The Washington Capitals did just enough to squeeze by the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. To do so, they needed to score five goals in a game for just the second time this season.
This team doesn’t know how to win pretty but at least they’re winning.
- The Capitals definitely showed the effects of playing in a back-to-back towards the end of this game as at five-on-five in the second and third period combined they recorded just nine total shot attempts. Luckily, they still played pretty great defense and drew some timely penalties to help kill off the game. The team is now 3-0 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.
- Wow, they really can score on the power play. Well, Tom Wilson can. Willy potted both of the team’s goals while up a man, the Capitals’ first since all the way back on October 27. I really didn’t like what I saw on the extended five-on-three that they got but you can’t argue with two extra man tallies. I’ll take what I can get.
- Wilson potted three goals in the game for his first career hat trick. His big night shot him up to second on the team in goals (7) and third on the team in overall point scoring (12). All of that coming in his 700th career NHL game. Huge night.
The Capitals are 6-0-0 when leading after the first period and 8-0-1 when leading after the second period this season.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 1, 2023
- Stop playing Evgeny Kuznetsov with Alex Ovechkin for the love of all things holy to the sport of hockey. With Kuznetsov on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals were out-attempted 16 to 5, out-scoring chanced 7 to 4, out-high danger chanced 4 to 2, and out-scored 2 to 0. The Capitals and Spencer Carbery need to find a solution with their top line and what they are currently deploying is definitely not it. I’m not sure that solution currently exists on the team’s roster which would also make it a Brian MacLellan problem.
- Connor McMichael kept up his great play. He recorded three shots on goal, five individual shot attempts, four individual scoring chances, four individual high-danger chances, drew a penalty, and went even in the faceoff circle. His linemate Anthony Mantha was also great again, scoring in back-to-back outings.
- The Capitals’ .708 point percentage in November was the third-best in the NHL behind only the New York Rangers (.792) and the Los Angeles Kings (.773). They aren’t exactly playing well, in fact their underlying numbers look more like a bottom-five team in the league, but they’re winning games. I’ll save the negativity for when or if that starts to go the other way.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-reference.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.
