The Washington Capitals tried to give the game back to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night, but stopped just short of doing so. They added two empty-net goals to make the final score look more lopsided, coming out 7-4 victors.
A win is a win, but I also feel like I’m saying that a lot lately.
- The Capitals had a great 25-minute-ish run at five-on-five in this game, but outside of that, complete horror show. Luckily, they scored a whole bunch of goals during that good stretch because they needed every single one to stave off the Ducks. In the second and third periods, Anaheim finished up 58-26 in shot attempts, 33-15 in shots on goal, 29-12 in scoring chances, and 12-6 in high-danger chances. There is every possibility that the Caps actually blow that four-goal lead if they play like that. Just not good enough at all, again. Still, as I said, two points are two points.
- Justin Sourdif was obviously the star of the show, recording his first career hat trick and becoming the sole NHL rookie to notch five points in a game this season. He is the first Capitals’ rookie to score a hat trick since Alex Ovechkin did so against the Ducks back in 2006. Yeah, so, I may have some apologies to make to Chris Patrick and his staff.
- The team’s second line of Sourdif, Connor McMichael, and Ryan Leonard were the main drivers of their offense. The three combined (sorry, Peter) for 11 points (4g, 7a) in the win. Just for comparison’s sake, Leonard now has 25 points (9g, 16a) in 36 games. Matvei Michkov, taken one pick ahead of him in the 2023 NHL Draft, has 23 points (9g, 14a) in 40 games.
- Two more goals for the Big Man, taking his career total to 914 career markers. Alex Ovechkin now has 17 goals this season in 43 games, putting him on pace to finish the season with 32 goals. Let’s hope this is just the start of a signature hot streak, and he moves that pace back up closer to 40.
- In a game where the Capitals played with just 11 forwards, Hendrix Lapierre played just 6:25 of ice time, and Sonny Milano played just 6:07. I’m aware that I’m beating a dead horse by including these in every post, but, man, it sure feels like a less-than-ideal setup.
- Despite their incredibly inconsistent play of late, the two standings points took the Capitals up into third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins trail them by one point, but each has multiple games in hand. Time to string a few wins together.
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