The Pittsburgh Penguins skated away with their first victory of the 2023-24 NHL season on Friday night. Pittsburgh went into the nation's capital and defeated the Washington Capitals 4-0. They controlled the game from the get-go, holding Washington to just 19 shots on goal. It's a nice bounceback from a brutal collapse against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

The biggest aspect of the game for Pittsburgh was their power play. Both teams received three power-play chances throughout the game, and the Penguins didn't take them for granted. They scored on two of those three power plays to aid in their win on Friday.

After the game, Sidney Crosby addressed the unit with the media. He scored both goals on the man advantage in the second period. “It’s two games in, and that’s something that we’re continuing to talk through and work through,” Crosby said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But it ends up being the difference tonight.”

While he didn't record a power play point, Penguins star Erik Karlsson spoke about their mindset with the man advantage on Friday. “We moved the puck around when we needed to and we attacked when we felt like we had possession and they were vulnerable,” Karlsson explained, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Forwards Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel came up big on the power play, as well. In fact, they provided the assists on both of Crosby's goals against the Capitals. This game certainly provided positive signs for Pittsburgh fans. Especially since the team had failed to score on either power play opportunity against the Blackhawks.

Crosby, Karlsson, and the Pittsburgh squad are back in action in quick order. They travel home for the first time, welcoming the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Calgary is looking to build on their 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.