Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Penguins, Predators get even

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the 2018 NHL postseason. There were two games Thursday.

Here are the scores from Thursday:

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Washington Capitals 1

Western Conference

Nashville Predators 2, Winnipeg Jets 1

What we learned

Here are some takeaways from Day 23 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Crosby drives Penguins offense

Forward Jake Guentzel leads Stanley Cup Playoff scorers with 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists), but center Sidney Crosby remains the main catalyst of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ attack. They have scored 10 goals in the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Washington Capitals and Crosby has been on the ice for all of them. The Pittsburgh captain had two assists in a 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 4 at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday and has six points in the series (two goals, four assists), but the Penguins might have to find a way to score goal or two without him involved to get past the Capitals. The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 at Capital One Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVAS).

Capitals trying to adjust without Wilson

Washington played its first of three games without suspended forward Tom Wilson, and they felt his absence. Coach Barry Trotz liked the revamped first line of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Kuznetsov and Devante Smith-Pelly, but the line didn’t have the same impact it normally does. Ovechkin didn’t have a shot on goal and neither did Smith-Pelly. Kuznetsov had five.

Video: The crew discusses the Caps’ Game 4 effort vs. Pens

Jets fail to keep momentum going

If there were expectations the Winnipeg Jets’ rousing, comeback 7-4 victory in Game 3 would send them on their way in the Western Conference Second Round, they discovered momentum can be fleeting in the playoffs, especially against the Nashville Predators, the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Winnipeg was a little stubborn in its 2-1 loss to the Predators in Game 4 at Bell MTS Place on Thursday, unwilling to dump the puck behind Nashville’s defensemen and preferring to stick with its playmaking emphasis. That caused all kinds of headaches for Winnipeg in the neutral zone. The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).

Predators play havoc with Jets’ flight patterns

The Predators clogged up the Jets’ passing and skating lanes, forcing skilled players like forward Patrik Laine and center Mark Scheifele to go cross-ice in an East-West manner instead of North-South. The result was Winnipeg didn’t take its first shot on goal in the third period until eight minutes had elapsed. The Jets were outshot 16-2 during a 17-minute span beginning at the 11-minute mark of the second period.

Video: Rinne bounces back, leads Predators by Jets in Game 4

About last night

Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Washington Capitals 1 – Guentzel scored two goals, Evgeni Malkin had the game-winner and Matt Murray made 20 saves to help the Penguins even the best-of-7 series at 2-2. Crosby had two assists for the two-time Stanley Cup champions, and Ovechkin failed to get a shot on goal for the Capitals, the first time that has happened in a playoff game since Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Rangers.

Nashville Predators 2, Winnipeg Jets 1 –Pekka Rinne made 32 saves, and defenseman P.K. Subban scored the game-winning goal to help Nashville get even and end the Jets’ 13-game home winning streak. The Predators, who lost Game 3, have yet to lose consecutive games in the playoffs. Laine scored his first goal of the series with 51 seconds left in regulation.