The Washington Capitals finally met the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time this season, which is good because I was worried they’d get better before it happened. That turns out not to be the case, so here’s the story of how the Caps got two points off the Flyera.
Tom Wilson put the Caps on the scoreboard by tipping in Jakub Vrana’s pass from the goal mouth. Jakub Voracek replied with a fine goal after an unfortunate turnover by Michal Kempny.
In the second period, TJ Oshie slayed his mini-slump by deflecting a point shot from Lars Eller to restore the Caps lead. Vrana doubled that lead with a solo rush goal created from a turnover he forced, then he added a power-play goal just for fun.
The Flyers pushed hard late in the third, paying off in a greasy goal for Wayne Simmonds. In a chaotic final couple minutes Claude Giroux one-timed a goal to make it close, but Oshie sunk an empty-netter right afterwards.
Caps win 5-3!
- Jakub Vrana recorded his third career multi-goal game, with his last one coming against Vegas at the beginning of December. His first goal of the game was also his fourth career unassisted goal, and that’s what I wanna talk about now.
- Vrana has had a reputation for being defensively irresponsible, and it’s undeserved. Rather than frame his solo effort to force a turnover and score as some “complete player” rehabilitation, I’d prefer if pundits would look inward. Kid’s a gamer.
- Tom Wilson can’t stop. (Except Wilson missed a shift in third period after blocking a shot, so maybe he can stop. Anyway, he is fine. He even added an empty-net goal that got waved off for being offside.)
- My pals at RMNB like to make whimsical, blustery comments like “Tom Wilson is on a 40-goal pace if he were to play a full season” or “Jakub Vrana could be a 40-goal scorer someday!” Y’all: naw. To score 40 goals, you need to either a) take 250-plus shots in a season, or b) be Bill Karlsson last year. Vrana might — might — hit 180 shots this season. Pump the brakes, bros.
- Wilson (23 games played) and Vrana (42 games played) now trail Alex Ovechkin for the team’s lead in scoring. It is buckwild to me that these are the three names leading the Caps in goals in the year of our lord 2019.
- Obligatory bullet for for TJ Oshie’s two-goal game.
- Devante Smith-Pelly did not like how Radko Gudas hit Nic Dowd early in the third and fought to express his displeasure. The hit was fine, by the way, and DSP was assessed an extra roughing penalty.
- Brooks Orpik served a penalty for a clean hit. Andre Burakovsky served a penalty because a Flyer held his stick. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Orpik wasn’t at fault for his penalty, but also he did not have a good game. I don’t want to talk about it, but it was not good. He probably scored Simmonds’ goal for him. I don’t want to talk about it. Just drop it.
- Philly iced their seventh goalie of the season, journeyman Mike McKenna, who came darn close to having a save percentage above 85 but then I guess his Flyers jersey got in the way? That time is constitutionally incapable of having good goaltending.
- Some of you may have come here for me to unpack what happened with the no-goal then the Flyers penalties in the final two minutes of the game. I have no idea what happened. Hockey is just professional calvinball; they are just making this stuff up as they go.
- Lest it go unappreciated, Pheonix Copley was excellent in net for the Caps, turning away more than 35 shots. That’s a busy night. Well done.
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsFlyers Moar violet. Moar violence. pic.twitter.com/k2PoSkaw29
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 9, 2019
This was a fine game. Watching this game was a much better use of your time than watching any other DC-based television events.
The Caps head up to Boston now. The Bs are looking mighty right now. Should be another good one. Definitely don’t watch the news instead.
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Flyers
Headline photo: Patrick McDermott
