Photo: Patrick McDermott
The night after the Capitals beat the Flyers in a feisty game in which stuff happened, they returned to their home barn looking to extend their winning streak to two games.
The game was super boring and extremely even until Sam Bennett spun Jason Chimera like a top and fed the puck to Michael Frolik for a wrist shot goal from the slot.
Early in the third, Flames added a goal another goal from the slot, this time by Sean Monahan. A few minutes later, the Capitals got back in the game with an actual goal by Michael Latta. Suddenly the game became watchable. Jay Beagle rewarded everybody for paying attention with a tally with less than five minutes left, tying the game. The game went to 3-on-3, where Monahan scored again. Barry Trotz tried to challenge, because that’s a thing he can do now. It didn’t work. Flames beat Caps 3-2 (OT).
- After being terrible all season, Jay Beagle and Jason Chimera have been pulled above water by Justin Williams. After the first period, Beagle and Chimera had the best on-ice shot attempt differentials on anyone on either team. Beagle even ignored those newfangled number things and scored a goal. They are no longer a liability — usually. Chimera got smoked by Sam Bennett on the game’s only goal.
- Speaking of turnarounds, Andre Burakovsky‘s game is once again on fleek. The Swede line was driving play, with a near goal or two. Welcome back to being good. He was also on the ice for a goal with the fourth line with Wilson in the box, and one with the third, and took some shifts with the first line late in the game.
- Burakovsky took those shifts because the TJ Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin line was horrid. Their possession numbers were ugly for the second straight game and Trotz was right to flip things around.
- Tom Wilson has been taking some mindless penalties lately, clearly searching for his first fight of the season. Tonight he got it. Mercifully, he helped his team in the process. Wilson goaded Brandon Bolling into roughing him up before dropping the gloves. If the former first round pick is going to play on the fourth line, this is what we want to see. The Capitals went on the power play (which looked awful) at a critical point in the game.
- Once again, Nate Schmidt was masterful, sublime, inspired, and good at hockey. Play him. Always.
- Michael Latta scored his first goal since November 15, 2013. Even Ian Oland math can confirm that was a long time ago. Ketchup.
- Phillip Grubauer was sporting a nasty looking left eye after taking a stick to eye in practice. Barry Trotz, however, insisted he could see, giving him his first start in two weeks. He was fine.
- Congrats to RMNB reader (we sponsor him now so he has to say that) Ryan Ellis, who qualified for his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup race tonight at Phoenix International Raceway.
The Flames are a bad team. While the Capitals played last night, so did Calgary. The Capitals dominated the third period, but they were already down by two goals. They salvaged a point and they’ll get to go to a casino tomorrow. It’s just sports.
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