3 takeaways: The Crosby-Ovechkin show delivers another entertaining episode

Three takeaways from the Penguins’ 4-1 win over Washington Wednesday at Capital One Arena:

The Crosby vs. Ovechkin show

Neither Sidney Crosby nor Alexander Ovechkin is showing any signs of slowing down, although without question, both are currently approaching (if not already in) in the final chapter of incredible careers that will land them both in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It would be fair for either or both players to push back on the notion that their remaining playing days are dwindling, but ultimately, with Crosby now 35 years old and Ovechkin 37, the numbers simply do not lie.

Books, rather than articles, are needed to fully illustrate the legacies of Crosby and Ovechkin, two of the most prolific players of their generation and in NHL history.

A prominent chapter within those books, sure to be written some time in the future, would detail Crosby and Ovechkin’s face-to-face meetings since both debuted in the NHL back in October of 2005.

When the two legends play one another, entertainment ensues.

Wednesday’s game at Capital One Arena marked the 63rd time Crosby and Ovechkin have played each other in the regular season.

The two have also battled in four unforgettable playoff series in 2009, 2016, 2017 and 2018, with the winner of each going on to capture the Stanley Cup.

All told, Crosby and the Penguins hold a 49-38 advantage against Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Further adding to the allure of their on-ice meetings through the years was the equally improbable and remarkable fact that both players entered Wednesday night tied with 1,423 career points.

The Penguins came away with a 4-1 victory in Washington, snapping their seven-game losing streak.

Crosby, in 20:42 of ice time, tallied the primary assist on Jeff Petry’s second-period goal, good for career point No. 1,424, putting him one ahead of his longtime rival.

For his part, Ovechkin registered just one shot on goal Wednesday but brought some physicality to the ice with seven hits during his 21:04 on the ice.

The Penguins and Capitals are set to meet twice more during the regular season: Jan. 26 back in Washington and March 25 in Pittsburgh.

With the two generational talents approaching the tail end of their storied careers, fans, not just of the two teams but of hockey in general, would do well to pay attention to their remaining games against one another.

Surviving the 3rd period

Given their now-in-the-rearview-mirror skid, which, at seven games heading into Wednesday, was the worst the Penguins had suffered since early 2006, fans of the franchise would be forgiven if not feeling like the game was in the bag heading into the third period.

At that point, the Penguins held a 3-0 lead, with backup netminder Casey DeSmith looking solid through 40 minutes of play.

Under normal circumstances, perhaps Penguins fans, players and coaches alike could feel a sense of security.

With how the Penguins have played of late, forget about it.

The team’s skid was ripe with blown leads, particularly late in games, with opponents having outscored the Penguins 15-2 in the third period over the last seven games.

If that recent history wasn’t troubling enough, adversity struck the Penguins like a lightning bolt by the start of the third period, with the team forced to begin things with just four defensemen after P.O Joseph and Jan Rutta left the game with injuries in the second.

Coach Mike Sullivan, speaking with reporters in Washington after the win, announced both players were being evaluated for undisclosed injuries.

With Joseph and Rutta unavailable, Kris Letang and Marcus Pettersson along with Brian Dumoulin and Jeff Petry were tasked to help the Penguins close things out.

Complicating things even further, Petry went down about four minutes into the third period, skating off the ice after delivering a hip check to the Capitals’ Nicolas Aube-Kubel near the Penguins’ blue line.

Petry ultimately returned to action less than two minutes later, but in his absence, Sullivan inserted Jeff Carter alongside Dumoulin as an emergency defenseman for a short shift.

Suffice to say, the hockey gods were not kind to the Penguins on Wednesday, dealing them far from an enviable hand late in the game.

While Washington’s Marcus Johansson got his team on the board with 7:38 to play, thankfully for the Penguins, they held on, with Jake Guentzel’s empty-netter with 96 seconds left in regulation sealing the deal.

Letang was on the ice for 28:48, setting a season-high, as was Pettersson’s 23:48

For the first time since Oct. 22, the Penguins are winners of a hockey game.

DeSmith comes through

With the Penguins having three days off between their loss to Seattle last Saturday and Wednesday evening’s game in Washington, it seemed peculiar that Sullivan opted to start DeSmith against the Capitals.

But both instantly and steadily, as the game went on, DeSmith played in a manner that backed up Sullivan’s decision, finishing with 24 saves on 25 shots.

DeSmith shut out the Capitals until Johansson’s score with under eight minutes to play in the third period.

Out of the gate, the Capitals came out swinging, with Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov both finding holes in the Penguins’ defense to fire off close-range shots less than 30 seconds into the game.

Early in the second period, Crosby headed to the penalty box for interference. The Penguins managed to kill Washington’s man-advantage, but after Crosby hustled back to the ice, the Capitals maintained possession in the offensive zone.

From behind the net, Capitals winger Sonny Milano sent a slick backhanded pass to former Penguin Conor Sheary, who snuck down into the low slot, with DeSmith denying his shot.

DeSmith made another nice save on Kuznetsov, who came into possession of the puck after it was bounced into the Penguins’ zone by Nick Jensen, later in the second period.

Kuznetsov continued his troublemaking in the third period, getting a backdoor chance on a feed from Ovechkin with just over 14 minutes to play, but once again, DeSmith said no.

While Johansson’s third-period goal spoiled a shutout, DeSmith, who was 0-3 with a 3.25 GAA heading into the game, earned his first win of the season Wednesday.