PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby scored twice and Bryan Rust delivered the go-ahead goal midway through the third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins edged Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Thursday night.
The 39-year-old Crosby’s two first-period power-play goals boosted his season total to an NHL-best 11. Rust’s fifth of the season helped the Penguins avoid a second straight collapse. Anthony Mantha picked up his seventh of the year for Pittsburgh. Connor Dewar added an empty-net goal in the final minutes.
Rookie Ben Kindel collected the first two assists of his young career for the Penguins. Arturs Silovs made 28 saves as Pittsburgh stopped a two-game skid.
Ovechkin fueled a second-period rally by collecting a pair of assists the night after becoming the first player to reach the 900-goal plateau.
Ryan Strome, Tom Wilson and Rasmus Sandin scored for the Capitals, but the 99th all-time meeting between longtime rivals Crosby and Ovechkin ended with the surprising Penguins maintaining their composure after blowing a three-goal lead.
Pittsburgh has been an early-season surprise under first-year coach Dan Muse, though the Penguins’ hot start hit a bump on Monday when two dominant periods in Toronto morphed into a third-period meltdown in which the Maple Leafs ripped off four straight goals to pull off a stunner.
Not this time. Pittsburgh’s second-ranked power play scored three times, including a pair by Crosby in the first.
Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (8) acknowledges fans during a tribute to his scoring 900 NHL goals during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Pittsburgh appeared to be in firm control when Mantha pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-0 just over 2 minutes into the second.
Washington responded by scoring three times, the last a nifty shot from his knees by Tom Wilson that tied the game 5 seconds before the horn sounded to end the period.
The Penguins steadied themselves, and Rust put them ahead to stay with a pretty redirect off a cross-ice feed from Evgeni Malkin.
Up next
Capitals: Travel to Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, second from right, celebrates his second goal of the first period with Evgeni Malkin (71), Bryan Rust (17) and Ben Kindel (81) during an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Penguins: Visit New Jersey on Saturday.