The Washington Capitals finished up a challenging road trip – and their pre-ASG break schedule – with a daunting game against the Dallas Stars. It was tough, but ended on a positive note.
The Caps had a rare treat: scoring first thanks to Anthony Mantha’s rebound. The lead last just over one minute, when Wyatt Johnson scored on a fast-developing chance from the slot. One shift later, Bart Harley Jarvis gave Dallas the lead after Carlson and Fehervary each lost board battles.
In the second period, Rasmus Sandin’s first goal as a Cap again tied the game, and again the Stars regained the lead off the tip of Mason Marchment’s stick at the goal mouth.
Duchene made it 4-2 early in the third period after Dylan Strome wiped out. Alex Ovechkin’s massive slapshot brought the Caps within one, and then Dylan Strome tied it with 43 seconds left in regulation with a controversial net-front scramble.
Thomas Harley won it in overtime.
Caps lose.
- The Capitals have lost four in a row, every game of this road trip. “This is the stretch that I’m most concerned with,” Carbery said a week and a half ago, “us playing against these West teams and going on the road.” He was right.
Spencer Carbery on Capitals’ upcoming road trip: ‘This is the stretch that I’m most concerned with’
- This was always going to be a tough one. The Stars are fast and aggressive in all three zones. They’ve got high-end scoring (Hintz has 22!), they’ve got depth scoring (nine with at least ten goals, Washington has three). And they’re not even substantially younger than the Caps; they’re just in a different phase of their win/rebuild cycle.
- During five-on-five play, the Caps got caved in. The Stars forced turnovers on zone exits and in neutral, they won board battles (especially that embarrassing pair of them by Carlson and Fehervary before the Harley goal), and they mostly held the Caps to one attempt or less in their offensive-zone time.
- The biggest victim of Dallas’ suffocating play was the one that hurt most: Alex Ovechkin, who barely sniffed the offensive zone during even strength. Through two periods, he had just two shots and one blocked shot during five-on-five. That poor showing came despite Ovechkin appearing on a line I consider the best for him right now – with Strome and Wilson at his side. Maybe the heroics in the last minute will keep them together.
- But a happy bounce made it way to Ovi during a late-game power play, and that slapshot was ferocious. Nine goals on the season. I still don’t think there’s player in the league, except those on IR, who will benefit more from the ASG break than Ovi.
- Okay, happy thoughts. In his 39 game of the season, Rasmus Sandin recorded his first goal, a nice one from outside with a screen by Beck Malenstyn.
Sandy takes a beauty of a stroll on the blue line for his first of the year pic.twitter.com/DVSFNQU3ys
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 27, 2024
- Another bright spot was Anthony Mantha, who scored his 15th goal and was the critical piece of the team’s most successful line with Pacioretty and Kuznetsov. Oh man, I know I’m trying to do bright spots right now, but what’s the chance that entire line is gone before April?
- Double downer: Max Pacioretty left the game after one short shift in the third period. The Caps say he suffered a lower-body injury. I rewatched that final shift and didn’t see anything noteworthy. Pacioretty has had a nightmare with achilles tendon issues over the past couple years, but the broadcast announced this injury is unrelated to that.
- Dylan Strome‘s last-minute goal was the kind we don’t see much these days – clutch offense that survives official review. Like the elves showing up before the Battle of the Hornburg, it was very welcome.
Three years ago today, Dmitry Orlov launched Matt Duchene into outer space
- Hey, remember that Orlov-Duchene hit? That was fun times.
- Not a great game for Charlie Lindgren. The broadcast mentioned it, but I’ll underline it. He and opposing goalie Jake Oettinger are both from Lakeville, Minnesota. Also from there: Brady Skjei, and former PHF goalie Chelsea Laden (whose wikipedia page is wild). I know what you’re thinking: “Wasn’t Bard the Bowman also from Lakeville?” No, he was from Lake-town, but that’s a very common misconception.
Hot pink! #joebsuitofthenight pic.twitter.com/eRc5rUeCGZ
— RMNB (@rmnb) January 27, 2024
In spite of myself, I enjoyed the end of that one. They had me excited for a minute there.
So ends the road trip. So ends the month. And so ends the stretch of the schedule leading up to the all-star game. When the Caps come back after nine days of rest, they’ll be doing so with the trade deadline in mind. Of buyers and sellers, I think we all know what they’ll be; the question to me is how active. It’s going to be an interesting time.
