The Ottawa Senators are an insane 16-1-1 with the Hamburglar in net, so we knew before the game it’d take a herculean effort from the Washington Capitals to win. But instead, the Caps came out flat and made a myriad of mistakes. First, they gave up an early even-strength goal to young star Mark Stone after a bad shift change.
At this point, the Caps went HAM and took three minor penalties in 1:38.
Joel Ward, Goaltender Interference
Joel Ward started the penalty parade after crowding Andrew Hammond in his crease. As Mike Green made a strong move to the net, Wardo knocked Senators defenseman Marc Methot WWE-style into Hammond. Two minutes for goalie interference.
Eric Fehr, Hooking
One minute and 10 seconds later, while still killing off Wardo’s minor, Eric Fehr put his stick into Clarke MacArthur’s hands. Fehr was sent to the box for hooking. Wuh oh. A 50 second 5-on-3 power play awaited the Senators.
Braden Holtby, Delay of Game
Then to turn this episode from really bad into a complete disaster, Braden Holtby lobbed a loose puck over the glass 28 seconds later. That meant a 2:22 two-man advantage for Ottawa.
It was right at this point where the Senators started scoring at will. First, MacArthur scored on a perfectly placed wrist shot, right before Ward left the box. Because of the quick score, the Caps were still down two men. Eventually, Mika Zibanejad would score on a broken play in front of the net.
#Caps have been down 3-0 after one period three times all season. But two of them in the last five games. #CapsSens
— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) April 4, 2015
So on a night where the Caps could have clinched a playoff berth, they’re now allowing the Sens to claw back into the playoff race.
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