Coming off an emphatic and enthralling 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Washington Capitals are in Salt Lake City for their first game ever at Delta Center against the Utah Hockey Club.
Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick last night. Let’s see what he has for an encore.
The Capitals-Golden Knights game is on Monumental Sports Network 2. Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin have the call. Puck drop is shortly after 9:00 pm.
Lines
Washington Capitals
Utah Hockey Club
Tunnel shenanigans
All the excited for hockey in Utah noises#ALLCAPS | @CaesarsSports pic.twitter.com/s6W7vBIcI4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 19, 2024
1st Period
Puck is dropped.
🚨 1-0 Utah Hockey Club. UTA Goal: Jack McBain (5). Assists: K. Stenlund (2), I. Cole (6). Time: 03:05.
McBain with multiple hacks just outside the crease, finally squeaks one by Charlie Lindgren.
Lindgren facing multiple high-danger chances. His catching glove fell off on one flurry forcing the official to blow play dead.
Huge hit by Ovi on Maveric Lamoureux along the end boards, though it was close to a board.
Ovechkin whistled to the box for hooking down at the other end of the ice.
Utah has 6 of the first 7 shots on net through the first 6:23 of the game. Caps are looking tired early.
🚨 1-1 tie. WSH Goal: Dylan Strome (5). Unassisted. Time: 07:46.
Dylan Strome picks off a pass, dekes himself to nowhere, but then manages to score from behind the net, banking it off Connor Ingram’s left skate.
🚨 2-1 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Nic Dowd (5). Assists: B. Duhaime (3), T. Raddysh (5). Time: 07:46.
Duhaime powers down the left wing and finds Dowd at the far post with a sensational pass. That’s two goals in 10 seconds from the Caps. They’re awake now.
Caps to their first power play of the game after Juuso Valimaki takes a two-minute interference call against Jakub Vrana.
🚨 3-1 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Alex Ovechkin (14). Assists: A. Mangiapane (4). Time: 11:05.
Ovechkin from the top of the circles unleashes a wrist shot no goalie’s going to stop. That’s career goal number 867. Ovi’s now 27 away from Wayne Gretzky.
Caps get consecutive too many men on the ice penalties.
Alex Ovechkin leaves the penalty box and joins the PK. And he just blocked a shot from the point.
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 19, 2024
John Carlson scores with 27.5 seconds left in the period but the goal was instantly waved off due to goalie interference by Connor McMichael. On replay, it looks legal. Just a great screen.
The Capitals call timeout to analyze the replays and potentially challenge the call.
The Caps challenge the ruling on the ice. The call is not overturned. The Capitals are whistled for a minor. Ovechkin is to the box for the third time this period.
At intermission: Utah outshot the Capitals 11 to 8 and out-attempted the Caps 13 to 9 at five-on-five.
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
Utah loudly hits the post.
Capitals back to the power play after Maveric Lamoureux holds Tom Wilson.
🚨 4-1 Washington Capitals. WSH PPG: Alex Ovechkin (15). Assists: J. Carlson (12), D. Strome (22). Time: 05:38.
Ovi scores from the top of the left circle off a faceoff win. That’s Alex Ovechkin’s career goal no. 868. He’s 26 away from Wayne Gretzky. He now leads the league in goals by 2.
Ingram is pulled in favor of Karel Vejmelka.
🚨 4-2 Washington Capitals. UTA Goal: Nick Bjugstad (3). Assists: K. Stenlund (2), I. Cole (6). Time: 11:44.
Lindgren made the initial save but the rebound bounced over him. Bjugstad fishes the puck in from there.
Vejmelka comes out of his cage to the blue line and clears a puck into the Capitals bench to negate a Connor McMichael breakaway. Lawson Crouse and Tom Wilson begin shoving each other and a huge scrum breaks out.
In the penalty box, Tom Wilson gets up and is screaming at Crouse. Wilson got the extra roughing minor so Utah goes to the penalty box.
At intermission: Utah is outshooting Washington 19 to 18 and out-attempting them 27 to 16 at five-on-five.
3rd Period
Puck is dropped.
Alex Ovechkin is down wincing in pain with a left leg injury. He had leg-on-leg contact with McBain. They appeared to collide shins. Play is whistled down with 14:30 remaining in the period.
Ovechkin is down the tunnel to the locker room hobbling.
Alex Ovechkin leaves game injured against Utah HC after leg-on-leg contact with Jack McBain
🚨 5-2 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Brandon Duhaime (4). Assists: T. van Riemsdyk (9), L. Eller (4). Time: 07:30.
Brandon Duhaime makes it 5-2 Capitals, speeding down the left wing and finding some space short side.
🚨 6-2 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Aliaksei Protas (7). Assists: A. Mangiapane (4). Time: 09:56.
Protas scores with a wrister down the right wing. Touchdown, Washington. That’s two goals 2:26 apart.
Capitals win 6-2. Utah HC outshoots the Capitals 26 to 24 and are out-attempted them 47 to 24. The Caps swept their road trip and went 3-0-0.
Alex Ovechkin scores two then gets hurt as Caps beat Utahns 6-2
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