Welcome to Game 3 of the Capitals’ season-long six-game road trip, a date with the Calgary Flames.
The Capitals come into tonight’s matchup losers of four straight. They sit 13th in the Eastern Conference standings and 14th in points percentage. Their loss on Wednesday to the Vancouver Canucks was arguably their most embarrassing of the season as the Canucks snapped their 11-game losing streak again them. After the game, Spencer Carbery suggested an identity change, saying the Capitals should go back to their tight-checking days of 2023-24 because “this is not the team from last year. It’s just not.”
If my vibes from this blogger are like super bad, the Capitals seem the same as always. The team celebrated John Carlson’s 600-assist milestone in Calgary with beers and the team made no changes coming into the game — well unless you count an Alex Ovechkin haircut as a change.
Logan Thompson will start in net and he’ll oppose Devin Cooley on the other end.
Puck drop for today’s game is scheduled for a little after 9 pm. Today’s game is on Monumental Sports Network. Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin have the call.
Lines
Washington Capitals
Calgary Flames
Tunnel shenanigans
1st Period
Puck is dropped. Protas-Sourdif-Wilson and Fehervary-Carlson get the start.
Sourdif zooms out with the puck off the faceoff, then dishes to Tom (a sincerely nice dish), but Wilson’s shot hits off Kuznetsov’s skate.
Hendrix Lapierre hustles back to help break up a potential 2-on-1. Great play there.
Flames starting to take control of the game at five-on-five.
John Carlson takes the game’s first penalty, a trip on Matvei Gridin at 4:40.
Three Capitals penalty killers try to score, Flames come back the other way on a 4-on-2 and Frost scores on the power play. Just stupid hockey.
1-0 Calgary Flames
PPG: Morgan Frost (10). Assists: C. Zary (12). Time: 6:09
The Calgary Flames have the worst power play in the league by the way. The Capitals’ season is teetering hard.
Capitals lose coverage on the next shift and nearly give up another goal.
The Flames are outshooting the Capitals 10 to 3 early.
John Carlson with a no-look blind pass from the side boards to no one. Puck leaves the offensive zone.
At intermission: The Flames are winning 1-0 and outshooting them 16 to 8. They’re just destroying them in all facets. What happened to the Caps?
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
The Flames first line is taking it to Protas-Sourdif-Wilson on their first shift of the period.
Ryan Leonard rips one off the crossbar from the right circle.
Hendrix Lapierre getting dangerously close to scoring. After a dump-in, the Capitals get the puck back and he nearly deflected a John Carlson point shot home.
HENDRIX LAPIERRE ENDS HIS GOALLESS STREAK AT 90 GAMES!!!
1-1 tie
Goal: Hendrix Lapierre (1). Assists: J. Carlson (32), M. Fehérváry (15). Time: 6:33
Ryan Leonard and Yan Kuznetsov to the box at 8:27 to the box for roughing and cross-checking. Four-on-four hockey for two minutes.
Capitals taking it to Calgary. They are actually playing very well.
The Capitals outshot the Flames 17 to 4 in the period!
At intermission: It’s tied 1-1. The Capitals are now outshooting the Flames 25 to 20. Get that win, boys!
3rd Period
Puck is dropped. C’mon, Caps, end the losing streak.
Ethen Frank gets tangled up with Yan Kuznetsov, who is smarting after slamming hard against the end boards face-first. He’s remaining in the game.
Adam Klapka (#43) 2 minutes for high-sticking Rasmus Sandin at 2:39
Jakob Chychrun tries the Michigan on the power play?????
Capitals pumping everything on Cooley but he’s making stop after stop. But they’re finally creating a lot of chances.
Sourdif forces a turnover and wins a puck battle. Tom then sends a pass to Protas crashing the crease and the Capitals HAVE THE LEAD.
2-1 Washington Capitals
Goal: Aliaksei Protas (17). Assists: T. Wilson (22), J. Sourdif (12). Time: 7:35
I am remembering why I have dedicated my life’s work to this.
Turnover behind the net, right to Ovechkin in the left circle… AND OH NO OVI MISSES THE NET.
Tom Wilson is chirping, the world is right again.
Adam Klapka gets a 10-minute misconduct for hitting Tom Wilson in the back with his stick while he’s standing near the bench. You can’t do that. Wilson gave him a gloved punch to the face afterward.
Anthony Beauvillier rips one off the crossbar and out. This guy is allergic to scoring this year.
Jakob Chychrun is ailing after being slid into in the defensive zone and then being hit by Coronto in the top of the back from behind. Chychrun is staying in the game though.
Kuznetsov gets a high-sticking penalty for catching Wilson as he was falling down at the blue line at 14:00. Wilson looked like he dove when he got near Kuznetsov, but not sure.
Whitecloud leaves the ice after taking a John Carlson shot.
Wilson is tossed at 14:37 after getting in a huge tiff with the Flames after the whistle.
Whitecloud is back about a minute later.
Cooley pulled for an extra attacker with about 1:45 to go.
Ovi’s 918th career goal! He scores on the empty net.
3-1 Washington Capitals
ENG: Alex Ovechkin (21). Assists: D. Strome (28), M. Fehérváry (16). Time: 19:08
Cooley pulled again.
Carbery giving Lapierre time at the end of the game here to score again. OH NO HE TOOK A PENALTY FOR CLOSING HIS HAND ON THE PUCK. Hahaha.
The Capitals win 3-1! The Caps end their losing streak at four games! And free nuggets too, after Ovi scores a McNugget Minute goal.
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