Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins defend home ice, tie Capital series with 3-1 win

Olli Maatta turns the puck away from Alex Chiasson in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on May 3, 2018 in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored twice to push his playoff total to a league-leading 10, Matt Murray stopped 20 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 4 to even their tense Eastern Conference semifinal on Thursday night.

Evgeni Malkin added his fourth goal of the playoffs for Pittsburgh as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions pushed back following a chaotic Game 3 that included an illegal hit by Washington forward Tom Wilson that led to a three-game suspension.

T.J. Oshie scored for the Capitals, but Washington struggled to find much operating room. Alex Ovechkin failed to register a shot on goal for just the third time in 107 career playoff games. Braden Holtby finished with 21 saves but couldn't quite get a handle on Malkin's belly-flop shot attempt late in the second period that put Pittsburgh in front to stay.

Game 5 is 7 p.m. Saturday night in Washington on Channel 11.

Wilson's absence brought a sense of normalcy. The vitriol calmed a bit, replaced by the taut intensity that's come to define one of the NHL's marquee rivalries.

Unlike Game 3, in which the Penguins let a one-goal lead get away over the final 20 minutes, Guentzel added an empty-netter with 58 seconds remaining to assure the series will go at least six games. Hardly new territory for either club. Nine of their 11 playoff meetings have gone at least six games.

Associated Press

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