This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Capitals-Bruins game on October 12, 2022.
After being first-rounded for a fourth consecutive year, the Washington Capitals are back for a new season. (Shoutout to Ethan and his toy trucks for keeping me busy.) The Capitals will host the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena for their Home Opener. While the Capitals’ roster has a new look, it’s just as stinkin’ old as last year.
What to look for? The Capitals have a bunch of new guys. Here are their jersey numbers. Over the offseason, the Capitals axed their two-headed young goalie monster and acquired two veterans, which will hopefully lower our collective blood pressures this year. The Caps now sport 2022 Stanley Cup champion goaltender and generally smiley person, Darcy Kuemper. The mustachioed Charlie Lindgren will serve as Kuemper’s backup. On offense, the Capitals will look to replace injured forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson with Dylan Strome and Connor Brown. The biggest surprise of Training Camp was Aliaksei Protas who will skate on a super lorge second line.
Alex Ovechkin will also continue his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s once-thought-impossible-to-catch goals record. After scoring 50 goals last season, Ovechkin sits at 780 and trails second-place Gordie Howe by 21. If Ovi can score 50 again, he will have the most 50-goal season in NHL history.
Tonight’s game will be on national TV and can be viewed on TNT. Sure, we might be Joe B and Locker-less, but we’ll get them tomorrow night on NBC Sports Washington against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pregame Links
- The Capitals walked the red carpet before the game
- A+ Connor Mc shoutout
- Protas gets a jersey, McMichael scratched
- Capitals upcoming milestones
- New food at Capital One Arena
- Capitals have the second oldest roster in the NHL
- Carl Hagelin’s hip surgery
- Alex Alexeyev’s complicated roster situation
- Ilya Samsonov to start against WSH on Thursday
- Capitals Opening Night roster
- AJF + Leason claimed
Game 1 Lines
1st Period
The Capitals started Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Brown and Fehervary-Carlson.
The Capitals got the game’s first power play 2:37 into the game after Brandon Carlo tripped TJ Oshie. The Capitals were unable to convert, but the units overall looked more nimble.
🚨 1-0 Boston: Patrice Bergeron scored on the Bruins’ first power play after Evgeny Kuznetsov took a high-sticking penalty. Bergeron, unmarked, scored in front of the net after a big rebound from Darcy Kuemper. (GIF here) The goal was assisted by David Pastrnak and David Krejci.
🚨 2-0 Boston: Darcy Kuemper surrendered his first bad goal of a year, allowing David Pastrnak to beat him five hole in the slot. The goal came at the 15:03 mark. Video here.
The Boston Bruins outshot the Capitals 15 to 12 in the first period. 5v5 shot attempts were 16-16, but the Bruins had a bigger edge in scoring chances, 11-8, and high-danger chances, 3-1.
2nd Period
Aliaksei Protas looked like he scored less than two minutes into the second period, but officials on the ice said no goal. Protas’s deflection bid (it might have hit a Bruins player) hit off the crossbar and bounced out via the crease. Bruins starting goaltender Jake DeBrusk left the game after being hit by Erik Gustafsson and landing on his left shoulder. The Capitals began the game (23 mins in) 5 for 18 at the faceoff circle.
🚨 3-0 Boston: Yikes! Taylor Hall finds the back of the twine on a four-on-two break where Martin Fehervary was stickless. David Pastrnak has a point on all three tallies. The goal was scored at the 7:34 mark of the period.
🚨 3-1 Boston: The Capitals answer back one minute and 20 seconds later. Anthony Mantha scored on a two-on-one break after Dylan Strome toe-drags the Bruins defense. It’s Strome’s first point as a Capital.
🚨 3-2 Boston: After a good chance for Pastrnak at the other end (that was blocked by Conor Sheary), Sheary beat Linus Ullmark five-hole on a three-on-two break. The Capitals are back in this game after scoring two goals in 5:09. Video here.
An amazing stat shared by TNT. Alex Ovechkin was on the ice for 93.5 percent of the Capitals’ minutes on the power play last year. The next closest player was Leon Draisaitl (83.4%).
Period over. The Bruins still have the edge in shots on goal, 23-22. The Capitals are throwing the body a lot, edging out the Bruins in hits, 37-24. The Caps are 0-4 on their power play attempts.
3rd Period
Evgeny Kuznetsov started the period nearly scoring with a huge shot down the wing. The Capitals responded by giving up two consecutive power play attempts to the Bruins.
Bruins starting goaltender Jake DeBrusk will not return tonight due to an upper-body injury.
🚨 4-2 Boston: David Krejci scored on a rebound after John Carlson stops skating and didn’t backcheck. Video here.
The Capitals pulled Darcy Kuemper with a little over 3 minutes left.
🚨 5-2 Boston: Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindolm scores from way downtown on the Capitals’ empty net.
Tough loss. The Capitals didn’t play as bad as the final score suggested but an L is an L.
The Capitals outshot the Bruins 35-30 overall and were the better team at 5v5, out-attempting the Bruins 47-41. The Capitals went 0-4 on the power play.
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