WASHINGTON -- Go back and look at the tape. Slowly. The first shot clearly surprised, and it was the third one that appeared to be the most devastating.
But, man, did you see that second shot?
That was the one that really did all the damage. Good morning, good afternoon and good night, Washington. Just like that.
No, not the fight.
Bryan Rust's goal off a desperate goal-mouth scramble with 1:02 remaining in the second period proved to be the real knockout blow in the Penguins' inspired 2-1 win over the Capitals. Jake Guentzel tried to stuff a backhander but it was Rust's jab -- and not Sidney Crosby's baseball swing -- that sent the puck skyward and ultimately behind Braden Holtby for the game-winner:
It was an ugly goal in a game that was, at times, uglier than the cut above Jamie Oleksiak's left eye.
But you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in so, so many ways it was perhaps the Penguins' most impressive team victory of the season.
Oh, that first-period fight that saw Tom Wilson crumple Oleksiak like a fallen redwood?
All that did was galvanize the Penguins, Crosby in particular, who picked up points — one goal and one assist — on each of his team's goals.
"When you play these rivalry-type games, there's an elevated level of emotion associated with it," Mike Sullivan was saying afterward. "My experience of being around Sid is that he's at his best in those situations."
The one-sided scrap to start the game was just the undercard of a wildly entertaining final 59:05 in the nation's capital.
"We rallied around him," Marcus Pettersson was telling me of Oleksiak. "After you see him get injured like that, it just shows you how much he fights for this team and how much he does for this team. Big ups to him."
There was no update on Oleksiak's condition but the big defenseman was seen chatting up teammates outside the visitor's locker room at Capital One Arena late Wednesday night. According to Sullivan, those same teammates gave Oleksiak a rousing ovation when he entered the dressing room following this most impressive victory.
Consider the following: Not only was it against bitter rival Washington, the defending Stanley Cup champions and the team that ended their bid of a three-peat, but it snapped the Metro Division-leading Capitals' five-game winning streak -- in which they had averaged 4.8 goals per game -- and it snapped Alex Ovechkin's points streak at 14.
And they did it with just five defensemen. Kris Letang played 32:22 of it, the fourth-most of his career in a game that ended in regulation.
"I give our guys a lot of credit. Washington, obviously, is a good team," Sullivan said. "It was a hard-fought battle. I thought we found a way. It started with our goaltender and worked out from there. I thought it was a solid effort from everybody."
Indeed, Matt Murray -- in just his second game back from injury -- was equal parts spectacular and lucky, but he did stop 31 of 32 shots.
With 9:55 remaining in the game, he bailed out Evgeni Malkin after the slumping star was stripped of the puck at center ice by Ovechkin. On a 2-on-1 break, Murray stopped the NHL's leading goal scorer:
And if Murray needed further proof that the Hockey Gods -- who had been so cruel to him the past 13 months -- were finally on his side, this happened when Evgeny Kuznetsov's shot squirted under his right arm:
That's Pettersson going all out, using every bit of his long reach to stop the puck just as it was millimeters from crossing the goal line.
"Kind of squeezed through, I just saw the puck and tried to dive for it," Pettersson was telling me.
Needless to say, Murray was appreciative of the extra effort:
As Murray should be. He became the first goalie to keep the high-powered Capitals offense to under three goals since Nov. 14, a stretch of 14 games.
"They got a lot of chances, to be honest with you, they've got so much offensive firepower," Pettersson said. "He was awesome."
In the bigger picture, having Murray perform at the level he showed Wednesday is the far bigger victory for the Penguins, who can move back into a playoff spot Thursday night with a home win over the Minnesota Wild.
"A real character win," the goalie said. "It wasn't easy but we got it done. We didn't have our best but good teams find a way to win when they don't have their best. I was real proud of everybody."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Matt Murray
Penguins goaltender
Certainly made it interesting but he did stop 31 of 32 shots and is now 2-0 since his return from injury.
2. Sidney Crosby
Penguins center
One goal and one assist. Now has 67 points (22 goals, 45 assists) in 48 regular-season games against Ovechkin.
3. Kris Letang
Penguins defenseman
He routinely plays big minutes, but 32:22 is still 6:22 more than his season average.
THE INJURIES
• Dominik Simon, forward, missed his eighth game with a lower body injury. He skated with the Penguins during the morning skate and appears close to returning.
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, is expected to miss four months after fracturing his leg Oct. 13 in Montreal.
THE GOOD
There was a time -- OK, eight days ago -- when Rust couldn't buy a goal. Now, he's scoring almost at will.
Wednesday's game-winner was hardly highlight-reel worthy but they don't ask how, only how many when you're getting paid $3.5 million. It gives him goals in three straight games and in four of the last five. That, after scoring just one in the season's first 29 games.
"Things are working for me," Rust was saying.
Surely they are, but it's more than just mere puck luck. Sullivan said it's the result of hard work:
"I think it's his stick-to-it-iveness, he stayed with it," the coach said. "As we talked to him through the process, we talked about using your speed and simplifying the game. Rusty brings a lot to the table, above and beyond just numbers, goals and assists. He's a good player. He helps us in a lot of ways. His speed is so important to his overall game. He helps us in that capacity, whether he's the first guy on the forecheck and forcing turnovers, if he's catching a rush to potentially turn an odd-man rush into an even situation. He's good on the penalty kill. He's a good overall player. We're thrilled that it's starting to go in the net for him."
Obviously, Rust's goal was the ultimate difference but he also played 2:33 shorthanded and was an integral part of a penalty kill unit which kept Washington's vaunted fifth-ranked power play off the scoresheet, despite getting five chances with the man advantage.
With Brian Dumoulin off for holding, the Capitals started the third period on the power play and a clean sheet of ice with which to work. With 25 seconds remaining on the man-advantage, Ovechkin stepped into a one-timer from the point that Rust got in front of.
"I think it hit me in the shot-blocker (foot guards)," Rust said. "I got to thank (assistant equipment manager Jon Taglianetti) for that."
It was just the latest defensive gem from Rust, which included a diving save Monday vs. Anaheim and a block against the Bruins on Friday which actually shattered one of his foot guards.
THE BAD
We could file Guentzel under both the good and the bad. And that was just his second period.
He did have the assist on Rust's goal and he did draw a pair of penalties, but he also took an obvious hold on T.J. Oshie which gave Washington its third power play chance at 12:12 mark of the second.
But for our purposes, the negative outweighed the positive.
It was his turnover that led to the Capitals' only goal as Lars Eller converted on a 2-on-1 with Wilson at 6:38 of the second (that's Guentzel slamming his stick down in disgust):
It was eerily similar to the turnover that earned him a seat on the bench for most of the second period two nights earlier at PPG Paints Arena vs. the Ducks.
While trying to gain the offensive zone, Guentzel was bumped off the puck by Matt Niskanen, feeding the Capitals' transition. Worse, Guentzel collided into the linesman and couldn't get back into the play in time.
Though Guentzel is always looking to make plays, especially when he has a linemate like Crosby, sometimes the best play is to just get the puck deep and make the opponent work 200 feet.
THE PLAY
The Penguins have now scored power play goals in three straight games, something they had last accomplished Nov. 13, 15 and 17, vs. the Devils, Lightning and Senators.
While they welcomed back Patric Hornqvist with open arms after he'd missed the previous half-dozen games with an upper body injury, the power play generated just one shot -- a 56-footer -- on their first two chances Wednesday.
But even with Hornqvist back, Sullivan kept the same formation which had Phil Kessel on the right half wall and not his customary spot on the left on those first two power play chances.
Though Kessel is not a serious one-timer threat from the left circle, he is a highly underrated playmaker and is good at doling out the puck even when skating backward.
After squandering the first two power play opportunities, Sullivan reverted and had Kessel back on the left side. That move paid immediate dividends after Michal Kempny was called for tripping at 8:06 of the second.
Just 1:09 later, Crosby put the Penguins on the board when he redirected a Malkin slap pass that first hit Crosby's stick and then skate before hitting the back of the net:
Kessel didn't pick up an assist on the goal but this is the best version of the power play, a unit which clicked at a franchise-record 26.2 percent last season with Kessel leading the league in power-play points with 42. There's no need to overthink things.
THE CALL
With 7:51 left in the game and the Penguins clinging to a one-goal lead, Crosby, from the left faceoff dot, won the draw against Nicklas Backstrom. Crosby fed the puck back to Letang, who fired a wrist shot that was headed wide left. As Holtby drifted to his right to stop the puck, Rust -- looking to set up a screen -- backed into the Capitals goalie.
With both players down in a heap at the side of the net, the puck eventually caromed off the end boards and into the slot where Guentzel poked it into the vacant net. Referee Kevin Pollock immediately waved off the goal.
No review in Toronto was necessary. It was clearly incidental contact that resulted in a neutral zone draw.
THE OTHER SIDE
The Capitals, who came into the game with a record of 12-2 in their last 14 games, saw their five-game winning streak end at the hands of the Penguins on Wednesday.
"We knew it was going to be a healthy challenge and a competitive game, an intense game," Todd Reirden told reporters after the loss. "It didn't take long to show that. It was lots of guys paying the price, blocking shots, making tough plays and taking hits to make plays in different times of the game. It was a hard-fought game by both teams and we didn't end up on the right end tonight."
The Capitals led the Penguins in shots on goal, 32-31, and led in shot attempts, 76-57. Holtby, named the No. 3 star of the game with 28 saves, said the game had a "playoff mentality" to it.
“Obviously, you don’t want to end up on the losing side, but I think we did a lot of good things tonight and both teams played really well,” Holtby said. “It’s one you can really learn from.”
In addition to seeing his career-long, 14-game points streak snapped, Ovechkin had his seven-game goal streak come to an end. He led the Capitals with 14 shot attempts, five shots on goal, and six hits in 25:14 of ice time.
Kuznetsov's streak of eight games with at least one assist also came to an end, only one game short of tying the Capitals' franchise record.
The Capitals will be back in action Friday at 7 p.m. at home against Buffalo.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will have a quick turnaround as they host the Wild tonight at 7:08 p.m. With no morning skate, Sullivan will address the media at 5 p.m. The Wild will skate at 10:30 a.m.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Penguins team page for everything.
