Photo: Monumental Network
The imposters dressed as the Washington Capitals did not play up to their kidnapping victims’ standards on Sunday afternoon. Hosting the vastly inferior Philadelphia Flyers (at least, inferior when compared to the real Capitals), the fake Capitals seemed stuck in the mud. Even with a ton of power-play opportunities, the Copita1s couldn’t win this one.
Mark Streit beat Braden Holtby with a deflection late in the first period to put the Flyers up. That lead held for most of the second period, until Alex Ovechkin scored a power-play goal with an Ovi shot from the Ovi spot.
Wayne Simmonds scored the game-winner for the Flyers with a great release (and bad coverage by Alzner) just four minutes into the third. Then Jakub Voracek got an empty netter. The Caps played like a butt.
Flyers beat Caps 3-1. Philadelphia phugly.
- The Capitals went 11:57 to start the game without a single shot attempt, including two power plays in which the Flyers, down a man, outplayed the home team. That’s probably the best way to sum up how bad Washington was today.
- Matt Niskanen‘s fight with Scott Laughton confuses me. Laughton asked permission to punish Niskanen for a clean, unpenalized hit from weeks back that Laughton previously admitted was clean. That hit gave Laughton a concussion, and so Laughton demanded that Niskanen punch him in the face. Niskanen politely obliged. Afterwards, Laughton thanked Niskanen for the mutual face-punching. There is so much about this culture I do not understand. They’re like Klingons to me.
Not only is it ridiculous for anyone to expect anyone to have to answer for a clean hit, Laughton's timing poor. His team had momentum. Had.
— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) February 8, 2015
- Aside from Niskanen’s fight, the Flyers were the only team on the naughty side of Tim Peel’s whistle for six straight penalties. The Caps were mostly toothless on those power plays until Alex Ovechkin broke the tedium as a two-man advantage expired. I suspect the Flyers truly were the more undisciplined team, but it’s probably also likely that Tim Peel was again awful– just in our favor this time.
- The Flyers finally got a power play late. Tom Wilson boarded Matt Read with 1:13 left in the game, blowing the Caps’ chance of a comeback. Why is Tom shoving players’ heads into the boards, albeit relatively gently. Why is Tom even playing with 1:13 left in this game? Exasperated shrug.
- The Capitals got two shots during their 5v4 power plays. The Flyers got two shots during those same power plays. So unspeakably bad I’d prefer if we don’t speak about it.
- This lady. I don’t get this lady.
- Steve Mason left the game with some kind of knee injury. I have no idea what happened– play was away from him before he left. Noted asshole Ray Emery took over in relief, surrendering a goal to his better, Alex Ovechkin, soon after.
- Like every other human not wearing orange or on the Flyers payroll, Barry Trotz didn’t like what he saw from his Capitals early in this game. To make things better (?), Trotz put Jay Beagle on the top line. This is more confusing to me than the fighting culture thing. Beagle’s success seems to be a lasting triumph of style over substance, the sounding victory of how over how much.
- Marcus Johansson was back out on the top line in the third period. On his first shift he flanked Nick Backstrom, who lost an o-zone face-off to Sean Couturier, allowing Wayne Simmonds to cruise down the ice for the go-ahead goal. That’s a bad anecdote for a great line, and I fear Barry Trotz will weigh it heavily.
- Couturier gave Evgeny Kuznetsov a cheap shot to the shoulder with five minutes left in the game. The hit was away from the puck, but the referees’ lips were too chapped to blow the whistle. Kuzya, who has a history of shoulder injuries, looked shaken (shook? shaked?) up, but he stayed on the bench.
Joe B suit of the night
14 shots on goal? Yech.
I don’t want to talk about this game. This game was ugly and unfun. I wanna talk about Al Koken, who has been covering this team since there’s been a team to cover. Koken is as central to the Capitals identity as any weagle or horn blast. He’s been spitting knowledge from ice level for longer than most of us have been watching. I’ve been an avowed fan of Caps media forever, and Smokin’ Al is a big part of why. He’s like a giant from my childhood, still doing this thing after all these years, as good as ever.
Congratulations, Al. If you’re reading this and you still have one of those HTS blazers, hook me up.
