The Washington Capitals desperately needed a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday evening as they have fallen out of a playoff spot in the East. The result was a chaotic mess of a game with questionable hits, questionable calls, and everything else in between.
Sonny Milano opened the scoring by poking home a loose puck. Anthony Duclair tied things up for Tampa Bay with a deflection in front of Charlie Lindgren. Milano scored again after Andrei Vasilevskiy gifted him the puck right in the slot. Brandon Hagel lifted a nasty backhand to the top shelf to tie the game at two.
John Carlson sniped home the game-winner with the team on a power play in the third. Nic Dowd slammed home a rebound to make it a two-goal advantage.
Capitals beat Lightning 4-2!
- The first period felt very even and I thought the Capitals were actually the better team for the majority of it. The two Lightning goals came off of a tough luck deflection and a ridiculous backhand shot that Charlie Lindgren had no chance on. Not the sort of scoreline Spencer Carbery would have liked to see as the Capitals are trying to drown offense especially when they get on the board first.
- The big story of the opening frame was the dirty hit from Michael Eyssimont on Nick Jensen. I know the rulebook experts are out in full force talking about how that’s a clean play but it’s just not. He doesn’t have to make that hit and if it’s not technically boarding, it should be. Simple as. Really glad to hear that Jensen is okay overall though as that’s what actually matters.
- Nic Dowd made quick work of Eyssimont in a fight during the second. Would have liked to see a little more retribution but the Capitals needed to win this game more than they needed immediate revenge.
- The Capitals came out and played well in the second despite the emotional end to the first. Andrei Vasilevskiy and some horrid officiating were the only things that stood in the way of a Capitals lead. They recorded five high-danger chances at five-on-five and gave up zero to the Lightning.
- Seriously, though, what in the world was up with the refereeing in this game? No call on the Jensen hit. No call on Dylan Strome getting blatantly high-sticked by Matt Dumba. No call for Nikita Kucherov purposefully elbowing Tom Wilson in the face. Gearing up well for the playoffs, I guess.
- Sonny Milano has a new career-high in goals (15) after his two first-period tallies. His previous high was 14 which he’s done twice previously in his career. His goal-scoring pace this year would have him scoring over 25 goals in a full 82-game run. He was a massive miss for his extended time out of the lineup earlier in the schedule.
- If you like weird stats like me, you’ll enjoy this post that Ian wrote about Sidney Crosby hitting 1,000 assists. Don’t worry, Capitals players are involved in the major takeaway.
- The Lightning turned it on in the third but the Capitals finally got on the correct side of the officials to score the game-winner. This game felt like a playoff game for sure. Anxiety and adrenaline everywhere.
- John Carlson grabbed the game-winning marker. His 150th career goal moved him past Kevin Hatcher (149) for the most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
- The cherry on top was Nic Dowd getting rewarded for his earlier fight with the goal that put the Lightning away. Love it.
Joe B and Locker are ready for an early evening puck drop #JoeBSuitOfTheNight pic.twitter.com/1OCd1foBks
— RMNB (@rmnb) April 13, 2024
Super result for the Capitals. All attention tonight now turns to the Pittsburgh Penguins and their game against the Boston Bruins.
The Capitals are currently not scheduled for anything tomorrow as their practice ledger currently says “TBD”. They could have the day off before Monday night’s test against the Boston Bruins or they could be practicing.
