PITTSBURGH — Conor Sheary and Jakub Vrana scored in the second period, and the Washington Capitals stopped a four-game slide by topping the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Lars Eller also scored for Washington, and Vitek Vanecek stopped 26 shots in his 11th straight start.

Pittsburgh won its first five games at home, including three against the Capitals. Zach Aston-Reese set a career high with his third goal in as many games, and Tristan Jarry made 39 saves for the Penguins.

Washington allowed 22 goals during its losing streak. That included six on Sunday against Pittsburgh in the Capitals’ first game in a week thanks to a series of COVID-19-related postponements.

The Capitals were at full strength Sunday after three-plus weeks of COVID-19 roster disruptions. They looked the part two nights later, securing their first win this month.

After an even first period, the Capitals scored twice and outshot the Penguins 18-5 in the second.

Sheary, who spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, opened the scoring at 4:52 with his third goal of the season. Sheary took a pass from Richard Panik and beat Jarry with a glove-side wrist shot from the bottom of the circle.