WASHINGTON — Ryan Shea got his first NHL goal and Michael Bunting got his fourth goal with his new team, Alex Nedjelkovic saved 30 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 to get closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night.
With their third consecutive win, the Penguins are now two points behind the Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. They also bumped the Capitals out of the East’s second wild-card spot. The Penguins, who were nine points out on March 24, have won five of six games.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been key players in this winning streak. However, on Thursday, some new players led the team in a crucial game with major playoff implications.
Shea scored his first point in the league 25 games into his rookie season, Bunting continued to show why Pittsburgh got him back in the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to Carolina, and Nedjelkovic, in his seventh start in a row, continued to show why he has at least temporarily replaced Tristan Jarry as the Penguins’ No. 1 goalie and been a big reason they have a chance of returning to the playoffs.
Crosby, who had 15 points in his past six games, was an important part in bringing the Penguins back into contention. While he and Malkin were held off the scoresheet by Washington, Pierre-Olivier Joseph also scored and ex-Capitals center Lars Eller had an assist and an empty-net goal against the team for which he got the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2018.
Despite Alex Ovechkin scoring on the power play for his 27th goal of the season and 849th of his career, the Capitals’ losing streak reached four, further endangering their chances of playing beyond the regular season. Charlie Lindgren, whose goaltending has carried them for the past month or so, struggled in allowing three goals on 23 shots with his heaviest workload in the NHL appearing to take a toll.
NBA
76ERS 109, HEAT 105
MIAMI — Tyrese Maxey got 37 points, Joel Embiid got 29 and Philadelphia beat Miami to tighten the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Maxey got 11 assists and nine rebounds for Philadelphia. Kelly Oubre Jr. got 18 points for the 76ers, who moved closer to Miami for No. 7 in the East.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points and Jimmy Butler added 20 for Miami, which entered the night No. 6 in the East but ceded that spot back to Indiana. Bam Adebayo got 14, Haywood Highsmith scored 12, Kevin Love had 11 points and 16 rebounds off the bench and Nikola Jovic added 11 points for Miami.
Embiid, in his second game back after missing two months following surgery on the meniscus in his left knee, shot 11 for 25, and the 76ers were outscored by 19 points in his 32-plus minutes.
Embiid left the game with 7:33 remaining and the Heat leading 100-93. It only seemed like the 76ers were in trouble.
When Embiid came back, Philadelphia took the lead and didn't lose it. Oubre made a 3-pointer with 3:30 left, which was part of a 14-2 run that was just enough for Philly to win. Rozier made a 3-pointer to bring Miami within two points. Butler missed a 3-pointer that could have given Miami the lead with 5.2 seconds left, and the 76ers got away with the win.
The score was 88-87 in favor of Miami at the start of the fourth quarter, indicating that the game was close for the first 36 minutes. However, it was not close.
The first three quarters were full of sudden changes in mood. Philadelphia scored the first 12 points of the game and then went on a 17-2 run, while Miami later had a 25-6 run to take a 46-43 lead.
After that, the game had many ups and downs: Philadelphia made a 20-1 run to lead 63-47, Miami scored the last eight points of the half to come within 63-55, the 76ers were ahead by as much as 10 in the third quarter, but then Miami made a 17-0 run from the end of the third to the start of the fourth, taking a lead of 95-87.
On a night of many scoring streaks, the final one belonged to Philly.
