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A good game and no one got hurt: Caps beat Oilers 3-2

By Peter Hassett

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December 5, 2022 11:05 pm

The Washington Capitals played a damn good road game against Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. Frankly, I had a really good time watching this game.

Unrewarded for a strong first period, the Capitals ceded the first goal to Brett Kulak, screened thricewise. Lars Eller caught a turnover and tied it up. John Carlson handed Connor McDavid a shorthanded breakaway to blow that lead. TJ Oshie tied it up from the slot on that same power play. Aliaksei Protas was a monster in the third period, setting up late man Nic Dowd for the go-ahead goal.

Caps win!

  • I was looking forward to this game because I assumed Jack Campbell, that absolute donkey of a goalie, would be in net. We were not so lucky…
  • The Capitals put 22 shots on Stuart Skinner in the first period, seven of them coming danger-close on a power play. In expected goals language, the Caps generated enough offense for two goals but instead got none.
  • Sonny Milano forced a turnover and threaded a lovely pass to Lars Eller before his goal. I’ve really enjoyed him as a Cap. I’m still mystified how he went unsigned over the summer.
  • Marcus Johansson missed a couple shifts in the first period, but it was a false alarm (which literally always means a gear problem or potty break). That was a huge relief, until Erik Gustafsson got hurt off Even Bouchard’s crosscheck. He came back too. I include this just to show how frazzled we all are by near-injuries.
  • The plays that are damaging my sanity this season are John Carlson‘s turnovers on the attacking blue line.

  • I like how Edmonton plays McDavid on the penalty kill, and Washington plays Ovechkin against an empty net.
  • The Caps have now scored a power-play goal in each of their last seven games. They sure go hot and cold.
  • Aliaksei Protas had a very strong game in front of his former billet family. He was unstoppable in the third period, with two drives before he set up Dowd for Washington’s game-winner.
  • I think the Oilers benched defender Evan Bouchard in the third period. He was not very good, but you don’t often see a team icing a D-man unless they have to.
  • Downright gaudy shot totals tonight, led by Dylan Strome with six. Until like the last eight minutes it was Erik Gustafsson, and that would have been a good joke, but Strome ruined it by taking more shots.

Really good stuff!

The Caps have one more road game, Wednesday in Philly, and then their season-longest road trip is over. It’s been brutal overall, but tonight was sincerely a blast.

Credit: Adam Kubaryk

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