The Washington Capitals needed that win over the Pittsburgh Penguins so badly. In a Saturday afternoon roadie, the Caps grabbed a lead and steadily grew it – powered by exciting new Caps players.
It was a quiet first period as both teams colluded to lull us into a false sense of security only to unleash Lolth-tier chaos in the second.
You know what? Let’s go crazy. Second-period goals as an ordered list. Unprecedented.
- Aliaksei Protas got the second backdoor chance with help from his little, larger brother.
- Anthony Mantha got a revenge goal, going five-hole for his 32nd of the season.
- Ryan Leonard crashed the net. Arturs Silovs stopped it but his glove crossed the goal line.
- Tom Wilson finished a series started by Ilya Protas’ confident puck-carrying.
- Noel Acciari seized on a loose puck to bring the Penguins within one.
- Lane Hutson drives to the net and Ryan Leonard cleans it up.
- Kevin Hayes beats Logan Thompson after departing the discipline domain.
That was all in 40 minutes. 4-3 score with 20 to go. Fun continued in the third. Ilya Protas scored his first NHL goal on the power play. Logan Thompson stopped Anthony Mantha’s penalty shot.
Alex Ovechkin got an empty netter.
Caps win!
- Sidney Crosby did not play, along with Malkin and Letang. The Penguins say Crosby’s got a lower-body injury. It seems more like they’re resting him for the playoffs. I’d bet they just wanted to avoid a back-to-back weekend, so he may play tomorrow.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois left the game two shifts into the second period after crashing into the boards. He did not return.
- Rasmus Sandin suffered a significant injury after absorbing a hip check (and probably an uncalled interference) from Justin Brazeau. The way his leg rag-dolled, my mind immediately went to “something collateral ligament.” Sandin looked like he was in agony and got lifted off the ice by a large Belarusian.
- I don’t think the perpetrator of that hit, Brazeau, had any malevolence in it. But he should have been smarter on the next shift, when the refs were already looking for a make-up call, especially from him. He gave them a gimme.
- On the ensuing power play, giant baby (laudatory) Ilya Protas scored his first NHL goal, getting Hutson’s rebound.
- Just saying: Ovechkin, dutiful grandpa, immediately nabbed that soon-to-be commemorative puck.
- As a reclamation project, Anthony Mantha has been a rousing success for Pittsburgh. He scored his 32nd goal of the season today, just as Chris and Dani said he would. Mantha lost on his penalty-shot attempt, but he’d still be leading the Caps in goals if he were on the roster.
- With two goals today, one from five feet out, the other from seven feet out, Ryan Leonard has hit the 20-goal milestone in his rookie season. He’s the fourth such player this season – behind Matthew Schaefer, Beckett Sennecke, and Oliver Kapanen – three, um, very different players. The only other Caps rookie to hit 20 goals in the last couple decades is Alex Ovechkin. I really love Leonard’s willingness to go to the paint, which is a good complement for a team that takes a lot of shots from above the circles.
- I don’t understand why the Pens pulled the goalie so early. And I’m one of those “pull the goalie earlier” sickos.
With an important regulation win, the Caps sit at 91 points. Their ceiling is 95. That’s enough to make the playoffs 75 percent of the time, but in a weird season like this, it’s going to be less. We’re going to be following every Flyers game from here on out. They’re the target – the Metro is the only path to the loffs.
We’ll see the Penguins again in less than 24 hours. At home. I’d bet Sid’s there. It’ll be a big game. It might be historic. Can’t miss. Must win.
