Nicklas Backstrom played the hero in the Capitals’ 3-2 shootout victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

He also got to eavesdrop on Sidney Crosby as the Penguins captain chatted with a linesman after the game.

“At the conclusion of the shootout, Crosby skated directly over to linesman Andrew Smith to have some words,” RMNB’s Alan Dobbins, who saw the interaction live, said. “While the Capitals celebrated their win, their attention went towards Crosby, the lone Penguin who was still on the ice. Crosby skated with the linesman the majority of the way across the ice while drawing the eye of a bunch of Capitals players like Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, Anthony Mantha, and Garnet Hathaway. They hovered nearby listening to the conversation. Crosby eventually parted and the Caps then saluted their fans at center ice.”

The photos of the incident are fun.

It’s unclear what Crosby wanted to chat about, but it could have been a play in overtime where Lars Eller hauled him down to the ice. He also got his stick broken in half during a faceoff earlier in the night with no call.

In the locker room, Crosby was asked by reporters if the two teams understood the importance of this game in the standings. His response began with a sassy remark toward the refereeing.

“I think the officials would, too, right?” he said. “The urgency, the desperation, the intensity was there. I think that has to be expected.”

Crosby ended the night with an assist and five shots on goal in 21:04 of ice time. But with the extra point in the shootout, the Capitals took sole possession of the first wild card spot in the East.

Photos: Alan Dobbins/RMNB