The Caps kicked off a five game homestand against the Kings on Thursday night.
Evgeny Kuznetosov put the Caps up 1-0 in the first. The play was started by a great read and pinch by Dmitry Orlov in the neutral zone. Orlov fed Kuznetsov, who made quick work of the Kings goalie. Later in the first, Braden Holtby stopped Marian Gaborik on a breakaway but the Kings played a mean pinball on the rebound to tie the game at 1.
In the second period, that Kuznetsov guy scored again to put the Caps up 2-1. He looks like he might be a player in this league, but then the Kings scored two goals in nine seconds to take a 3-2 lead. Not great, Bob.
The Caps pushed back after the nine second lapse. They had chances. They came in waves at time. But they couldn’t tie the game. Gaborik and Toffoli added a pair of empty-net goals to ice this one.
Caps lose 5-2.
- This is a Dmitry Orlov appreciation bullet. The way this guy can make 100-foot breakout passes or skate the puck out of danger is a thing of beauty. Oh, and his 100th NHL point he notched tonight was pretty sweet.
- Wowzers, when Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie, and Jakub Vrana have the puck in the offensive zone, it’s so much fun to watch. The skill and puck pursuit these three bring as a trio makes them a joy to watch. They totally owned Drew Doughty tonight head-to-head.
- Do you think Lars Eller is upset that he’s centering the team’s first fourth line?
- The Caps second fourth line, the Jay Beagle line, got pinned in repeatedly tonight. This happened at least twice while out with Brooks Orpik and John Carlson. Perhaps the team should try to avoid having this group of five on ice together.
- In others words, there’s a huge gap between the Caps top-six and bottom-six. It’s evident some nights more than others. Tonight was one of those nights.
- Cara was on the teevee tonight
hi @carabahniuk 👋 pic.twitter.com/Fc5sulOaud
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 1, 2017
- Peter did not enjoy the second period as much as the first:
That period was exactly half as fun as the first.
— Peter Hassett (@peterhassett) December 1, 2017
- When the game began, Christian Djoos was paired with Madison Bowey on the third pair. As the game went on, Djoos spent much of his evening with John Carlson. This is good, friends. This is very good. Orlov-Niskanen, Djoos-Carlson, and Orpik-Bowey are the ideal pairings for this group of six.
- Deep thoughts from Cara’s dad:
“They have a Dowd and a Doughty? Where is the doubter?” – my Dad on the LA Kings players names
— cara (@carabahniuk) December 1, 2017
Joe B suit of the night
Not a bad game by the guys in red but they were undone by a couple quick goals in the second period. On to the next one we go.
Full Coverage of Caps vs Kings
Headline image: Patrick McDermott
