The tie extended Washington’s home unbeaten streak to a club-record 13 games. The Caps are 9-0-4 at the Capital Centre since Nov. 20, outscoring the opposition 63-43. The unbeaten string surpasses the previous high set in 1982, and marks the first time Washington has gone two straight months without a home loss.
“You have to have a good home record to be successful,” Washington’s Mike Ridley said. “You get your confidence at your own building.
On the down side, it was the fourth straight game that Washington blew a lead. The second-place Capitals haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since New Year’s Day, and still trail Pittsburgh by 17 points in the Patrick Division.
The Capitals led 2-1 with 15:59 left when Al Iafrate scored on the rebound of a shot by Dale Hunter during a delayed penalty. Pittsburgh tied it with 12:47 to go when Joe Mullen put a deflection of a slap shot by Jim Paek past goalie Don Beaupre.
Beaupre preserved the tie by stopping Jaromir Jagr on a blast from the left circle with three minutes left in overtime.
