 11 different players record at least a point in the game, and six different players scored to give the Caps a 6-1 victory. The Capitals are next in action on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks as they begin a West Coast road trip. The Penguins’ record falls to 5-5-4 on the season.

ICE CHIPS
– Garnet Hathaway’s first period goal marked his third goal in two games and his assist gives him three points in two games.
– Martin Fehervary’s shorthanded goal was the team’s third of the season, tying two other NHL clubs for the most in the league. Additionally, Fehervary becomes the second blueliner for the Caps to score a shorthanded goal since John Carlson did so in 2015.

The @Capitals scored their third shorthanded goal of the season, equaling the Blues and Avalanche for the most by any team in 2021-22.#NHLStats:https://t.co/AzHnHQwaje pic.twitter.com/MWKDwEtJ4O

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 15, 2021

• With two assists in the game, Ovechkin tied Pavel Datsyuk for the fourth-most assists (604) by a Russian-born player.
• Evgeny Kuznetsov extended his points streak to four games with two points
• The Caps extend their winning streak to four games.