Penguins 6, Capitals 2
PITTSBURGH -- Penguins rookie Tom Kuhnhackl had a goal and two assists, and Pittsburgh surged back with four consecutive goals to manhandle the NHL-leading Washington Capitals 6-2 Sunday night and move up the standings.
The Penguins, clinging to the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot less than two weeks ago, won their season-high-tying sixth in a row to climb past the New York Rangers and into the Metropolitan Division's second playoff slot via tiebreaker. They earned their 10th victory in 13 games ioverall.
Defenseman Trevor Daley and Kuhnhackl's linemate, Matt Cullen, each had a goal and an assist, and Sidney Crosby had two more assists. The Penguins held NHL goal-scoring leader Alex Ovechkin without a point for the fourth consecutive game this season and stopped a three-game home-ice losing streak to the Capitals.
The Penguins, relying on an across-the-board upgrade in team speed that occurred when they added players such as Daley, defenseman Justin Schultz and winger Carl Hagelin and called up multiple players from the minors, constantly beat the Capitals up ice to start odd-man breaks that led to goals.
Kuhnhackl, playing in only his 32nd career game, gave Pittsburgh the lead at 3-2 in the second period with his third goal, then made a stretch pass that led to Cullen's 12th of the season early in the third. Cullen's shot deflected off goalie Braden Holtby's back and into the net.
Crosby, now on his fourth career 12-game scoring streak, later hit Kunitz to create another break that led to Kunitz's 16th of the season and a 5-2 lead. That prompted Capitals coach Barry Trotz to pull Holtby, who gave up five goals on 26 shots.
Schultz, an offensive defenseman, scored his first with the Penguins to finish off the team's three-goal third period.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 saves to win for the second day in a row, overcoming his own giveaway that led to a Capitals goal.
Washington backup goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped four of the five shots he faced.
The Capitals, owners of the NHL's best record and already assured of making the playoffs, overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring twice in the second period -- starting with Jason Chimera's fluke goal.
Fleury, playing in back-to-back games, was trying to clear the puck in front of the crease as Chimera and Daley converged, only to have it deflect it off Chimera's helmet and directly into the net. Chimera's 18th goal was his first in 12 games.
Later, after a pair of scrums less than two minutes apart, the Capitals tied it seconds after they had four men in the penalty box simultaneously. Andre Burakovsky got loose on a short breakaway created by Jay Beagle's up-ice pass and beat Fleury cleanly for his 16th goal.
Kuhnhackl, who had only one previous multi-point game in 32 games this season, restored the Penguins' lead only 42 seconds later at 15:54 -- going to his left knee to beat Holtby from the right circle off Matt Cullen's pass.
The Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the first period against Holtby, who allowed only four goals in his four most recent starts against them.
Third-line right winger Bryan Rust grabbed Kuhnhackl's backhand pass, skated across the crease, then turned and beat Holtby inside the far post at 8:23 for his fourth of the season.
Just 1:26 later, Daley matched Crosby's excellent cross-ice pass with a just-as-good shot -- kicking the puck to his stick and deftly beating Holtby inside a narrow opening at the left post for his sixth goal.
However, just as Carolina's two-goal lead in Pittsburgh didn't hold during a 4-2 Penguins win Thursday, this one didn't, either.
NOTES: Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury started back-to-back games for just the eighth time in four seasons. He made 16 saves Saturday as the Penguins won 4-1 in Philadelphia. ... Capitals coach Barry Trotz is tinkering with line changes down the stretch, such as RW T.J. Oshie switching to the second line, because he wants skaters on different lines to be familiar with each other in case they need to play together during the playoffs. ... Capitals D John Carlson (lower body injury) missed a 12th consecutive game Sunday but could return Friday at New Jersey. ... The Capitals scratched D Taylor Chorney, C Michael Latta and RW Stanislav Galiev. ... Pittsburgh did not dress D Ben Lovejoy, D Derrick Pouliot, G Jeff Zatkoff and two injured players, C Evgeni Malkin and C Scott Wilson.