In a rivalry game, there should be no shortage of blood, sweat and tears. The first two were definitely there on the ice, but in the stands, the Pittsburgh faithful left saddened as the Washington Capitals defeated the Penguins 3-2 in overtime
Dennis Wideman's wrist shot off of Nicklas Backstrom's cross-ice pass beat Brent Johnson on the Caps' first and only power play of the night.
Mike Knuble and Alex Ovechkin also scored for Washington. Knuble's goal tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period, while Ovechkin's goal gave them a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Ovechkin's goal came via deflection when he tipped Mike Green's turnaround slap shot over Johnson's glove hand and right under the left side of the crossbar. The referee initially ruled it a no-goal, but upon review, it was overturned and the Caps took a 2-1 lead at 40 seconds.
James Neal scored twice for the Penguins, including the game-tying goal on the power play with 3:45 remaining. The Penguins finished 1-for-5 with the man advantage. Tomas Vokoun overcame his rocky debut Monday by making 39 saves. Despite being outshot 41-19, the Caps still found a way to win.
A scary moment took place in the third period when Jay Beagle fought Arron Asham. After committing a roughing penalty on Kris Letang, Beagle and Asham squared off with Beagle taking two shots to the face that sent him down to the ice while bleeding profusely. He did not return.
With a 3-0-0 record to start the season, the Caps head back home Saturday to face the Ottawa Senators at Verizon Center.