POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 5, Pens 3

Slide Away -Sunday afternoon featured another big Caps-Pens tilt at Capital One Arena, and like the first one three weeks earlier, it didn't disappoint. Both teams came in on short slides - the Caps having lost four straight (0-3-1) and the Pens having dropped two in a row - which only added to the intensity of the contest. When the dust settled midway through the afternoon, the Caps were 5-3 winners, sending Pittsburgh on its way with its first three-game regulation losing streak in four months.

The victory pushed the Caps back into sole possession of the suddenly tight Metropolitan Division standings, two points ahead of the Pens with 20 games remaining; Pittsburgh has 21 games left.
Whether Sunday's win halts the Caps' recent somnambulant stretch of hockey remains to be seen, but it was an uplifting victory for sure, and it was sandwiched between Alex Ovechkin's 700th career goal in a losing effort on Saturday afternoon in New Jersey and the acquisition of veteran winger Ilya Kovalchuk on Sunday night. What could have been a lost weekend for Washington looks a whole lot better on Monday morning, largely because the Caps were able to author another of their patented comebacks against the Pens.
Down 2-1 heading into the third period, it didn't look great for the Caps. They were held without a 5-on-5 shot on net for more than 20 minutes at one point, and had just 11 shots on goal heading into the third period. Early in the third period, a slashing skirmish between Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov and Pittsburgh's Kris Letang opened the door for the Caps.
The Caps have been a good 4-on-4 team this season, and less than 20 seconds after those players were seated in the box, the game was tied.
Tom Wilson forced a Marcus Petterson turnover in neutral ice, and Nicklas Backstrom sprang Wilson for a breakaway goal, the Caps' fourth at 4-on-4 this season, tied for third most in the league.
Carl Hagelin put the Caps on top a few minutes later, but Evgeni Malkin answered back with a dazzling rush goal at 8:50 of the third, making it a 3-3 contest.
T.J. Oshie has been carrying one of Washington's hottest sticks of late, and he used it to bang home his own rebound at 10:40, his 25th goal of the season and his seventh in his last 11 games putting the Caps on top for good.
Hagelin victimized his former employers with a late empty-netter to seal the deal, Washington's fourth goal of the final frame.
"Obviously those are big goals in the third," says Wilson. "You come in here in the [second] intermission and you're down one against a pretty good team in a big game, and those are the types of situations you're going to be in going down the stretch here in the important time of the year.
"It's good to be in those positions sometimes, and guys stepped up - Osh, Haggy - a bunch of guys right up and down the lineup did a great job, went out and made it count for us, and that's all you can ask."
Sunday's win also halted a four-game losing streak against Metro foes for the Caps, who are now 10-11-1 against their fellow division denizens this season.
Dirty Work - Prior to Sunday's game, Caps coach Todd Reirden was asked why newly acquired defenseman Brenden Dillon was limited to less than 14 minutes of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Devils in New Jersey, and whether it was just a matter of getting him up to speed with the Washington system before asking too much of him.
"Yeah, it is," answered Reirden. "You can definitely expect to see him more [against Pittsburgh], and we're giving him the best chance to have success. He'll definitely be out there more tonight."
Dillon was out there more on Sunday, and he had a significant impact on the game.
He skated 20:38 in the game - including 3:34 worth of shorthanded ice time - and laid a team high nine hits. Dillon also spent four minutes in the penalty box, getting tagged with a double-minor for roughing Malkin at the end of the first period.
After Sunday's game, Dillon was sporting the Nats' batting helmet given to the Caps' player of the game. As he spoke to media, Dillon was also sporting other souvenirs of his initiation into the spirited Caps-Pens rivalry, a raised welt on his left cheekbone and a scrape with a bit of blood on the left side of his nose.
"Even before, when I played for the Sharks, I had a bit of a rivalry with these guys, going back to the playoffs a couple of years ago," notes Dillon, who played against the Pens in the Stanley Cup Final series with San Jose in 2016. "But these are the ones you get up for, these are the exciting ones, especially in a battle for first place right now.
"They're one of the hottest teams in the league right now, so I think it was really gut-check time for us. We had a lot of emphasis, playing back-to-back and playing at home in front of our home fans. I think we answered the bell and played well and found a way to win through some adversity."
Top Of The Charts - Caps defenseman John Carlson picked up a helper on Hagelin's first goal of the game, notching the 475th point of his NHL career. That moved him one ahead of longtime Caps stalwart Calle Johansson for most career points by a Washington defenseman.
"I've been here a while, so that obviously helps," says Carlson. "And I've been here during the stretch of the best players I think in the history of the franchise. So I think there are a lot of great factors for me, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
Century City - Hagelin's two-goal game on Sunday was the 10th multi-goal game of his NHL career, and his first as a member of the Capitals. Those two tallies put Hagelin at 100 for his NHL career, in his 597th career game in the league.
Hagelin has been heating up in the season's second half; he has six goals and a dozen points in his last 15 games.
Milestone Men - Wilson's goal was his 20th of the season, marking the second straight season in which he has reached that milestone; he had 22 goals last season. Wilson is the fourth Capital to hit the 20-goal mark this season; only Tampa Bay (5) and Winnipeg (5) have more.
Jakub Vrana notched his 24th goal of the season, matching his career best, which was established last season.
Oshie's goal was his 25th of the season, marking the fourth time he has scored 25 or more goals in his five seasons with Washington. During his seven seasons in St. Louis, Oshie's highest goal total was 21 in 2013-14.
By The Numbers -Dmitry Orlov led the Caps with 22:49 in ice time … Wilson and Hagelin led the Caps with three shots on net each … Hagelin, Carlson and Alex Ovechkin lead Washington with five shot attempts each … Carlson and Radko Gudas led the Caps with three blocked shots each. The Caps finished the day with 45 hits.