Losers of two straight, the Washington Capitals will try to stop the bleeding against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Capitals will be without Alex Ovechkin for a 14th straight game due to a fractured fibula. Hendrix Lapierre will center the third line with Lars Eller out of the lineup due to an illness. Charlie Lindgren will oppose Pyotr Kochetkov in net.
The Capitals-Hurricanes game is airing on Monumental Sports Network. Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin have the call. Puck drop is shortly after 7:00 pm.
Lines
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
1st Period
Puck is dropped.
Hurricanes take a too many men on the ice penalty 2:41 into the game.
The Capitals have the first five shots on goal in the first eight minutes of action. The Hurricanes have no shots.
“This is a bit of chess match defensively,” says Joe B and he’s not wrong.
Matt Roy destroys Martin Necas into the boards but he looks a little uncomfortable afterward.
Matt Roy is down the tunnel to the locker room.
Capitals and Hurricanes to four-on-four after Jakub Vrana and Tyson Jost get mixed up behind the play.
Roy is back already.
🚨 1-0 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Aliaksei Protas (12). Assists: A. Mangiapane (5), M. Roy (7). Time: 19:17.
Protas with a sick deflection of an Andrew Mangiapane point shot. He caught it with the shaft his stick sending the puck to the top shelf. And oh yeah, a McNuggets Minute goal.
Tom Wilson to the box for high sticking at 19:58. He also got away with a cross-check to the back of the head.
At intermission: The Capitals lead 1-0. The Capitals are outshooting the Hurricanes 10 to 6 but are being out-attempted 15 to 10 at five-on-five.
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
A Martin Necas one-timer rings off the post. For a second, the Hurricanes thought it hit the backbar and out.
Matt Roy to the box for delay of game – shooting the puck off the rink.
Tom Wilson has a shorthanded breakaway, but can’t convert after Kochetkov pokechecks his deke attempt to his backhand.
Cartwheel save from Charlie Lindgren on a 3-on-1. He somehow got Jost’s shot going under the bar. WHOAAAAAA.
🚨 2-0 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Jakub Vrana (5). Assists: H. Lapierre (7), T. Raddysh (11). Time: 16:11.
Jakub Vrana with a snipe. It’s his fifth goal of the season and his first since November 17 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
🚨 3-0 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Connor McMichael (16). Assists: M. Fehervary (7), P. Dubois (18). Time: 19:33.
What a screen by Protas. McMichael hits the top of the net.
At intermission: The Caps are running away with this 3-0. Shots are tied 16 to 16. Hurricanes are dominating in five-on-five attempts 38 to 23. Not the Capitals’ best game, but they’re still doing enough to be winning. The story all year long.
3rd Period
Puck is dropped.
🚨 3-1 Washington Capitals. CAR Goal: Seth Jarvis (16). Assists: S. Aho (25), B. Burns (7). Time: 10:22.
Jarvis ruins Lindgren’s shutout with kinda a soft goal.
NO GOAL at 14:01. Connor McMichael scores his second of the night, but it’s taken away due to John Carlson. Carlson crashed into the Kochetkov’s right pad and nearly took the net completely off its moorings. That’s the fourth goal Carlson’s seen negated this season on reviews.
Capitals win 3-1. Carolina outshot Washington 25 to 22 and out-attempted them 56 to 31 at five-on-five. The two-game losing streak is over.
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