Capitals can’t beat the Bruins after super-long shootout: numbers for the morning after

The Washington Capitals couldn’t use any of the momentum they created with their big win over the Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Instead, the Caps ceded a third-period lead and ended up falling 3-2 in a shootout.

They lost both of their recent games to the one team on their schedule they probably could not afford to lose to. Not looking good, folks.

• The Capitals didn’t create enough five-on-five offense against the Bruins, managing just three high-danger chances in the whole game. They completely fell asleep in the third period, with Boston edging them out in shot attempts 18-6, scoring chances 12-1, and high-danger chances 5-1. That’s simply not winning hockey.
• The two goals they did get in the game came from defensemen. Matt Roy’s was his second of the season, and Rasmus Sandin’s was his fourth of the season. Nothing from their forward group, which has been a common theme all year.
• Logan Thompson was superb in net and did all he could to push this one over the line for the Capitals. He made 32 stops on 34 shots against and, per MoneyPuck, saved 0.65 more goals than expected in the loss. He made eight stops in the shootout, and the Caps shooters couldn’t get him a single goal.

• The nine-round shootout was the longest for the Capitals since their 20-round, NHL-record marathon against the Florida Panthers in 2014. The Caps also lost that game after Nick Bjugstad scored the winner for Florida, although five players did at least put the puck in the net for Washington.
• Hendrix Lapierre was credited with the secondary assist on Roy’s goal, his 10th assist of the season. He has recorded three points (1g, 2a) in his last four games.
• We are officially on Cole Hutson watch today, as the team’s 2024 second-round pick could be signing his entry-level contract with the Capitals at any moment. Hutson is truly a player to get excited for, but I would temper expectations for at least this season. The jump from the NCAA to the NHL is incredibly difficult, as we saw with Ryan Leonard last year. Hutson finishes his college career at Boston University with 80 points (24g, 56a) in 74 total games across two seasons.