PITTSBURGH (AP) – T.J. Oshie scored twice and added an assist as the Washington Capitals spoiled Mike Sullivan’s head coaching debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-1 win on Monday night.
Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and two assists for Washington. John Carlson added his fifth goal of the season for the Metropolitan Division leaders. Braden Holtby stopped 44 of Pittsburgh’s season-high 45 shots.
Evgeni Malkin scored his team-leading 14th goal but the Penguins failed to keep pace with Washington in Sullivan’s first game since taking over for Mike Johnston. Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves, but captain Sidney Crosby was held without a point and Pittsburgh’s power play went 0 for 2.
The Penguins fired Johnston on Saturday with Pittsburgh off to a sluggish start and unable to separate itself in the middle of the congested Metropolitan Division thanks in large part to an ineffective power play and Johnston’s apparent inability to connect with his roster of high-profile stars.
Enter Sullivan, who went 70-56-15 in two seasons coaching the Boston Bruins between 2003 and 2006 and has spent most of the last decade bouncing around as an assistant. Pittsburgh hired him over the summer to coach its American Hockey League affiliate but turned to Sullivan to lead the big club, hoping his no-nonsense approach would resonate in a dressing room that general manager Jim Rutherford said has underachieved during his 18-month tenure.