The Washington Capitals threw it in reverse and backed themselves into a potential sweep with a disastrous loss to the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Like all famous disasters, it started lovely – with John Carlson beating Igor Shesterkin with a knucklepuck. That lead lasted barely thirty seconds, which was when Chris Kreider’s deflection eluded Charlie Lindgren. Barclay Goodrow (great name) scored a shorthanded goal, leaving us 2-1 after one period.
The Capitals played solid even-strength hockey in the second period, but even-strength hockey was fleeting. Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal was the only goal of the frame.
The Caps of the third period were hungry and desperate like a sportswriter with low blood sugar in line for a burrito at a fast casual restaurant, but no goals came.
Caps lose 3-1. Rangers lead the series 3-0. Sunday is an elimination game.
- Our motto here at RMNB is something about hockey and fun, but I have to be honest: I am not having fun. And it’s not just because the Capitals are playing bad, though they are sometimes. They’re missing half their defenders, they lost half their centers from the start of season, Ovi’s banged up, and Oshie is banged up even worse. In addition to unprecedented luck, it took heroic efforts to get into the postseason, but now that they’re here, they’re too shambolic to compete.
- And again: they’re not playing so badly. At five-on-five play they’re just fine, even when sporting AHL defenders like Alexeyev and Johansen. The fourth line (with Ivan Miroshnichenko) was actually great. But so little of these games have played at even strength, it barely matters.
- And these penalties, my god. Tom Wilson and Matt Rempe got the same penalty on the stat sheet, but one of them was a half-hearted shove and the other was an injurious headshot. Rempe injured Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was done for the night with an upper-body injury.
Matt Rempe sends Trevor van Riemsdyk down tunnel after late hit with head contact
- TVR joins Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen among Washington’s injured defenders.
- Speaking of defenders, the personalities who elected themselves defenders of Rempe’s hit in our menchies were uniformly of one type. They like one particular political figure, they use the word snowflake, they acclaim violence both state and stochastic. I really looked for an exception to this pattern. I did not find one. I’m sorry, but it’s true.
- If I had to bet, I’d bet Rempe gets a one-game suspension tomorrow.
loffs pic.twitter.com/rLdpPl7ST3
— RMNB (@rmnb) April 27, 2024
- Alex Ovechkin played an awful lot of power-play time. It was awful, and it was a lot. The power play failed to score on six opportunities.
- Ovechkin – McMichael – Oshie sure is a choice for a top line. A still green center with a winger who dragged himself over the 1000-game marker and a legend who needs way more support than he’s getting. Washington’s good play at five-on-five took a break when those three jumped over the boards. I know we’re working with limited parts, but I trust Spencer Carbery can make better choices in Game Four.
alright let's run through a brick wall #joebsuitofthenight pic.twitter.com/fzJlksOa1S
— RMNB (@rmnb) April 26, 2024
Sunday night is 🧹 night. I don’t care if they get eliminated; I just want to enjoy a little bit of Caps hockey after game 82. This was supposed to be fun.
