The Washington Capitals secured a win that they really, really needed on Thursday night. While it didn’t end up being as easy as it should have been, they prevailed in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
That game gave me a literal headache. Goodness.
- This game was much more like the Capitals of earlier in the season. They hit everything that moved, they moved the puck quicker, they controlled play at five-on-five, and…they could not finish their chances. The Caps owned 62.8 percent of the score-adjusted expected goals, but almost got burned by a few really bad bounces because they didn’t go up by more goals when they should have. The team is in desperate need of one or two elite finishers, as they have been since before the season began. Ay, caramba.
- Nic Dowd felt like he paved the way to this win, throwing two big hits and then scoring the game-opening goal on the same shift. He finished with six total hits in the game, which led the team. Dowd also scored the game-winner in the shootout, his first-ever shootout goal on just his third career attempt. His first two attempts came while with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2016-17 season.
- Dylan Strome was also a major catalyst in the win, recording two points (1g, 1a). He has a team-leading 21 points (9g, 12a) in his last 21 games. The team was at its best with Strome on the ice five-on-five, posting positive differentials in shot attempts (+9), shots (+6), goals (+2), scoring chances (+6), and high-danger chances (+3).
- Jakob Chychrun had a big game, notching an assist on all three of the team’s goals. That was Chychrun’s first three-point outing of the season since he had three assists against the St. Louis Blues on November 5. He now has four three-assist games during his career.
- Declan Chisholm scored his first goal of the season and first with the Capitals in his 20th game of the year. Per the Caps, Chisholm is the seventh different defenseman on the team to score a goal this season.
- Praise be, the Capitals saved up all of their shootout ability for this one. All three of their shooters scored, which is only the fourth time that has happened in franchise history. The last time was an October 18, 2014, game against the Florida Panthers, where Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Ovechkin all converted on their attempts.
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