The Washington Capitals played a calm and sedate hour of hockey against the Anaheim Ducks. It went well in the end, so who’s going to complain? (I’m going to complain, but that’s my job, and I’ll keep it brief.)
Ethan Bear scored his first goal as a Cap, making good on Oshie’s rebound. Tom Wilson added an empty-netter in the final minute. That was it. That was all the goals.
Caps win 2-0! Darcy Kuemper’s first shutout of the season!
- With a combined 20 shot attempts, the first period of this one was about as l0w-event as Caps hockey gets. I’d complain on aesthetic grounds, but the Caps controlled most of those attempts, so I’ll take it. In general, they need a lot more offense to compete for the playoffs. A lot more.
- But overall the Caps really played well. They only started getting stuck in their own zone when protecting that lead in the third period. That’s when the goalie (we’ll talk about him later) made a couple big saves.
- Ethan Bear’s last goal came one year ago, beating Pyotr Kochetkov (who is NOT on the list). That was one tricky shot he scored on tonight. I think he’s still warming up, and his best games are ahead of him.
- Alexander Alexeyev played for the first time since Thanksgiving, and he was great. No notes. Great work. Give him another shot.
"He had such a zest for life and he made the most of every minute."@JohnWaltonPxP and his family share the powerful story of his late brother Scott, who worked as a medical pilot and reminds us the crucial roles first responders play in our everyday lives.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/mVf5iZLX5p
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 16, 2024
- Alex Ovechkin missed his third game in a row. He’s seemed close to playing in the last two. I’ve been wrong before, but I’d expect him back against the Blues on Thursday.
- With Ovechkin out, we’ve had more time with the Pacioretty-Strome-Oshie line. They’ve been great, and they absolutely must be broken up so Strome can play with Ovi. Playing Ovi with The Other Center (who played wing tonight) is coaching malpractice. Ovi with Strome is one of the best lines in the league. Ovi without Strome is one of the worst lines in the league. It’s that easy.
- Connor McMichael played more than Evgeny Kuznetsov, which is not a common phenomenon.
- Joel Edmundson and Ross Johnston exchanged heavy blows after a clean hit in the first period. Those are two players who I’m fine if they punch one another a little bit as a treat.
- I like the All-Star Jerseys. Anyone who disagrees with me is a reactionary.
- In the second period, Mason McTavish went headfirst into the boards. He was still for a second, and that second was terrifying. I guess he was just stunned. He got up and seemed fine, and I seemed fine too because I didn’t actually watch a catastrophic injury.
- Off-topic: I went to the premiere of Last Night at Terrace Lanes, an indie comedy-horror movie that happened to be set at my local bowling alley (RIP) and which featured my friend Wes Johnson. The movie is up on Apple+ now. It was a lot of fun, and my concerns about the exact layout of the bowling alley are not pertinent to the movie’s quality.
- Did TJ Oshie even fall down in this one? Oh nevermind, I wrote that bullet early in the third period, but then my man fell down twice in one shift. Guy’s a golden retriever in the snow.
go for green #joebsuitofthenight pic.twitter.com/WeLF2faAV1
— RMNB (@rmnb) January 17, 2024
And Darcy Kuemper records his first shutout of the season. He needed it. This is one to grow on.
The Capitals practice tomorrow at a 11 AM in Arlington. Other than that: should be a quiet day.
Headline photo: Pennybacker from Crashers
