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Strome’s two goals not enough: Stars beat Caps 5-4 in shootout

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The Washington Capitals returned to DC and to normal waking hours on Thursday. Their first obligation was to host the Dallas Stars, who I think are a very good hockey club.

Scott Wedgewood misplayed a puck behind his net, which made it easy for Aliaksei Protas to get on the board first. Tyler Seguin was given a wide open lane from which to tie the game up.

In the second period, Dylan Strome won an offensive-zone faceoff and scored a few moments later. The Caps extended the lead with – hoo boy, it’s Evgeny Kuznetsov – on a breakaway. Mason Marchment scored on a rush attack against Washington’s fourth line, leaving us 3-2 after two periods.

A Dallas power play early in the third period tied up the game, but a Washington power play restored the lead nine minutes later off the stick of Dylan Strome. With six minutes left, Roope Hintz beat Charlie Lindgren to tie it up yet again, which sent us into overtime, which gave us no decision.

Shootout bullets.

  • Kuznetsov did NOT put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Robertson put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Strome did NOT put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Duchene did NOT put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Ovechkin did NOT put the biscuit in the basket.

Caps lose.

  • The Caps really struggled at five-on-five except for maybe ten minutes in the second period. The tired Dallas Stars, who played last night, still managed to lock down their blue line. But one Caps line succeeded where others failed, our three perfect sons: Aliaksei, Connor, and Anthony.
  • Aliaksei Protas was also the key playmaker on the Kuznetsov goal, stealing a puck from the rushing Stars and serving it to big strong Matthew Phillips, who chipped it up to Kuznetsov on the rush.
  • I feel like that’s taking credit away from a fella who needs credit, so let’s pump up Evgeny Kuznetsov. One game after healthy scratch, Kuznetsov scored a very important goal in a very stylish way in his milestone 700th game.
  • “Amazing.” That’s how Kuznetsov described his season so far to Emily Kaplan during the intermission. I believe him?

  • I’ve been down on Washington’s fourth line for a while, and they certainly got burned on the Marchment goal. It started in the good zone, where Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a two-on-one that missed the net and was headed towards Terabithia instead before the Stars turned it into a break in the other direction. Back in Washington’s zone, where neither nor Fehervary nor Malenstyn covered Duchene well, and no one at all had even an eyeball on Marchment.
  • Back on the list of Caps players who can do no wrong, Dylan Strome found a way to be productive even if zone entries weren’t coming. Tom Wilson got a rare rush shot on net, forcing an offensive-zone faceoff that Strome won, then fought for possession for ten seconds before scoring to put himself back atop Washington’s goal-scoring leaders list with nine.
  • Strome’s second goal was the 100th of his career – and the 1500th point of Ovechkin’s career.
  • Tom Wilson has passed Bo Byram for the league lead in minor penalties: 17. (Also, Wilson has played two fewer games than Byram.) The Stars tied the game after Wilson’s goalie interference penalty in the third.
  • The Caps didn’t do a good job protecting their one-goal lead in the third period. Play accelerated at both ends. The opposite of what you want to see.
  • Alex Ovechkin just didn’t have it tonight.

It was an ESPN game, so no Joe B Suit of the Night, but check this out:

(What a pro.)

Before we wrap it up, I just wanna voice infinite solidarity with the Washington Post Guild, who was on strike today.

Anyway, I was just relieved this wasn’t as bad as that Coyotes game. That game was hell. Tonight, in reality, the Capitals kept up with a team that could be good enough to win the Cup. (That was my preseason prediction, along with that Ted would buy a baseball team.)

The Caps host the Rangers on Saturday night. Their head coach could win the Jack Adams this year. You remember him?

Headline photo: Amy from Crashers

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