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Shorthanded but still successful: Capitals beat Jets 5-2

By Chris Cerullo

 2 Comments

December 17, 2021 10:34 pm

The Washington Capitals traveled into Canada, which is a dangerous situation in itself at the moment, to take on the Winnipeg Jets in the newly named Canada Life Centre. They did so without three of their regular centers.

Brett Leason opened the scoring, beating Connor Hellebuyck fivehole from the slot. Daniel Sprong doubled the Caps lead with a wicked wrister. Brenden Dillon scored one of his rare goals, flinging a seeing-eye wrister to the top corner over a screened Vitek Vanecek.

Josh Morrissey fired one home on a power play to tie the game at two. Conor Sheary broke the tie, jamming home a loose puck in the crease. Michael Sgarbossa and Alex Ovechkin added empty netters.

Capitals beat Jets 5-2!

  • The first period was bizarre. It barely felt like either team was playing defense but at the same time, none of the chances felt like grade-A opportunities. At the end of the day, with this lineup, I don’t really care about this individual game’s stats. Just find a way to get at least a point (they did more than that but no spoilers).
  • Alex Ovechkin was absolutely berating Daniel Sprong on the bench at the end of the first frame. Not something we haven’t seen before as him screaming at Ilya Samsonov was highly publicized last season. Captain stuff. Maybe Daniel was trying to tell him Spider-Man spoilers.
  • The power play sucks when the actual most talented offensive players are on it so I kinda expected them to do what they did tonight…which was nothing.

  • The Caps scored two goals in the second but then just absolutely put the brakes on for some reason. I did not like how they played after going up two and a Jets goal seemed inevitable. Without some Vitek Vanecek heroics, this game is at least tied through forty minutes.
  • Brett Leason has one of the best nicknames in hockey as the “Landlord” and apparently the rent was due in Winnipeg as he potted his third career NHL goal. More rookie goal-scoring help this season for the Caps. I’ll take some more of that.
  • Remember when Ovi was screaming at Sprong at the end of the first? Well, whatever it was worked because Sprong now has goals in back-to-back games. Ovi gave him a huge hug in the celebration.
  • Brenden Dillon can apparently score goals. He grabbed his first of the season, of course, against his former team.

  • The third felt like a tremendous response to me by a shorthanded Caps team. Great stuff, fantastic, fantastic win.
  • I was very critical of Michael Sgarbossa in the last recap and he responded by looking much more active in this game and recorded two points, one being the empty netter to seal things.
  • Vitek Vanecek was phenomenal. Truly a superb performance from VV with 40 stops on 42 shots.

Next up for the Caps they’ll…hopefully?…be traveling home and taking on the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings just played the COVID-ridden Florida Panthers so that should be great.

Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports Washington

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