Three Takeaways From Penguins Gutsy Win Over Capitals

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a rough week visiting Metropolitan Division rivals but ended their mini three-game road trip with a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

After an embarrassing performance on Thursday, the Penguins didn’t waste time jumping out to a 2-0 lead with their rookie netminder between the pipes. Even though they would eventually lose that lead, they held on in the third period, with some veterans lighting the lamp to get a much-needed two points.

Let’s discuss Pittsburgh’s latest triumph.

Blomqvist Fearless in the Crease

Alex Nedeljkovic started four consecutive games, the first Penguins goalie to get that many starts in a row this season. Even though he wasn’t to blame for Pittsburgh’s 5-1 loss on Thursday, he wouldn’t play both back-to-back games.

That’s because Blomqvist needed to get some playing time in. He last skated against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 29. Despite not seeing any action for over a week, Blomqvist bailed the Penguins out of their Friday night contest and stood on his head to earn his third victory.

As much as Capitals’ netminder Charlie Lindgren was acrobatic with his saves to give his team a chance, Blomqvist was up to the task at the other end, matching his veteran counterpart with highlight-reel stops. Even facing the game’s greatest scorer didn’t faze him, as he looked fearless in the crease.

Penguins Finally Win Important Contest

Pittsburgh’s season is only 16 games old, but out of their six wins, at no point did anyone say that was a significant victory. They’ve bounced back to win some contests after a losing streak and then clawed their way to an overtime win against Buffalo on a night when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin celebrated milestones.

Yet, nothing felt as important as Friday night’s tilt against the Capitals. As the home team was looking to extend their win streak, the Penguins pounced early and gutted out a pivotal 4-2 win, even keeping Alex Ovechkin off the game sheet.

The Penguins had a rough start to the week. They have some critical matchups coming up on home ice next week, so leaving Washington with some confidence must be nice. Even though they blew another 2-0 lead, Pittsburgh survived and weathered a comeback against one of the league’s early surprise clubs.

Stories of Redemption

On Thursday night, the Penguins struggled to keep Carolina off the scoreboard, and Erik Karlsson finished the evening minus-3 in a 5-1 loss. However, just 24 hours later, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon and on a mission to erase past mistakes.

He tallied the game’s first goal at 3:11. Then, he set up Michael Bunting for his second goal of the year with a beautiful feed that only required a tip-in.

Meanwhile, Kris Letang picked up his first point of the three-game road trip with an assist on Malkin’s game-winner, while the Russian forward netted his second goal in the past six games.

Additionally, Noel Acciari picked up his second goal of the year into the empty net to seal the victory in the final minute. It was a massive reward for the Penguins forward, who continuously does his job on both ends, whether blocking shots or making plays in the offensive zone.

Related: Sidney Crosby Career Goal Tracker: How Close Is The Penguins Captain To 600 Goals

Teams win and lose together, and everyone contributed to a much-needed victory on Friday night.

Penguins & Capitals Trivia Answers

How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.

1. 1993

2. Ryan Malone

3. Chris Kunitz

4. Tristan Jarry

5. Kevin Stevens

6. Brooks Orpik

7. Pat Riggin

8. Ron Schock

9. 1994, 2018

10. Jaromir Jagr

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