Sidney Crosby, Penguins Even Series with Win vs. Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals

The Pittsburgh Penguins evened their second-round series with the Washington Capitals at two contests apiece with a 3-1 victory in Game 4 on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Washington was without right wing Tom Wilson, who began serving his three-game suspension for an illegal hit on Pittsburgh's Zach Aston-Reese.

It was a battle of goaltenders early. Both Washington's Braden Holtby and Pittsburgh's Matt Murray held the offenses scoreless in the opening period:

The teams played at a frantic pace over the period's final minute, and Washington got a golden opportunity as the clock wound down. But Murray was there to keep things tied heading into the first intermission.

It had been a tight series entering Thursday, and as the first frame showed, it would be a battle all night.

After killing a penalty in the opening minutes of the second, the Penguins turned the pressure up and nearly had a goal—but Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov denied Pittsburgh a chance at an open net:

While Holtby kept his team in the game by turning away shot after shot in the second, one eventually found the back of the net as the Penguins kept firing:

That marked Jake Guentzel's ninth goal of the 2018 postseason, the most by any player. The Pittsburgh forward joined elite company with the point, per NHL Public Relations:

With Pittsburgh facing the possibility of going down 3-1 in the series, getting on the board was important. However, the lead did not last long.

The Penguins had held off Washington's explosive power-play unit—which entered Game 3 with a playoff-high 11 goals—but the Capitals generally take advantage if teams continue to give them chances.

Just minutes after giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead, Guentzel was whistled for tripping. That set the stage for the equalizer via a Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie connection:

With a brand-new game on hand, things only got wilder.

Although a shot by Penguins star Evgeni Malkin beat Holtby with a little under three minutes to play in the second, his shot pinged off the post and bounced back into the crease. As the Caps goalie attempted to find the puck, Malkin crashed the net and just got it across the goal line.

Even though replay showed the puck crossed the line, Pittsburgh fans had to be having nightmarish flashbacks after a controversial no-goal in Game 2. Washington challenged, citing goaltender interference, but the goal stood after review. 

The third was similar to the first, with both teams trading scoring opportunities throughout the frame. Then again, the intensity was at another level as Washington looked to even the score.

And like the first, neither goalie gave an inch. 

It remained a 2-1 game for the majority of the final period until Guentzel iced the contest with his 10th goal of the postseason, an empty-netter with 58 seconds to play.

Murray allowed just one goal on 21 shots, and Holtby was nearly as stingy, blocking 21 of 23 shots.

Both Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby had quiet games, at least for their standards. Neither recorded a shot on goal, although Crosby did record an assist on Guentzel's first goal.

The puck drops for Game 5 at Capital One Arena in Washington on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.