Chychrun scores twice as Capitals breeze past Penguins 8-3
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February 22, 2025 / 6:05 PM EST / AP
Jakob Chychrun scored twice during a second-period surge and the Washington Capitals raced past the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-3 on Saturday.
Alexander Ovechkin was held without a goal to remain at 879 for his career, 15 away from tying Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky’s all-time mark. The Capitals hardly needed the Russian superstar in their return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Chychrun beat Alex Nedeljokvic twice in less than four minutes to break open a tie game. Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson pushed Washington’s lead to 6-2 by the end of the period as the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals improved to 13-1-6 in their last 20 games.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby — fresh off Team Canada’s victory at 4 Nations — scored his 18th of the season on a pretty backhand 6:36 into the second that briefly tied the game before Washington took firm control. The goal was the 610th of Crosby’s career, tying him with Bobby Hull for 18th in NHL history.
Capitals: Ovechkin didn’t lack for opportunities for goal No. 880. He spent nearly five straight minutes on the ice in the third period during an extended power play.
Pittsburgh: The club paid tribute to Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange — who died on Wednesday — during a moving pregame ceremony then came out and dominated the opening 25 minutes only to be undone by the familiar combination of shaky goaltending and shoddy defense.
Protas’ 16th of the season that pushed it to 5-2 just eight seconds after Chychrun’s second goal sent a familiar groan through a PPG Paints Arena crowd that’s grown accustomed to seeing the Penguins struggle against quality competition this season.
62 — the number of first-period goals for Washington this season after Ethen Frank’s score 5:13 into the game. That’s tied for the most in the NHL.
Capitals: Start a five-game homestand on Sunday when Connor McDavid and Edmonton visit.
Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Sunday.
___
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The Washington Capitals returned from 12 days off to wallop the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon. No Four Nations Faceoff hangover here.
Young pup (he’s 27) Ethen Frank scored first, off his skate and surviving a kicking-motion review. On the power play, Kris Letang tied it up with a one-timer high to the far side of Logan Thompson.
In the second period, Marty Fehervary scored on the rush after a lovely saucer pass from Brandon Duhaime. Sidney Crosby saw that Marty scored and could not deal, so he beat LT on the rush with a backhander. That’s when things got wacky. Jakob Chychrun humiliated Vincent Desharnais to put the Caps back up, then he did it again with a long bomb screened by Wilson, then Aliaksei Protas scored eight seconds later, then Tom Wilson tipped a shot to make it 6-2 after just two periods.
Dylan Strome scored a power-play goal to make it 7-2 deep into the third. Danton Heinen (a very poor hockey name) cleaned up a tasty rebound to make it 7-3, but let’s be real: it was already over. Brandon Duhaime made sure of that, making it 8-3 on a breakaway in the final minutes.
Caps win!
Esta noche. Bailamos.
Maybe I’m just petty, but I’m glad the Washington Capitals had no players at the Four Nations Faceoff. (And I’m glad it was just four nations too.) The Caps needed that break as much as any team. I was hoping when they came back today we would see them back to the play-driving dominance we saw in the first couple months of the season. Instead they merely dominated on the scoreboard. It was kind of messy below the water line, but this is my first Caps game in two weeks and I’m not going to complain. I got to see lots of goals and I got to see Pens and Pens fans look grumpy, and in this barren joyless world that’s enough.
Don’t have to wait long for more hockey. Oilers at home tomorrow at one PM. See you here.
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It wasn’t a hockey night in Pittsburgh.
After all, Saturday’s game started at 3:21 p.m.
(And a bit later for anyone forced to take in the game on ABC’s delayed telecast, which missed the first two and a half minutes of regulation approximately.)
But the Penguins celebrated Mike Lange, the man who made hockey nights in Pittsburgh so special for decades, following his death at age 76 on Wednesday. Then they played their first game in a fortnight.
With the NHL largely taking a two-week break for the league’s 4 Nations Face-Off, the Penguins got back into the heat of a hot kitchen with a brutal 8-3 loss against the rival Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins were beaten like a rented mule by one of the NHL’s top outfits and the defeat dragged their submerged postseason hopes further below the surface.
“We don’t have much time to ease into it,” Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk said on Friday in Cranberry. “We need to get as many points as we can early. Six of the first seven (games out of the break) are in our division. Huge implications right away.
Capitals forward Ethen Frank opened the scoring early with his fourth goal of the season 5:13 into regulation.
Accepting a pass at the Penguins’ blue line, Capitals forward Andrew Mangiapane streaked in on a breakaway. Upon arrival, he veered slightly to the right, drawing Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic out of his crease, and chipped the puck to the opposite of the crease. As a rush of players from each team rushed back, Frank managed to direct the puck with his left skate into the vacant cage. Officials immediately ruled it a valid goal and then verified it with a brief video review. Mangiapane and defenseman Rasmus Sandin had assists.
The Penguins tied the game at 1821 when defenseman Kris Letang logged his eighth goal during a power-play opportunity at 18:21 of the first period.
Off some determined work on Washington’s right wing boards by Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin, Danton Heinen and Philip Tomasino, Malkin slid a pass to the left circle where clapped a one-timer by goaltender Charlie Lindgren’s glove on the near side. Malkin and Tomasino tallied assists.
The visitors regained a lead when defenseman Martin Fehervary scored his second goal 70 seconds into the second period.
From his own left circle, Capitals forward Nic Dowd banked a loose puck off the near glass and into the neutral zone. Former Erie Otters forward Taylor Raddysh deadened the puck near the home penalty box, allowing linemate Brandon Duhaime to rush it into the Penguins’ zone on the right wing, creating a two-on-one with Fehervary against Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph. Accepting a dish from Duhaime, Fehervary advanced to the left hashmarks and pumped a low wrister to the near side by Nedeljkovic’s blocker. Duhaime and Raddysh registered assists.
Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, less than 48 hours removed from leading Canada to victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off, tied the game again, 2-2, via his 18th goal at 6:36 of the second frame.
After stopping a dump-in near his own left corner, Nedeljkovic tapped a pass to the left half-wall for Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson. Turning to his right, Karlsson directed a cross-ice pass to Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, stationed at the center red line. In one motion, Rakell swiped a centering pass for Crosby who burst into the offensive zone, one-on-one against Capitals defenseman Matt Roy. Driving to the right circle, Crosby flicked a backhander that leaked through Lindgren’s five hole. Assists were recorded to Rakell and Karlsson.
The Capitals erupted for four scores within a span of 7:33 to close the second period, beginning with defenseman Jakob Chychrun’s 15th goal at the 10:38 mark.
Off a cross-ice pass by Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Chychrun entered the offensive zone on the left wing. Encountering Penguins defenseman Vincent Desharnais in the near circle, Chychrun dragged the puck by Desharnais and snapped a sinister wrister by Nedeljovic’s blocker on the near side. Dubois and linemate Connor McMichael had assists.
Chychrun struck again at the 14:17 mark.
Digging a puck out of the right corner of the offensive zone, Dupuis slid a pass to the left point for Chychrun who stroked a wrister through a phalanx of bodies and past Nedeljkovic’s glove on the far side. Assists went to Dubois and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.
The rout was on at the 14:25 mark when Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas struck for his 23rd goal.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Sandin snapped a stretch pass from his own zone to the far blue line, springing Protas on an offensive rush. As Penguins forward Noel Acciari stumbled, Protas proceeded in on net mostly unimpeded and lasered a wrister by Nedeljkovic’s glove. Sandin and defensive partner John Carlson collected assists.
That score prompted Penguins coaches to pull Nedeljkovic, potentially with humanitarian concerns in mind, for rookie Joel Blomqvist.
Any hopes that maneuver would stymie the Capitals were nullified when forward Tom Wilson scored his 25th goal at the 18:05 mark.
Accepted a pass near the left point of the offensive zone, Roy left a drop pass on a cross-over with Fehervary who chucked a wrister toward the cage. Mostly unimpeded, Wilson established position above the crease and tipped the puck through an avenue between Blomqvist’s glove and left leg. Fehervary and Roy had assists.
Captials forward Dylan Strome got in on the act at 13:11 of the third period with his 17th goal during a power-play sequence. Raddysh and Dubois had assists.
At 14:22 of the third, Penguins forward Danton Heinen scored his seventh goal off an assists from Tomasino and forward Kevin Hayes.
The scoring was capped when Duhaime converted a breakaway for this seventh goal at 17:19 of the third.
Nedeljkovic was charged with the loss (12-10-5) after stopping nine of 14 shots in 34:25 of ice time. Blomqvist made 14 saves on 17 shots during his 23:35 of action.
Notes: Before the game, Malkin was activated from injured reserve and rejoined the lineup after missing six games due to a left knee injury. … Penguins forward Bryan Rust remained on injured reserve after falling ill on Friday. … To make room for Malkin on the active roster, forward Emil Bemstrom was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. … Penguins forward Boko Imama was scratched due to an undisclosed injury and remains day to day. … Penguins defensemen Vladislav Kolyachonok and Ryan Shea were healthy scratches. … Protas recorded his 100th career point.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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