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First win of the season in the books: Capitals beat Flames 3-2 (SO)

By Chris Cerullo

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October 16, 2023 9:57 pm

The Washington Capitals came into play on Monday night looking for two things. The first being their first goal of the season and the second being their first win of the season. The visiting Calgary Flames stood in their way of both.

Adam Ruzicka opened the scoring with a bang-bang play in front of Darcy Kuemper. Dillon Dube doubled Calgary’s lead with a deft tip-in try with the Flames up a man to the good. Matthew Phillips burned the hand that once fed him with his first NHL tally to get the Caps back into the action. Connor McMichael brought them fully back soon after with the game-tying goal.

No goals in the third so the game headed to an extra frame. No goals there either so a shootout would decide things.

  • Kuznetsov put the biscuit in the basket
  • Huberdeau did NOT put the biscuit in the basket
  • Oshie did NOT put the biscuit in the basket
  • Sharangovich did NOT put the biscuit in the basket
  • Ovechkin did NOT put the biscuit in the basket
  • Kadri did NOT put the biscuit in the basket

Capitals beat Flames 3-2!

  • Well, it’s safe to assume that the Capitals did not want to be down 2-0 on the scoreboard and 17-3 in shots after twenty minutes. But, that was their reality on Monday night. If we dive deeper into the numbers, the five-on-five scoring chances battle was only 6-5 in favor of Calgary after the first frame. That means that Darcy Kuemper was in a rocking chair for the majority of those shots against…but still…that’s not a good period. I’m just trying to be positive, for now.
  • The Capitals’ new power play is sure interesting to watch. They haven’t found pay dirt just yet but it’s nice to see an actual attempt at new things. The interchanging looked to have confused Calgary and that’s a good sign moving forward.
  • Matthew Phillips got into his first NHL game against his former team and gave the Capitals their first goal of the 2023-24 campaign. Phillips’ second-period marker was also his first NHL goal after he was unable to dent the twine with Calgary in three prior games. The shifty winger would go on to record his first NHL assist minutes later on a feed to Connor McMichael.

  • The second period was definitely more even and I even think the Capitals were the better team for the majority of it. That doesn’t mean Darcy Kuemper wasn’t called into action for a sparkling stop a few more times than you’d like to see though. Getting out of forty minutes with a tie game after that first period is about all you can ask for though. Job done there.
  • Love to see Connor McMichael rewarded for his fantastic preseason. His play is a million times more noticeable than it was in his prior NHL forays and he really looks like a top-six talent again like he did in his final season in junior with the London Knights. Spencer Carbery said the points would come and let’s hope that’s just the first of many this season.
  • No goals for Alex Ovechkin through two games. I can’t say I think he’s been too unlucky not to score either. Not sure if that first line combination is going to last, they feel a little behind the pace.
  • What do you guys think about the Capitals revealing that Monday night’s game ended Capital One Arena’s home sellout streak after 588 games? Just Sunday football fatigue or a symptom of a bigger issue?

  • Overall a pretty uneven effort from the Capitals. It’s going to take more time for the team to get a better understanding of the new system so I’m not worried. I don’t love how the team defense has worked through two games though and some of that stuff seems a little easier to clean up.
  • Big congrats to Spencer Carbery on his first victory as an NHL head coach.
  • Darcy Kuemper was downright fantastic. From coming up large on a Blake Coleman penalty shot attempt to stopping all three shootout attempts against. Big, 38-save performance from the Capitals’ number one.

The Capitals will practice tomorrow and then travel to Ottawa for their first road game of the season to take on the Senators.

Headline photo via kurly/RMNB Crashers

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