PITTSBURGH \u2014 The Pittsburgh Penguins blew another three-goal lead, and, make no mistake, that\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n
At least they recovered this time.<\/p>\n
Three nights after imploding against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins again went ahead of an Eastern Conference power, only to let the lead evaporate with disturbing ease. But the Penguins had the last laugh this time, as Bryan Rust scored the game winner in the third period to propel them to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.<\/p>\n
Sidney Crosby scored twice in the first period to give the Penguins an immediate lead, and Anthony Mantha made it 3-0 early in the second.<\/p>\n
MAN OH MAN-THAAA \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/5AjT6H0Iwx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Then, the Penguins turned sloppy. Just like in Toronto, 72 hours earlier.<\/p>\n The Capitals made them pay with three goals in 10 minutes. Tom Wilson evened it with less than four seconds remaining in the third period.<\/p>\n that’s the stuff https:\/\/t.co\/iOm2o15htN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZjKJZ0T1Gw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n It was up to the Penguins to regroup during the second intermission.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were just in this situation three days ago,\u201d Dan Muse said. \u201cIt would have been really easy for this group to cave. I thought we came out in the third period and we did the things we needed to do to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Special teams played a massive role. The sizzling Penguins power play went 3-for-5 as Pittsburgh blanked Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals on all three of their power-play opportunities.<\/p>\n The Penguins were able to settle down during the second intermission and again took control in the third period.<\/p>\n \u201cWe learned a lot (in Toronto),\u201d Ben Kindel explained. \u201cObviously, the second period didn\u2019t go our way. The character we showed to bounce back \u2014 to get the 2 points was massive \u2014 it says a lot about our group.\u201d<\/p>\n This marks the last time the Penguins and Capitals will meet until the second weekend in April, when they\u2019ll meet twice in 24 hours.<\/p>\n The Penguins are 1 point behind the Colorado Avalanche for the most points in the NHL.<\/p>\n Ten postgame observations<\/p>\n \u2022 The Penguins aren\u2019t exactly putting 60 minutes together at the moment, but give them credit for how they composed themselves in the third period. This would have been a worse loss than it was a good win, if that makes sense. Collapsing two games in a row in that manner would have been quite the psychological blow.<\/p>\n But they gathered themselves and earned the victory in the third period.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s give particular credit to the Penguins\u2019 penalty-killing unit. Washington had two power plays early in the third period when the score was tied. Arturs Silovs closed the door on the Capitals, but the job his penalty killers did was even more impressive. Connor Dewar enjoyed a spectacular third period, nearly scoring short-handed on two occasions and simply playing out of his mind on the penalty kill. What a nice job he\u2019s done for the Penguins this season.<\/p>\n Ovechkin had only one legitimately good look on the power play all evening, and Silovs was there to make the save. The Penguins did a nice job on Ovechkin and on the Capitals\u2019 power play in general.<\/p>\n The Penguins have a bad habit of turning into the Harlem Globetrotters when they\u2019re playing well. We saw that in each of the past two games. That\u2019s not the only issue with their failure to protect leads, but it\u2019s part of the problem. Drop passes in the neutral zone tend to multiply with this team when it\u2019s feeling good about itself. It\u2019s long been a bad habit, and Muse needs to do whatever he can to eliminate it.<\/p>\n \u2022 As good as the Penguins were in the first period, they were even worse in the second. They were flailing at the Capitals for most of that period.<\/p>\n The Penguins are probably never going to be good in their defensive zone. It simply isn\u2019t how they\u2019re built. As a result, they need to make smart decisions with the puck. Otherwise, they\u2019re simply enabling the worst part of their game to be on greater display.<\/p>\n We saw that in the second period. It was ugly.<\/p>\n \u2022 Erik Karlsson was the best player on the ice. I can\u2019t say enough about how good he is right now.<\/p>\n Every facet of his game seems to be clicking, and he\u2019s playing at such a high level that even his defensive work is good right now. Really. He made a couple of wonderful pokechecks to thwart Washington rushes, and his play in his own territory was quite clean.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, he\u2019s creating offense at an alarming rate, and his play on the power play \u2014 which has never been considered a strength of his \u2014 was stellar. When Karlsson is in full flight, he\u2019s something to see.<\/p>\n And right now, he\u2019s in full flight. This is the player the Penguins thought they were getting a couple of years ago. He\u2019s displaying some seriously high-level hockey. His ability to suck players toward him and then properly distribute the puck is a marvel at the moment.<\/p>\n \u2022 Kindel continues to dazzle. He earned the first two assists of his NHL career, and the first one came on a gorgeous pass to Crosby for a one-timer on the power play.<\/p>\n Things you love to see: Sidney Crosby scoring against the Capitals \ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/LmfUiXdmSb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n I paid close attention to Kindel on the power play all evening and came away impressed. Very, very impressed.<\/p>\n His ability to anticipate the play is at a freakishly advanced level. If you recorded the game, go back and watch him on the power play. He is seemingly getting rid of the puck before he receives passes, because he always knows where he\u2019s delivering the puck, and he almost always does it with precision. When we talk about hockey IQ, this is the kind of thing we\u2019re talking about. He sees the play and determines where he\u2019s going to go with it at lightning-quick speed.<\/p>\n When you hear about quarterbacks who can process information quickly and distribute the ball to the right place before a defense can react, think about Kindel and watch him on the Penguins\u2019 next power play. He has that gene. You\u2019re born with it or you\u2019re not. There\u2019s no coaching it. He was outstanding once again, and he\u2019s a weapon on the power play.<\/p>\n \u2022 Crosby finished with two goals, and Ovechkin had two assists.<\/p>\n The Penguins\u2019 captain now has 11 goals in 15 games, and that 11-goal mark is tied for the NHL lead.<\/p>\n The Penguins are now 43-27-4 against the Capitals when Crosby and Ovechkin are in the lineup. Crosby has 35 goals and 97 points in those 74 games. Ovechkin has produced 38 goals and 70 points in those games.<\/p>\n Crosby could have had four or five goals Thursday. Karlsson\u2019s pass just missed Crosby, who had a wide-open cage in the second period. He also was stopped on a semi-breakaway in the first period. Crosby was flying all night and looked good on the same line as Kindel.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Pittsburgh crowd gave Ovechkin a standing ovation in recognition of his 900th career goal, which he scored the night before against the St. Louis Blues.<\/p>\n Standing ovation for Ovi in Pittsburgh: pic.twitter.com\/g88e0eCKxC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n It was a nice moment and a job well done by the crowd.<\/p>\n Boy, have things mellowed between the two hockey giants over the years.<\/p>\n time sure does fly https:\/\/t.co\/cLQtAyGMqi<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0eTQOdgMal<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 You can always count on Rust to show up in big moments. It\u2019s just who he is, and he did it again in the third period.<\/p>\n Also, Evgeni Malkin fired a beauty of a pass to find him.<\/p>\n TRUSTY RUSTY \ud83d\ude4c<\/p>\n \u2026 AND WE GET 1\/2 OFF RUSTY’S SHAKE AT THE @MShakeFactory<\/a> TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com\/9QQla3OiAJ<\/a><\/p>\n