The Washington Capitals did a lot right against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, but they blew it with some sloppy play in their own zone and a sub-par night from goalie Vitek Vanecek.
Justin Schultz, in his first game back from injury, kicked off scoring by setting up TJ Oshie for a power-play goal. Kasperi Kapenen tied the score at one after a rare bad turnover from Nicklas Backstrom.
In the second period, Frederick Gaudreau put Pittsburgh temporarily in the lead until Dmitry Orlov’s mondo slapshot restored the tie thirty seconds later. Then Daniel Sprong put the Caps up only to have Zach Aston-Reese keep it tied after two periods.
Kapanen’s second goal of the game was a stunning rush to give Pittsburgh the lead halfway through the third period. With 14 seconds left in regulation, Tom Wilson scored from the slot to force overtime.
Guentzel won it in overtime, but oh well. The Caps are going to the postseason.
Caps lose.
- Up and down the lineup, I really liked most of Washington’s play in this one. They played heavy and they were active on offense. Buuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttttt
- A handful of lapses in the defensive zone (Backstrom and Orlov each did beef-ups) cost the Caps in pivotal moments. Then, when they really needed him to, Vitek Vanecek didn’t make a crucial save. This could have and should have been a lopsided scoreboard kind of night.
- I’m not a Sidney Crosby hater by trade, but I can’t myself: the one time the camera caught him on the bench, he was acting like a pissant. Crosby’s line saw a ton of Lars Eller’s line, who did great in the assignment. Garnet Hathaway also appeared to catch the ire of Sid a few times, delighting me endlessly.
- Picking up Sid’s slack was Kasperi Kapanen, who scored two goals — one gorgeous one on the rush for the late lead.
- Justin Schultz hadn’t played in 11 days, so he made up for lost time with two big assists.
- Daniel Sprong has scored four goals in three games. The four minutes I spent making this video were a good investment. Meanwhile, Anthony Mantha is a 👻.
- Pens forward Evan Rodrigues took a friendly fire shot to the ankle and left the game in the first period. I hope that’s not as bad as it looked, because it looked to me like the last play of Rodrigues’s season.
- Tom Wilson got you McNuggets with a six-on-five goal. I don’t eat McNuggets, but you do you.
- My vibe towards fan in stands is improving. Vaccination numbers are a big part of that, but also Nic Dowd being a cool dude.
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsPens Navy blue and bronze with a white collar. This is art, @JoeBpXp. pic.twitter.com/fOLgptkb61
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 29, 2021
The Isles beat up the Rangers, so Tom Wilson’s last-minute goal push the Caps into overtime and punched the team’s ticket to the postseason. Even with big pieces missing and two not-ideal options in net, I am really happy with how the Caps have played lately. We’ll get another look at ’em on Saturday night with a rematch against the Pens.
Headline photo: @lottapub
