POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Pens 5, Caps 4 (OT)

Thanks For The Dance - Given the likelihood of the Caps and Pens running into one another at some point in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, perhaps it's fitting that both teams punched their ticket to the dance within minutes of one another on Thursday night in Washington.

When Tom Wilson scored for the Caps with 14.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 4-4, the game moved to overtime and Washington's berth was clinched. When Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel scored at 2:11 of the overtime frame, the Pens were postseason bound as well.
After Thursday's game, Caps center Lars Eller noted the difficulty of reaching the playoffs in the 31-team NHL and reminded us all that the feat should never be taken for granted. Caps coach Peter Laviolette echoed that sentiment, while also noting that his team has grander goals.
"It's good," says Laviolette. "We didn't talk about it too much to be honest with you. There was always a bigger picture than that that we were talking about. But Lars is right with what he said; you should never take anything for granted. It's a hard league and the whole objective is to qualify to play for the Cup, and so that's in the rearview mirror."
Fans of both teams have witnessed great hockey for a decade and a half now, and Thursday's game was another in an ongoing series of entertaining clashes between the two clubs. Neither team led by more than a goal at any point of the contest, and lead changes were frequent.
Washington led 1-0 and 3-2. The Pens led 2-1 and 4-3. And for the fourth time in seven games between the two longtime rivals this season, overtime was required to settle the final score.
Pittsburgh has had the upper hand in regular season over time hockey against the Caps for some time now, winning all four games this season - three in overtime and one in the shootout - and nine straight overall. Seven of the nine were settled in overtime, with six different Pens - including current Caps winger Conor Sheary - netting the game-winners in overtime and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby striking twice.
The last time the Caps won an overtime decision from the Pens in the regular season was on Oct. 13, 2011 in Pittsburgh, in Washington's third of what would be seven straight wins to start the 2011-12 regular season. Bruce Boudreau was still behind the Washington bench in those days, Tomas Vokoun earned the 3-2 victory in goal for the Caps with 39 saves, and Dennis Wideman supplied the game-winner in overtime.
"I thought the guys competed hard," says Pens coach Mike Sullivan. "That's a good team we're playing against, and for me it was a real good team effort. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but I thought there were moments in the game when we had momentum, and there were moments in the game where Washington had momentum."

Sprong Fever - Caps winger Daniel Sprong has filled in on Washington's top line for each of the last three games now, while Washington captain Alex Ovechkin continues to recover from a lower body injury. For the third time in as many games on Thursday, Sprong found the back of the net, matching his career high goal streak; he also scored in three straight games with Anaheim in 2018-19. He has scored four goals in the three games Ovechkin has missed and now has 11 goals on the season.
Drafted by the Penguins in the second round (46th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft, Sprong started his NHL career with Pittsburgh in 2015-16. Thursday's goal marked the second time in five career games against his former employers that he was able to bite the hand that once fed him, scoring a goal against his former club.
Thus far this season, a total of 143 NHL players have netted 11 or more goals. Of that group, Sprong ranks 142nd in average ice time per game with 11:07 per night. Just ahead of him at 141 on that list is teammate and fellow former Penguin Conor Sheary, who has a dozen goals this season while averaging 13:14 per game.
The only player below Sheary and Sprong on that list is Tampa Bay's Mathieu Joseph who has scored a dozen goals while skating an average of 10:55 a night.
I Appear Missing -Caps defenseman John Carlson missed Thursday's game with a lower body injury, ending a run of 118 consecutive regular season games played and leaving the Capitals with just five players who have played in all 50 games for Washington this season: Backstrom, Brenden Dillon, Nic Dowd, Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway.
Justin Schultz returned to the lineup after a three-game absence of his own for a lower body injury, and he picked up a pair of assists while skating a team-high 23:37 on the night, his second highest single-game ice time figure of the season.
"I thought he was really good," says Laviolette of Schultz. "I thought that him and [defense partner Dmitry Orlov] did a real, real good job and that's not easy to do either, especially against a team like Pittsburgh, to step in like that. A guy comes back, and maybe you might want to try and ease him in a little bit. And he went right out with Orly and took down some big magnets against some big players."
I Can Help - Caps center Nicklas Backstrom notched three assists in Thursday's game, the 44th time in his NHL career he has recorded three or more helpers in the same game. With 37 assists on the season, Backstrom leads the Capitals and is tied for ninth in the NHL.

By The Numbers - Orlov, Hagelin and T.J. Oshie had four shots on net each to lead the Capitals … Orlov led the Caps with nine shot attempts … Dillon led the Caps with seven hits … Dillon, Wilson and Sheary each blocked two shots to tie for the team lead … Backstrom won 11 of 18 face-offs (61%).