Capitals win in OT; Penguins lose Crosby to injury
PITTSBURGH -- The Washington Capitals climbed back into their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series with Pittsburgh when Kevin Shattenkirk scored a power-play goal at 3:13 of overtime for a 3-2 win in Game 3 on Monday night, but the Penguins might have lost more than the game.
Pittsburgh, which got goals from Evgeni Malkin and Justin Schultz in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime, lost star center and team captain Sidney Crosby to an injury in the first period when he was cross-checked by Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen.
There was no immediate update on Crosby's status.
The Capitals trail the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday, also in Pittsburgh.
Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov staked Washington to a 2-0 lead.
Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who was pulled in Game 2, stopped 28 of 30 Pittsburgh shots.
Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves.
Crosby, who earlier in the evening was named a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, got hurt at 5:24 of the first when the game was scoreless. He was part of a two-on-one break and took a hit from Alex Ovechkin's stick to the top of the head in front of the Washington net.
An off-balance Crosby moved to his right, and Niskanen delivered his two-handed hit up high. Crosby's left leg bent awkwardly as he crumbled to the ice, but it was unclear whether the problem was with the leg, his head, both, or something else.
Crosby remained on the ice for several minutes before slowly skating off and going to the locker room. He has four goals and 11 points this postseason.
Crosby has a history of concussions, including one that caused him to miss the first six games of the 2016-17 regular season. Most notably, he missed half of 2010-11 and most of the following season because of head injuries.
Niskanen, a former Penguins player, got a five-minute cross-checking major penalty and was ejected with a game misconduct penalty.
Winger Conor Sheary, who was Crosby's linemate for much of the season, also left the game. He was hurt in a collision with teammate Patric Hornqvist at 2:24 of the second.
Washington took a 1-0 lead at 13:05 of the first period when Backstrom's shot hit Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole and flipped over Fleury from close range during a Capitals power play.
The Penguins thought they tied it at 1:05 of the second when the puck caromed in off of Chris Kunitz's skate as he was spinning and falling through the crease. The play survived an initial review, but Washington then successfully challenged that Kunitz interfered with Holtby.
Kuznetsov made it 2-0 at 9:46 of the third. Stationed beyond the right post, he stalled and then lifted the puck over Fleury.
With Fleury pulled for an extra attacker, Malkin scored with 1:53 left in regulation. Schultz's blast went in off Washington's T.J. Oshie with 1:05 remaining to tie it.
NOTES: Washington D Karl Alzner returned after missing six games because of an upper-body injury. The Capitals dressed seven defensemen, with C Paul Carey coming out of the lineup. ... Pittsburgh D Brian Dumoulin and LW Carl Hagelin did not participate in a mandatory morning skate but were in the lineup. ... Penguins RW Patric Hornqvist, D Ron Hainsey and RW Tom Kuhnhackl, who each left Game 2 with undisclosed injuries, played.