The Caps ended their three game road swing with a trip to Detroit, hoping to gain at least one win to start 2019 and #CapricornSzn right. Here’s how it all went down.
After a scramble in front of Jimmy Howard, #TopLineTom cashed in on a rebound off a deft Evgeny Kuznetsov pass. Anthony Mantha and his gargantuan reach stole the puck from Jakub Vrana and slid the puck around Braden Holtby to tie it. In a sluggish start to the second, a plodding back check from the Caps led to a Filip Hronek tip in from Dylan Larkin’s cross-ice feed. The Caps didn’t convert on a power play to start the third, but Travis Boyd was able to to pull the Caps even with just over ten minutes left. With the game going full slog, Michal Kempny but the good guys up with a floater from the point. TJ Oshie went to the box for slashing to make things interesting in the dying minutes, but the Wings couldn’t convert.
Caps WIN 3-2!
- The last time the Caps took on the Wings, it was RMNB’s birthday and Alex Ovechkin gifted the blog a hat trick. That was very much not the case today when after a solid first period, it looked like everyone took a NyQuil and it went straight to their legs. The Caps were lucky to get out of this game with a win, because they sure didn’t play well for most of it.
- Peter mentioned in his halfway review of the defense that it miiiiight not be entirely the defenses fault for some scary looking heat maps in front the Caps net, specifically when Evgeny Kuznetsov is on the ice as their center. In this game, Kuzy responded with his 300th point, and in front of his own net on defense he looked decent, but he also seemed lacking on the back check that led directly to Hronek’s goal in the second. Kuzy’s brilliance in the offensive zone is great, but defensively he needs to step up, plain and simple.
- Thomas Vanek celebrated his 1000th game today, even though it was actually game 1001 for him. Naturally everyone on the Caps tried to make it extra special by gifting him opportunities that he couldn’t bury. No more of that please.
- Chris mentioned in his numbers for the morning after post that Washington’s power play was 1 for 27 through the Dallas game and hasn’t converted in eight of their last nine games. Against Detroit’s positively horrendous 77 percent penalty kill unit, the Caps squandered all their opportunities, although the second one seemed decent. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of zone entries, teams trying to cut Nick Backstrom off more, or something else, but it needs to get fixed stat.
- For todays obligatory Mike Green bullet, he didn’t play today due to an ankle injury. Plz be ok bb.
- Alan May is still dissatisfied with the ice conditions on the road. Maybe the ice at Cap One is better??
With an assist on Tom Wilson's goal, Evgeny Kuznetsov has recorded his 300th career point (87g, 213a). He's the 25th player in franchise history to record 300 points.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) January 6, 2019
Just chatting with Chris Draper on the elevator nbd. pic.twitter.com/mHxjgVkIEC
— Knuble’s Knights Remix 📢 🚨 📢 🚨 (@tjyoshie77) January 6, 2019
Let's go live to Alex Ovechkin for an update on how the Caps powerplay is doing pic.twitter.com/Va3FdqajkX
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 7, 2019
Joe B Suit of the Early Evening/Late Afternoon
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsWings Fuscia and pink oh my! pic.twitter.com/feIGxenqjM
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 6, 2019
That was a brutal game from start to finish, and with their upcoming schedule, the Caps need to put forth a better effort. They’ll finally get a reprieve from the road when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Tuesday night, only to go back on the road Thursday against the Bruins.
Headline photo: NBC Sports Washington
