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That’s more like it: Caps beat Avs 5-2

By Patrick Holden (@russianmachine) on December 12, 2017 | 0 Comment

Coming off a loss on Monday night to the Islanders, the Caps hosted the Avs on Tuesday night. The Avs smoked the Caps last month so the dudes in red were looking for revenge.

Jakub Vrana got the party going early with a great snipe off a beautiful pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov.

The Caps killed off a penalty to start the second. But just a few minutes later Colin Wilson found himself alone in front and he tied the game at 1. If you managed to stay awake through the bulk of the second, you saw a John Carlson blast give the Caps a 2-1 lead late in the period.

About six minutes into the third, Brett Connolly ripped a shot from the Ovi spot to put the Caps up 3-1. The teams played at four-on-four late in the third and the Caps took advantage. Kuznetsov made yet another beautiful pass, this time setting up Matt Niskanen, who put the Caps up 4-1. Tyson Jost added a late goal to pull the Avs within two. And then DSP added an empty net goal for the home team.

Caps win 5-2.

  • The skill on the Caps first goal was great to watch. Evgeny Kuznetsov showed so much patience and then made a nice dish to Jakub Vrana. Vrana then picked the corner to give the Caps a lead. That line will be even more dangerous when TJ Oshie returns.
  • Other than that goal, the first period was pretty uneventful. But Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov owned the puck. The Caps had 11 shots attempts to just one for the Avs when the top pairing was on the ice in the first period.
  • Tom Wilson’s forechecking game has been fantastic lately. He’s doing a lot of the things that make Oshie relentless in puck pursuits. Oshie is really smart with his stick when forechecking and Wilson has been doing more of that lately. Even if he isn’t in position to make body contact, or his momentum is carrying him away from the puck, he gets his stick in a lane or on the puck more often than most players.
  • A night after a lackadaisical defensive performance against the Islanders, the Caps team defense was much better tonight, particularly in the first period.
  • When defensive lapses occurred, Braden Holtby stood tall. He’s good.
  • Last season, the Caps third line was arguably the best third line in hockey. The trio has been reunited lately and, while they aren’t producing or performing quite like they did last season, there have been glimpses of the magic returning. Lars Eller was especially good tonight.
  • Ian with a correct tweet during the second period before the Caps second goal:

  • Did the Orioles trade Manny Machado yet?
  • Surprisingly, the Caps didn’t completely turtle in the third. That’s always nice to see and it was even nicer to see them get rewarded when Matt Niskanen made it 4-1.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Avalanche

Headline image: Rob Carr

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