This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Capitals vs. Canucks game on October 17, 2022.
The Washington Capitals got their first win of the season against the Habs on Saturday. Now, can they turn that W into a streak?
They’ll try to do so against Bruce Boudreau’s Vancouver Canucks who are in town and desperate for a victory. Just like the Caps, the Canucks lost their first two games of the season, which includes an embarrassing L to the lowly Flyers on Saturday.
What to look for? Alex Ovechkin is goalless through the first three games of the season. And after a lot of thorough research, we learned it means… absolutely nothing! (Which is actually a good thing.) Ovechkin has been notoriously unstoppable against Boudreau teams in the past. Are we in for one of those signature Ovi performances?
Evgeny Kuznetsov may not play due to the dreaded and undefinable “maintenance” classification. If The Kuz can’t take the ice, Connor McMichael will get a jersey for the first time this season.
The Capitals will be wearing their navy blue alternates for the first time this season. I always tell my friends that if they say something positive out loud every day, they will start to believe it and it’ll become true – though that advice hasn’t always worked with these W sweaters.
Tonight’s game is on NBC Sports Washington.
Pregame Links
- All about Kuzy’s injury/maintenance
- How the Caps lined up this morning
- This season is only the second time in his 18-year career Ovi has gone goalless in the first three games.
- Bruce Boudreau is terrified of a breakout game from Ovi
- Sonny Milano cleared waivers and will report to Hershey
- Milano’s contract structure kept him from being claimed
- Jakub Vrana won’t play for the Red Wings tonight due to personal reasons. Our thoughts are with him.
- Vrana’s first goal of the season came on his BFF Vitek Vanecek
- The Capitals new player of the game award is corny and extremely silly – so it’s perfect
- Hendrix Lapierre scored his first AHL goal and it was a rocketship
- Dad strength? It’s a real thing according to Anthony Mantha.
Lines
Kuzy is playing – Connor McMichael will sit for a fourth straight game to start the season. Darcy Kuemper will start.
Lineys!#CapsNucks | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/NnVe9KXWyp
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 17, 2022
1st Period
The Capitals get a power play 36 seconds into the first period after a Brock Boeser high stick on John Carlson.
🚨 1-0 Capitals: Alex Ovechkin scored 55 seconds into the game. His low laser of a shot was stopped by Thatcher Demko then kicked into the net. Ovi’s goal song is still Shake, Rattle, and Roll.
🚨 1-1: With eight seconds remaining in the period, Darcy Kuemper surrendered a bad goal to Elias Pettersson after whiffing on a clearing attempt. (Video)
The Capitals and Canucks had seven shots a piece in the first period.
2nd Period
🚨 2-1 Capitals: Lars Eller scored eight seconds into the second period after a fortunate bounce off the end boards. The puck went off the side of the net and Demko’s pads, and went right to Lars Eller in the slot. Both Canucks defenders were caught flat-footed thinking Demko was going to play the puck. (Video)
🚨 2-2: Bo Horvat scores on a rebound after Martin Fehervary loses Tanner Pearson in a foot race.
🚨 3-2 Canucks: OHHHHH NOOOO. 11 seconds later, Curtis Lazar finds paydirt after a beautiful (or extremely luck) deflection on the next rush up ice. (Video)
The Capitals’ first line is now Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Sheary.
🚨 4-2 Canucks: JT Miller gives Vancouver a two-goal lead after a snipe beats Darcy Kuemper clean on a power play. Evgeny Kuznetsov took a dangerous high-sticking penalty that led to the goal and could get DoPS’ attention. Kuzy could be seen apologizing to the bench afterward. (Video)
At intermission, Vancouver has a 26-20 advantage in shots on goal and a 35-30 lead in 5v5 shot attempts.
3rd Period
🚨 4-3 Canucks: Dylan Strome scored Washington’s second power-play goal of the night after a great effort in front of the net. It’s Strome’s first goal as a Capital.
🚨 4-4: Tie ballgame! John Carlson tied it up with a beautiful snipe off the crossbar and in.
🚨 5-4 Capitals: Alex Ovechkin found Conor Sheary driving the net for the beautiful goal. Ovechkin has three points on the night.
🚨 6-4 Capitals: Alex Ovechkin scored again. Evgeny Kuznetsov wound up and fired a slap pass, which went off Ovechkin and into the net. What a huge third-period rally.
A bit of a damper: the Capitals lost Connor Brown for the rest of the night due to a lower-body injury.
Capitals win 6-4. It indeed was a signature performance from Ovechkin.
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