To Carbery’s point, the Caps were guilty of overpassing at times, passing themselves out of prime scoring areas on two or three occasions. They also had a couple of odd man rushes in which they weren’t able to put a shot on Pittsburgh’s rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist, who turned in a strong performance in a losing effort.

The Penguins and Capitals renewed arguably the highest-profile rivalry of the salary-cap era on Saturday night.

The P Penguins (19-20-8) remain below .500 after leaving a smoldering crater where a five-game homestand was supposed to be.

In their final home game prior to their longest road trip of the 2024-25 season, the Caps host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at Capital One Arena. Saturday’s game is also the Caps’ lone Metropolitan Division matchup in a span of 14 games and 32 days.