Intoxicating: Caps Beat Jets 5-3

November 25, 2015 10:33 pm

Photo: Alex Brandon

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Okay, we got that out of the way. Two nights after not playing the Edmonton Oilers, the Caps looked to get back on track against Winnipeg Jets (née A Team Nobody Cared About).

It took just 1:12 for the Capitals to match their goal total from Monday as Justin Williams converted in front after John Carlson got low. Five minutes later the Jets got on the board after Washington left Tyler Myers untouched in the high slot. The Jets, who had just six shots in the first, got their second when Andrew Ladd, also relatively unfettered, fired a puck past Braden Holtby. The Capitals tied with a guy named Alex Ovechkin, who now has many goals in his career.

In the second, the Capitals took the lead with an exquisite pass from Nate Schmidt to Nicklas Backstrom for a tip-in tally. The Jets got one back with a snipe from our ex Mathieu Perreault, a great player with fantastic facial hair. Then Dmitry Orlov unleashed a brilliant shot, which is perhaps something you’ve seen lately, for Washington’s fourth. Evgeny Kuznetsov added the nail in the third. Caps beat Jets 5-3.

It is nice for Dmitry Orlov to have functioning joints. Dima scored his third goal in as many games, all coming off great shots. Orlov, as usual, tilted the ice for his team as well. His four game points streak also ties a career best.
The Jets are the most penalized team in the NHL, with 122 penalties in 22 games coming into tonight. Their penalty kill is also terrible, giving up five goals in their last three games. Make that six goals in four games. Alex Ovechkin added just his second power play goal of the season with a top shelf snipe after some lovely footwork to put the puck on his blade.
Ovechkin, by the way, was basically a pitching machine in the first, with a ridiculous 7 shots on goal, mostly during his three minutes of power play time. The team had 15 total in the frame. Ovechkin also had eight scoring chances in the first period. His season high was nine. Ovi now has 85 points in 58 games against the Jets franchise, which is a meaningless stat. Fifteen shot attempts. Masterful performance.
John Carlson, who has kinda struggled this season, is finally racking up some points. He assisted on both first period tallies for his third point in as many games. J-Car had just one in eight games prior to that.
Nate Schmidt. Your hero. Pat Holden’s crush. Proud American.
Evengy Kuznetsov is really mastering that whole skate a lap around the offensive zone thing. Also a goal and two assists, his favorite stat line. He was also Washington’s worst possession player. So Kuz.
I’ve been hard on Tom Wilson lately, but he was good tonight. Willy drew two penalties, one of which led to a Caps goal, and two key blocks on the penalty kill.