Pittsburgh – Sidney Crosby’s linescore had all zeroes, and that usually means a loss for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury’s strong play against Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals meant it didn’t.
Scoring stars Crosby and Ovechkin were shut out in an unexpected defensive duel, with Pittsburgh’s Ronald Petrovicky scoring the pivotal goal and Fleury making 30 saves Saturday as the Penguins won a season-high sixth consecutive game by beating Washington 2-0.
The Penguins had been 0-30-1 when Crosby didn’t score in his two-year NHL career, but Fleury turned in his second shutout in three games and fourth of the season. The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft has stopped all but four of 106 shots in his past three games, and has a 10-1-2 record in his past 13 games.
Ovechkin’s 13-game scoring streak, the NHL’s longest this season, and Crosby’s eight-game run ended in a game that featured excellent penalty killing and goaltending. Crosby leads the NHL with 82 points.
