The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 last night. Jake Guentzel scored twice for the Pens, including an empty-net goal. He now has 22 goals this season. Rickard Rakell scored his 19th goal of the season. Sidney Crosby had three assists. Casey DeSmith stopped 38 of 39 shots. The victory moved the Penguins one point ahead of the Washington Capitals for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Pens have back-to-back games this weekend. They complete their four-game road trip against the New York Islanders Friday, then return home to host New Jersey Saturday evening.
The Capitals fell 3-2 to first place Carolina last night. The Caps will be without Alexander Ovechkin, who has left the team to deal with a family issue. He is expected to be away from the Capitals for a week or more.