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Bounce back complete: Caps beat Kings 3-2

By Chris Cerullo

 2 Comments

February 19, 2019 12:56 am

The Washington Capitals were in Los Angeles at Staples Center tonight to match up with the Kings in what needed to be a bounce back performance for a Caps team that got steamrolled a night before in Anaheim. Were they able to come up with the much needed two points?

Alex Ovechkin got things started in the right direction, firing home from his office on the power play and Brett Connolly drifted through the slot with a tip-in to give the Caps a 2-0 lead after twenty minutes. Ovi did that thing again on the power play to extend the lead further.

Alex Iafallo got one back for the Kings. Ilya Kovalchuk added another.

Caps beat Kings 3-2!

  • Caps first period had a whole lot of luck involved, but they came out with a 2-0 lead and that’s really all we can ask for. I think they did a decent job at limiting those rush chances, but the Kings got a whole lot of traffic to the net during their zone time and it was giving Pheonix Copley fits. This game could have easily been 2-2 at the break.
  • Everyone make sure to check out our insta story (@rmnb_blog) tonight as our own Cara Bahniuk continues checking NHL arena’s off her list in Los Angeles. Dope content from a dope human.
  • This bullet has nothing to do with hockey, but if you’re a pro wrestling fan you’ll appreciate it (so probably two of you). Tonight’s crowd in Lafayette, Louisiana for Monday Night Raw was appallingly quiet when they were hand delivered the most exciting show in quite some time. I’m venting here because I can.

  • Second period was boring with a hint or two of some Kings offensive zone scariness. Boring is good when you have a 3-0 lead though and some bright spots from individual Caps players are welcome too.
  • Alex Ovechkin scored his 41st and 42nd goals of the season. He’s now on pace for 57 goals this season, a total he has not seen in his career since he scored 65 in 2007-08. Dude is 33.
  • Jakub Vrana used his effective speed, a concept I discussed in one of my recent morning numbers posts, to draw the two power plays that Ovi converted on. V has been using his speed to create havoc for defenses all season and long may it continue.
  • Some potentially scary injury news was avoided when Andre Burakovsky returned for the third period after leaving in the second due to blocking an Ilya Kovalchuk shot with his arm/hand.

  • Third period felt a little turtley and the Kings kinda took it to the Caps by design…I guess. Other than that, got nothing for ya. This was a boring game, but if boring equals two points, give me the Trigonometry of a hockey season.
  • There were a lot of celebs in house for this game. Bill Hader, Jessica Alba, and Jack Barakat from All Time Low all were caught catching some hockey on a Monday night/Tuesday morning.
  • Cara said that it sounded like Kings fans were saying “No means no” instead of “Go Kings go” and I could only hear the former for the rest of the game. What a progressive hockey crowd.
  • Said crowd also called a penalty on Ovi because the refs decided to cede all responsibility for a quick second in the third.
  • Fantastic late penalty kill from the Caps. Special teams really won this game. First Caps win in LA since December 14, 2005.

Next up for the Caps is a return to the East, but not a return home. They will be flying into Toronto to take on the high flying Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Go Caps go.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Kings

Headline photo: Katharine Lotze

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