Pens Capture Dramatic Shootout 3-2 Victory over Caps

It's apropos that two teams that are fit to be tied end up going to an extended shootout. And that's exactly what happened tonight with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. The entire game was filled with drama, penalties, icing calls and lots of very interested parties. And in a seven-round shootout, Pascal Dupuis beat Michal Neuvirth to give the visitors the two points. The only other scorers in the so-called "skills competition" were the first shooters for each team: Alex Ovechkin and Kris Letang.

In the closest either team came to ending the game in overtime, Mike Green had a golden opportunity when he streaked in on the Pens' Marc-Andre Fleury and nearly put the puck into the net, but replays proved inconclusive despite the fact that the puck might have crossed the line. However, Fleury had already covered it by that point and it was hard to see whether the entire puck crossed the goal line. Therefore, the game continued.

The drama wasn't limited to only the extra session.  It started from the outset, when the Caps came out with abandon, but it was the Penguins who struck first. Sidney Crosby parked himself next to the Neuvirth and somehow managed to stay long unmarked. Kris Letang fired a shot from the point and Crosby deflected it past Neuvy to give the Pens a 1-0 lead at 3:21.

Crosby was booed every time he touched the puck and it was clear throughout the game that this rivalry had evolved and the Pens somehow became more hated.

It took until13:43 of the second -- and a missed penalty shot by Evgeni Malkin -- for the Caps to even the score. On their second five-on-three power play of the game, Green unleashed a wicked wrister from the slot, with much of the team collapsing on net, to provide relief for both player and observers. Had Green not cracked the twine on that play, the Caps would have blown six power plays and looked back on too many missed opportunities.

But then it was the Pens turn. Just 17 seconds into the final stanza, Chris Kunitz backhanded a pass from Crosby to give the visitors an advantage yet again.

However, just when it might appear that the Penguins were taking control, the Caps scored to tie the game and enliven the sellout crowd. While shorthanded, the puck took a funny bounce as the Caps were clearing their zone and suddenly Brooks Laich and Mike Knuble had a two-on-one. Laich carried it down the wing and crossed it to Knuble, who fought off Alex Goligoski and beat Marc-Andre Fleury to even the game at two at 14:31.

The game then headed to the aforementioned overtime and shootout, where the team with the better record captured the two points. Much more drama most likely will ensue a week from Saturday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, where an international audience will witness the spectacle known as the Winter Classic.