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Happy Capsgiving: Caps beat Panthers 4-3

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The Washington Capitals hosted Brett Connolly back home for the first time since the forward signed with the Florida Panthers over the offseason. Conno was mean and scored against the Caps.

After a bunch of early penalties, the Capitals got on the board first via a fancy Alex Ovechkin goal. Conno tied it the next period, beating Braden Holtby on a breakaway. Richard Panik, who was probably offside, lobbed a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky in the final minute of the second period, but the Capitals let the Panthers tie it 22 seconds later. In the third, Lars Eller potted a Jakub Vrana rebound, and Brendan Leipsic scored on a breakaway. Vincent Trochek got the Panthers within one, but that’s all she wrote.

Caps beat Panthers 4-3.

Goals/Highlights

Alex Ovechkin, 1-0 Caps

Brett Connolly, 1-1

Richard Panik, 2-1 Caps

Mike Hoffman, 2-2

Lars Eller, 3-2 Caps

Brendan Leipsic, 4-2 Caps

Vincent Trocheck, 4-3 Caps

Additional notes

  • Several of my friends texted me with sad emoji after the Capitals aired a tribute video for Brett Connolly. Conno’s story is a good one. The former sixth overall pick of Tampa Bay could not figure things out during his time with the Lightning and the Boston Bruins. His career looked over at that point. But Capitals GM Brian MacLellan took a flier on the right wing and gave Connolly a shot as a bottom-six forward in Washington. And under the guidance of both Barry Trotz and Todd Reirden, Connolly blossomed and became a bona fide 20-goal scorer from the third line. He was a big reason why the Capitals won a Stanley Cup in 2018. Since arriving in Florida, Connolly is getting top-six minutes and power-play time. Connolly is on pace to hit 30 goals-plus. I could not be happier for him.

  • Capitals’ goaltending coach Scott Murray must noticed something in pregame scouting, because the Capitals tried to beat Sergei Bobrovsky five-hole all night. Both Capitals’ skill goals, Ovechkin and Leipsic’s tallies from the slot, both beat Bob down low.
  • The Capitals were lucky to win. The Panthers outshot the Capitals in shots 40-20 and buried them in shot attempts and scoring chances.
  • Did tonight’s officiating crew pick on Evgeny Kuznetsov? In the second period, Kuzy got a holding minor for Frank Vatrano obstructing him into the boards. The two players wrestled on the ice. How this wasn’t matching minors, I don’t know. Later in the third, Kuzy took a diving penalty, which was debatable.
  • Hey! Are you coming to our party December 9?

Joe B Suit Of The Night

In closing, I want to share a personal story. Tuesday night, I drove up to Giant Center for a ceremony honoring the life of Gregg Mace. The local broadcaster passed away Saturday at the age of 65. Kyle Mace, who was one of our contributors in the early days of RMNB, closed out the ceremony with a speech for his dad. He didn’t cry. He delivered a touching tribute for his father in front of hundreds of media people and the entire Hershey Bears roster. I couldn’t keep it together myself.

Read his speech here.

I was so proud of Kyle and the adult he has turned out to be. I felt so lucky to know Gregg and learn from him as a journalist. The night reminded me of how precious life is. When you’re with your family tomorrow for Thanksgiving, don’t shy away from expressing the love you have for them. Give them a hug. Thank them for what they’ve done for you. Every day is precious and we’re all lucky to be here.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Panthers

Headline photo: NBC Sports Washington

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