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Capitals vs. Penguins Recap: Caps Win Back-and-Forth Game, 3-2 (SO)

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For just the second time this year – and the second of just three times for the whole season – the Caps and Pens took the ice for one of their usual high-octane meetings at Cap One.

There was more good news/bad news on that front for the Caps, as Nick Backstrom shook off whatever had been ailing him last game to rejoin the lineup, but Tom Wilson, a gametime decision, ended up sitting out after blocking a shot last game. The Caps would also get T.J. Oshie back after #77 missed the Avs game to attend the birth of his new baby.

Here is what the lineup looked like heading into this one:

Here’s Thursday night’s Plus/Minus:

Plus: Game aside, this was a really nice moment between Ovechkin and Kris Letang during warmups as Letang had recently lost his father. A lot of years, a lot of battles, and a lot of respect between those two – and a really sweet gesture by the Caps’ captain.

Minus: 

A few more thoughts on tonight’s game:

Alex Ovechkin made sure to reward Sheary for his efforts, when, after being closely guarded by white jerseys for the first part of the power play, he suddenly found himself free – and open. And you just can’t leave Ovechkin free, open, and with the puck on the power play. 1-0 Caps.

A few minutes later, the two teams traded rushes, with Matt Irwin making a great diving stick check on Evgeni Malkin to prevent the scoring chance in front of his goalie:

Would’ve liked to see a bigger number on the scoreboard for the Caps after that first, but this is something:

Continuing the trend of goals early in the period, Marcus Johansson collected a nice drop pass from Backstrom entering the Penguins’ zone, and with Sonny Milano crashing the net, Johansson was able to fire a shot over DeSmith’s shoulder to give the Caps a 2-1 lead.

Next up, the Caps hit the road once again for two more games – Toronto and Columbus – before getting a lengthy break for the All-Star Game and Bye Week.

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