Alex Ovechkin scored his 897th goal, extending his League record, and Connor McMichael also scored for Washington (51-22-9), the top seed from the Eastern Conference in the playoffs. Clay Stevenson made 33 saves in his NHL debut.
The Capitals will face the Montreal Canadiens, the second wild card, in the Eastern Conference First Round. Game 1 of the best-of-7 series is in Washington on Monday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SN, TVAS).
“We’re just getting through the game, to be honest with you,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “Moving forward and getting ready for Montreal.”
McMichael put Washington ahead 1-0 at 4:08 of the first period with a wrist shot on a rebound off a shot from Tom Wilson.
“It was a little uncharacteristic from our group there,” McMichael said. “But you just have to put it behind us and look to be better next game. … We didn’t exactly end the year the way that we’d want to, but I think for us, we’ve been waiting for the playoffs now for about a month. I think all the guys are ready to go.”
Rust tied it 1-1 at 4:54, scoring on a rebound after Koivunen deflected a slap shot from Grzelcyk.
He gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead on a power play at 7:19 of the second period. Crosby sent a behind-the-back pass through the crease to Rust for a wrist shot and his 31st goal.
Dylan Strome seemed to tie it at 10:28. Ovechkin was ruled offside after a Penguins challenge.
Crosby made it 3-1 at 11:56, dropping to one knee for a one-timer.
The Penguins captain led them with 91 points (33 goals, 58 assists), reaching 90 points in three straight seasons for the first time. He is the first player with three seasons of at least 90 points after turning 35 years old.
Ovechkin cut it to 3-2 with a one-timer on a power play at 16:56.
“[Crosby and Ovechkin] are two of the greatest players of all-time,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “How fortunate are we that we get to see it up close and have for how many years now? The fact that they play in the same division is incredible because that rivalry between Washington and Pittsburgh, and between Ovi and Sid, has been so much fun just to witness up close.”
