Last night’s 4-1 Penguins loss to the Capitals? A classic example. The Pens arrived in DC late Saturday night following an emotional victory over the Sabres. Our Metro rivals were well rested and waiting.
While the defeat certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort or try, our guys never quite gathered a full head of steam against a rejuvenated Caps bunch that plays a stingy (and heavy) opportunistic style.
Taking advantage of our weary legs, our hosts pounced, outshooting us 8-1 early on, including three shots on the opening shift. They grabbed the lead at 7:42 on a long-range bomb from Jakob Chychrun that glanced off Anthony Beauvillier’s stick and eluded rookie netminder Joel Blomqvist, making his first start since his Thursday recall.