WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals, currently leading the NHL, secured a 4-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, marking their fourth straight win. Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas, and Pierre-Luc Dubois were among the goal-scorers, while goaltender Logan Thompson recorded 18 saves for the Capitals.

Despite his impressive performance, Thompson fell just short of becoming the first player in franchise history to achieve three consecutive shutouts. He allowed a goal from Bryan Rust in the middle of the third period, which ended his shutout streak at 198 minutes and 22 seconds—the longest of the season in the league and ranking third in Capitals team history.

Brandon Duhaime added an empty-net goal with just 1:30 remaining in the game. The Capitals have accumulated a record of 7-0-3 over their last ten matches, consistently earning points even when their play hasn’t always reached its peak.

On the other side, the Penguins faced their eighth defeat in the last ten games, with goaltender Joel Blomqvist facing 32 shots and allowing three goals during this matchup.

Despite the return of defenseman Kris Letang from illness, the Penguins were unable to maintain the momentum from their previous victory against Buffalo on Friday, which featured a celebration of goaltender Alex Nedjelkovic’s empty-net goal.

For the Capitals, backup goaltender Charlie Lindgren was activated from injured reserve after being cleared from a concussion. This development puts the coaching staff and head coach Spencer Carbery in a position to make decisions about their goaltending strategy, especially given Thompson’s standout performance.

A crucial moment of the game occurred with just 2:10 left in the contest when Dubois scored a key goal with an assist from Connor McMichael, which allowed the Capitals to regain a two-goal lead, easing their pressure as the Penguins pushed for a comeback.

Notably, Aliaksei Protas has been a rising star this season, scoring 19 goals in his first 46 games. This performance stands in stark contrast to his previous total of just 13 goals across his first 169 games in the NHL.

Looking ahead, the Penguins will travel to Los Angeles on Monday to begin a five-game road trip in the Western Conference, while the Capitals are set to visit Edmonton on Tuesday to kick off their own five-game journey.