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Penguins/Capitals Recap: Pens dress stars, have little juice in 3-0 loss for potential last game against Ovechkin
TL;DR
The Pittsburgh Penguins dressed their star players but suffered a 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, marking a potential final game for Alex Ovechkin in D.C. Several players were absent due to undisclosed injuries.
Pregame
The late-season roster shuffle continues. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Parker Wotherspoon all dress for this game after sitting out yesterday. Noel Acciari, Anthony Mantha, Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton all rotate out with official âundisclosed day-to-day injuriesâ.
How we're lining up in DC đ pic.twitter.com/6ThWhF80sa
â x â Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 12, 2026
The home Capitals celebrate their final home game of the season and the potential last time to see Alex Ovechkin playing in DC with this lineup.
Lineys#CapsPens | @JackDaniels_USpic.twitter.com/dQBKt4XqJ0
â Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 12, 2026
Ovechkin and the Pensâ crew get a pregame faceoff. No official announcements or anything but it sure looks like a lot of signs pointing to this being it for the Great 8.
GREAT 8 đ€ BIG THREE pic.twitter.com/frpzM2c5PQ
â x â Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 12, 2026
First period
Dylan Strome gets himself kicked out of the opening faceoff so that Ovechkin can line up for a faceoff against Crosby. The Penguin captain wins it cleanly and the game is on.
Generational greatness. pic.twitter.com/aUWeEuO5lq
â x â Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 12, 2026
The improved Penguins surpass yesterdayâs one shot in the first period very easily. Karlsson draws the first power play of the game but Pittsburgh doesnât score.
Crosby takes a penalty late in the period. The Capitals cash in quickly, Ovechkin makes a pass down to Justin Sourdif that gets tipped off the crossbar and then Sourdif finished it off by tapping the puck into the empty net. But wait, a coachâs challenge for offsides and Ilya Protas was very clearly a step ahead of the play at the blueline wipes out the goal.
The first ends with no goals that count, the Pens were better in the earlier parts of the start, the Capitals came on stronger as play went along.
Second period
Washington starts the second still on the power play, Pittsburgh kills it off.
Both teams skate back and forth, the Caps score for real this time. Trevor van Riemsdyk pokes at a puck in the crease about three times, it finally gets over the line. 1-0 Washington with 7:36 to go in the period.
Third whack's a charm pic.twitter.com/TsGBKxqttv
â Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 12, 2026
The Pens wake up a little, Logan Thompson denies Tommy Novak on a great chance from in front off a pass from Rickard Rakell, then Novak is sprung for a breakaway but lets the puck slide off his stick to negate a scoring chance. Pittsburgh gets their second power play of the game soon after. Erik Karlsson slams a slap shot off Tom Wilsonâs foot, otherwise nothing happening.
The Caps take a 1-0 lead into the last frame.
Third period
The Pens get their chance to pin the Caps in their zone for a long time, their pinch fails and the Caps go the other way on a 2-on-1 where forward Egor Chinakhov is the last player back. Next up, Connor McMichael scores, beating Skinner on backhand deke. 2-0 with just 4:10 to go.
Had to have it and Mikey got it pic.twitter.com/uPdowN582e
â Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 12, 2026
Pittsburgh pulls the goalie with over 3 minutes to play, apparently wanting Ovechkin to get career goal No. 930 to send the people home happy. Ovechkin gets the assist to spring McMichael into space and score on the unguarded cage. 3-0 game.
Some thoughts
- I think the Penguins really missed the mark with the decisions of playing/sitting players before the playoffs. Namely, how are you going to hold all the star players and key players out from âfan appreciation dayâ to play them on the road the next day? Awful. And why play them at all today? Ovechkin nailed Letang, Karlsson took a high-stick and Rust blocked an Ovechkin shot in the foot in the first period alone. If youâre going to rest them, then go all the way and rest them all weekend. If youâre going to play them in games after being clinched then it shouldnât have been today.
- That said, it is what it is. Not like itâs wise to put hockey players on the shelf for 10 days and pick right up for the playoffs. Rotating almost every key player out either today or yesterday (besides Rakell, Chinakhov, Novak, Girard and maybe Brazeau if giving him the honor of being a âkey playerâ) is a nice boost at this time of year to pick a spot for a day off for the crew.
- Crosby/Ovechkin head to head 100 times. 56 wins for Crosby, point battle is 127-103 (48 goals, 79 assists for Crosby, 53 goals and 50 assists for Ovechkin).
- Not too much going on in this game, Skinner was pretty good, Thompson was great. Everyone else was just kinda there. The game had an odd feel to it almost as a wake for the career of Ovechkin hanging over all of the proceedings.
The Pens wrap up the regular season on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
Q&A
What was the final score of the Penguins vs. Capitals game on April 12, 2026?
The final score was 3-0 in favor of the Washington Capitals.
Which star players did the Penguins dress for the game against the Capitals?
The Penguins dressed Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Parker Wotherspoon.
Why were some Penguins players absent from the game against the Capitals?
Some players were absent due to undisclosed day-to-day injuries.
Was this game significant for Alex Ovechkin's career?
Yes, it was potentially the last time Alex Ovechkin played in D.C. during the regular season.
