WASHINGTON — Maybe it’s simply in the Penguins’ DNA to defeat the Capitals in Washington. It was so warm in Washington on Friday that it felt like playoff springtime — the Penguins have defeated the Capitals in eight of their 10 postseason meetings, after all — and muscle memory is a funny thing. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Penguins found something.
Advertisement The Penguins started fast, stumbled in the second period, but then dominated Washington in a responsible, workmanlike way that has been completely uncustomary this season, clamping down for a 4-2 victory. That third-period performance was something that Mike Sullivan had been looking for. The head coach thinks that perhaps the Penguins did find something in those final 20 minutes.
“I thought we did,” Sullivan said. “I thought it was one of our more complete periods, just digging in, playing a team game. I’m really proud of the guys.
” On the surface, this game had all the makings of another loss for a team that can’t afford too many more setbacks. Only 24 hours earlier, the Penguins fell in Raleigh to the Hurricanes , 5-1. And while that loss wasn’t as lopsided as the score indicated, it still ended the Penguins’ three-game streak generating at least a point, and they were forced to play a rested, hot Capitals team the following night.
Making matters worse, after a very strong first period, the Penguins blew a two-goal lead for the fifth time in 10 games. They lost the other four times in whic.