After giving up four goals in the second period on Tuesday night against the New York Rangers, the PIttsburgh Penguins traveled down I-95 looking to rebound against a struggling arch rival. The Pens had not won at the Verizon center in regulation in the regular season in nearly three years, but that ended tonight.
The Penguins took the 2-1 lead on a goal by forward Chris Kunitz. It was a great individual effort for his ninth goal of the season. Kunitz stripped the puck off Marcus Johansson and John Erskine, and put a quick shot on an unsuspecting Tomas Vokoun. Erskine and Johansson had their skates caught up, and it seemed like Kunitz made four of the six Caps on the ice blush with embarrassment when it was over. The knuckle puck bounced off the body of Vokoun and went through the seven hole. It abruptly silenced a rowdy Verizon Center crowd.
Without Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek, it was a great win on the road for the Pens, bouncing back from a 4-3 loss against the Rangers. The Pens doubled up the Caps in shots on goal, limiting Washington to just two opportunities in the third period. It was the lowest shot total of the season for Washington. Kunitz's third period goal was icing on the cake, adding to the Caps woes, who fell to 0-2 under new coach Dale Hunter. The Pens now continue their road trip down I-95 to North Carolina, where they will play another team in its first week with a new head coach, the Carolina Hurricanes, on Saturday night.
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