Matchup details and resources
Teams
Capitals @ Penguins
When
April 11, 2026 — a Saturday
Opening faceoff
3 p.m. Eastern
Rink
PPG Paints Arena
Where to watch
ABC
Additional resources
League Gamecenter page, Natural Stat Trick page, Moneypuck odds, HockeyViz charts
Official reports
Summary sheet, Event log, Play sequence, Home ice time, Visitor ice time, Shift breakdown, Lineup sheet
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Setting the stage
This Saturday afternoon, Washington meets a heavily depleted Pittsburgh side.
Having clinched the Metro’s No. 2 seed on Thursday, the Penguins’ Dan Muse all but conceded this one, scratching every star he has against Washington — Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby among them.
With its playoff berth already secured, Pittsburgh will hold Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby out of Saturday’s tilt against Washington
For Washington, that ranks as a major break; the club probably has to run the table just to cling to postseason hope. For now, their only plausible path is grabbing third in the Metro — and if they manage it, the prize would be a meeting with this same Pittsburgh club.
To match Muse, Washington’s Spencer Carbery rolls out the identical group that shut out Toronto 4-0 days ago. A second NHL appearance goes to Ilya Protas; meanwhile, an upper-body ailment keeps Charlie Lindgren on the shelf.
With three on the docket, the Flyers hold a 92-to-89 edge over Washington, and four Metro sides remain in contention, Columbus and the Islanders from New York among them. According to @DataDrivenHockey, an afternoon victory might push the Caps’ playoff probability toward 30 percent, whereas a defeat could prove fatal to the bid.
📸: DataDrivenHockey on Instagram
Although Pittsburgh’s lineup decisions help Washington’s playoff push, it is a tough blow for ABC, the national broadcaster airing the contest, and for supporters eager to see Crosby and Alex Ovechkin meet for a 100th career matchup — possibly their final one in the city. Whether he retires once the season ends is still undecided for Ovechkin, who has indicated he will not settle the question until the offseason. Both clubs regroup in D.C. on Sunday for the rematch.
Things get underway at 3 p.m., carried by ABC.
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Projected rosters
Capitals lineup
Strome, Beauvillier, A. Protas; Ovechkin, I. Protas, McMichael; Wilson, Dubois, Duhaime; Leonard, Miroshnichenko, Sourdif.
Defense: Sandin, Fehervary; TVR, Chychrun; Roy, Hutson.
Goaltenders: Gibson, Thompson.
Penguins lineup
Rakell, Chinakhov, Mantha; Koivunen, Novak, McGroarty; Brazeau, K. Hayes, Soderblom; A. Hayes, Acciari, Koppanen.
Defense: Clifton, Shea; St. Ivany, Girard; Solovyov, Graves.
Goaltenders: Skinner, Silovs.
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Netminder comparison
Category
Thompson (Washington)
Silovs (Pittsburgh)
Save percentage
.912
.891
Goals saved above expected
+28.1
-8.7
Win-loss mark
29-21-6 for the Washington starter
versus 19-10-8 for Pittsburgh
Intangible edge
🍕
💅
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Pregame tunnel antics
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Opening frame
Drop of the puck. Washington opens with Beauvillier-Strome-Ovechkin up front and Fehervary-Sandin as the first pairing.
Leah Hextal relays that Dan Muse insists his scratched Penguins are dealing with genuine ailments. Right.
Pardon the sparse notes, but this opening stanza turned into a sleepy affair with hardly anything of note.
Break time: The two sides sit even at 0-0. On shots, the Caps lead 9-1.
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Middle frame
Faceoff to start.
Ilya sets up Aliaksei. SCOAR!
🚨
Washington in front, 1-0
Goal credited to A. Protas, his 25th, set up by I. Protas (2) and Wilson (31), logged at 1:39
A mere 26 ticks afterward, Anthony Mantha knots it when his try deflects in off the pants of Chychrun. Yep, that is the Caps squad I know all too well.
🚨
Knotted at 1-1
Goal credited to Mantha, his 32nd, set up by Novak (26) and Shea (27), logged at 2:05
Was that one really necessary, Chris? lol
Anthony Mantha has scored 73 percent of his career Capitals goals in one season with the Penguins. — Chris Cerullo (@CJC\_95) April 11, 2026
By the period’s five-minute point, the Caps account for 13 among the contest’s first 16 attempts.
PLD springs Leonard, who finishes as the rookie. On the original stop, Silovs drags his glove back across the stripe. Confirmation came only after a review during the TV stoppage.
🚨
Washington ahead, 2-1
Goal credited to Leonard, his 19th, set up by McMichael (31) and Dubois (13), logged at 6:02
After that goal, Dubois heads off. Concerning.
On the bad news side for the Capitals, Dubois crashed into the boards after setting up Leonard and went to the locker room. — Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) April 11, 2026
A ferocious charge cage-ward from Ilya produces the 30th goal of the season for Tom Wilson. Why did his call-up take this long?
🚨
Washington up, 3-1
Goal credited to Wilson, his 30th, set up by A. Protas (27) and I. Protas (3), logged at 8:08
🚨
Washington leads, 3-2
Goal credited to Acciari, his 13th, set up by Girard (16) and Soderblom (6), logged at 11:47
Barely eleven ticks later, Leonard restores Washington’s two-goal margin.
🚨
Washington on top, 4-2
Goal credited to Leonard, his 20th, set up by Sourdif (20) and Hutson (6), logged at 11:58
Relentless work from Miro draws a holding call against Kevin Hayes.
🔋
Man advantage
Penalty on K. Hayes for holding, 14:43 on the clock
Ugh… following a fairly tidy Caps power play, Hayes exits the box and buries a semi-breakaway, ripping a thunderous drive off the left circle that beats Thompson.
🚨
Washington clinging, 4-3
Goal credited to K. Hayes, his 4th, with Shea (28) assisting, logged at 16:50
Washington has officially been knocked out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot
Break time: Washington holds a 4-3 edge. The shot count reads 25-9 Washington. And yep, off just nine attempts, three have gotten past Logan Thompson.
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Final frame
Faceoff to start.
A huge glove robbery courtesy of LT.
Clearly hurting, Rasmus Sandin departs after Brazzeau catches him with a hip check off a draw at the 5:02 mark. He heavily favored his left leg, and the Caps are livid.
Moments afterward, a make-good marker lands.
🔋
Man advantage
Penalty on Brazeau for hooking, 5:16 on the clock
🚨
Washington rolling, 5-3
Goal on the man advantage credited to I. Protas, his 1st, with Hutson (7) assisting, logged at 5:56
Springing free with no one to beat but the goalie, Mantha is dragged down and earns a penalty shot.
On that attempt, Mantha is turned away by Logan Thompson.
Silovs heads to the bench for a sixth skater, 4:32 left on the clock.
Career goal No. 929 for Ovi!
🚨
Washington, 6-3 final
Into the vacated net, goal credited to Ovechkin, his 32nd, with Wilson (31) assisting, logged at 16:22
Final: Caps 6, Penguins 3. Read the full recap from the site:
Behind a standout showing from Ilya Protas, the Caps top Pittsburgh 6-3 and keep breathing
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