‘This hurts a lot’

If the Capitals’ desperate chase for a postseason berth falls short, the memory of their two losses over the weekend will haunt them all summer. One day after a slew of penalties led to two Boston Bruins’ goals in the final minutes of a 2-1 loss, Backstrom accidentally tapped a loose puck into his own net with just 28 seconds left in a 2-2 game.

Pittsburgh added an empty-net goal to make the final score 4-2 before another sell-out crowd at Verizon Center. Taken together, it is a pair of damaging setbacks to a Caps team fighting through a crowded playoff field.

“It’s a fast game. But it’s not one player sort of letting down,” said Caps forward Sergei Fedorov. “It’s a combination of things there. We had chances to clear the puck [on the game-winning goal] or make a simpler play and didn’t do it.”

This was different from Saturday’s meltdown in Boston, but no less discouraging. There, forward Donald Brashear took six minutes worth of penalties on one play late in the third period and referees added two more minor penalties down the stretch that infuriated the Caps’ bench. The Bruins took advantage with a pair of 5-on-3 goals to win it.

Pittsburgh was simply pushing for one last scoring chance in the final minute of a game the Caps felt sure would go to overtime and earn them at least one standings point. But Penguins forward Sidney Crosby backhanded a shot across Huet’s crease from a bad angle on the stick-side of the goal. Backstrom stopped it and tried to clear the puck to the boards. Instead, he sent it past Huet for a goal credited to Crosby.

“This hurts a lot,” said Ovechkin, who finished with two assists, including on Alexander Semin’s power-play goal that tied the game at 2 with just 14 seconds left in the second period. “We’re a good team. We just have to not think about it and concentrate about the Calgary game [on Wednesday]. It’s the end of the year. But we can’t give up. We still have a chance.”