WASHINGTON – Ryan Shea scored his first NHL goal and Michael Bunting his fourth with his new team, Alex Nedjelkovic made 30 saves and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Thursday night to move closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

With a third consecutive victory, the Penguins moved two points back of the Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, who with their win at Columbus jumped the Capitals, bumping them out of the East's second and final wild-card spot. The Penguins, who were nine points out on March 24, have won five of six to get right back in the thick of the race.

Face of the franchise Sidney Crosby and longtime running mate Evgeni Malkin were a big part of much of this run. On Thursday, some new guys led the charge in a crucial showdown with major postseason implications.

Shea's goal 25 games into his rookie season was also his first point in the league, Bunting continued to show why Pittsburgh got him back in the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to Carolina , and Nedjelkovic in his seventh start in a row continued to show why he has at least temporarily supplanted Tristan Jarry as the Penguins' No. 1 goalie and been a big reason they have a chance of returning to the playoffs.

So, of course, is Crosby, who had 15 points in his past six games to drag the Penguins back into contention. While he and Malkin were held off the scoresheet by Washington, Pierre-Olivier Joseph also scored and ex-Capitals center Lars Eller had an assist and an empty-net goal against the team for which he got the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2018.

Despite Alex Ovechkin scoring on the power play for his 27th goal of the season and 849th of his career, the Capitals' losing streak reached four, further endangering their chances of playing beyond the regular season. Charlie Lindgren, whose goaltending has carried them for the past month or so, struggled in allowing three goals on 23 shots with his heaviest workload in the NHL appearing to take a toll.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Capitals: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.