WASHINGTON — Sidney Crosby again got the better of Alex Ovechkin, thanks to a rookie who put the puck into his own net with 28 seconds to play.

Nicklas Backstrom’s attempt to clear the puck went horribly wrong, providing the Pittsburgh Penguins with the winning goal in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

In a crowd in front of the crease, Backstrom looked as if he were wearing the wrong-colored jersey when he got his stick on a rebound and backhanded it past goalie Cristobal Huet.

Backstrom, who wasn’t available for comment after the game, was either hoping to push the puck gently to Huet or forcefully clear it to the side of the net.

Either way, he failed, and the goal was credited as an unassisted score for Crosby, who took the original shot. The puck was close to striking Crosby’s skate on the way into the net, but the Penguins star said he thought it went in clean off Backstrom’s stick.

“We’ve been on the other side of that before. Obviously, it’s not fun,” Crosby said. “It’s a big break for us.”

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