NHL Playoffs

PITTSBURGH — Patric Hornqvist beat Braden Holtby between the legs 2:31 into overtime to give the Penguins a 3-2 victory over the Capitals on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the second-round series.

Washington’s Mike Weber tried to clear a shot, but the puck went right to Hornqvist in the circle. He buried it for his fifth goal of the postseason to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 5 is Saturday night in Washington.

The Penguins ended an eight-game losing streak in overtime playoff games.

Matt Cullen and Trevor Daley also scored for Pittsburgh, and rookie goalie Matt Murray stopped 34 shots.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left briefly in the third period after getting slashed by Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.

Jay Beagle and John Carlson scored for Washington. Holtby made 29 saves, but the Capitals dropped a third straight game, something they did once all season.

The Capitals dominated Game 3 everywhere but the scoreboard, falling 3-2 behind a spectacular 47-save performance by Murray. Washington coach Barry Trotz insisted there was “a good vibe” coming from the President’s Trophy winners, pointing to the way his team tilted the ice as proof the results would come if the Capitals kept at it.

The Penguins realized they were lucky to escape Game 3 with the series lead and responded with a far better performance even with star defenseman Kris Letang forced to sit out after the league ruled his hit on Marcus Johansson on Monday night was late and illegal.

The suspension forced Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan to return Justin Schultz to the lineup. The Penguins acquired Schultz from Edmonton in February, and he hadn’t played since Game 1 of the opening playoff series against the Rangers. Schultz was steady, as were most of his teammates, who were far better at protecting their rookie goaltender than they were 48 hours earlier.

Still, Washington needed just 2:58 to take its first lead since Game 1 as Beagle beat Pittsburgh defenseman Ben Lovejoy to the puck on a dump-in and flipped a backhander Murray’s way despite being nearly parallel to the goal line. The shot sailed over Murray’s shoulders and into the far top corner.

Daley’s first playoff goal in nearly two years tied it later in the period, and each team scored a second-period goal before a scoreless third period.

Slap shots

• The Predators will play their 11th game in 21 days Thursday night, against San Jose.

The Predators also have the added twist of their second straight series with a California team after knocking off Anaheim. That turns days when the series switches cities into travel days featuring long flights.

“We really haven’t practiced in a long time,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “I’m not sure that we’ll get to one unless we catch a break for a couple days. … Rest trumps everything now.”

• Blues tough guy Ryan Reaves blew a kiss to the Dallas bench after late fisticuffs in Game 3 of their second-round series.

“I think the players note that, ” Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said Wednesday. “Our guys were embarrassed …and that’s stuff you take to heart. That’s stuff you use. ”