Photo: Stephen Dunn
I really thought the Caps’ last game against the Kings was their best of the season. Their next meeting, on the road on the night of St. Valentine’s? Not so much.
Braden Holtby sent a bunch of Kings shooters packing until Dwight King pushed a rebound past him halfway into the second period. Marian Gaborik hit up Trevor Lewis, whose deke made it 2-0 for the Kings just 17 seconds into the third period.
Alex Ovechkin got a goal off an Ovi shot from the Ovi spot during some 4v4, but Jared Stoll found a miracle pass to put the Caps back in the two-goal hole. The Caps pulled Holtby with two minutes and change to go, but– like Gavin Rossdale before them– they just couldn’t come back.
Kings beat Caps 3-1.
- The line of Jay Beagle, Aaron Volpatti, and Tom Wilson were the Caps’ best! That’s wild. Even apart from raw shot differential, the fourth line funneled the puck to the net better than the lines we usually expect to drive play. The Fehr line (massively outshot) and the Backstrom line (scored on twice) were just horrendous tonight.
- Nick Backstrom had three breakaways tonight. He drew two penalties but converted none. The game would’ve looked way different had a bounce gone his way.
- Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s skill set is indisputable. The kid’s moves are jokes. He’s Evgeny Jokesnetsov. He carved through the defense on a few occasions, but his best move was that drive to center before putting the puck on Ovi’s stick before the goal.
- Important: No leaning. I’m going to the Isles game next Saturday, so please don’t lean in front of me. And when I inevitably lean, please remind me of my hypocrisy.
@lakings fans are leaners cc @russianmachine pic.twitter.com/D7VahdMM21
— Luke Waidmann (@LWaidmann) February 15, 2015
- Poor Joe Beninati wasn’t feeling well. His usually dulcet tones were a little more Rain Dogs-era Tom Waits tonight. To make the audio less jarring, Craig Laughlin spoke a little softer. So the game call was just as subdued as the Caps play. I wonder what CSN will do for tomorrow’s game. Guy got worse as the night wore on too.
- Steve Oleksy returned to action for the first time since last January, but he picked a bad night to do it. I don’t think Oleksy could have done anything on that Stoll goal, but he didn’t give Mike Green the instant relief I was hoping for. (Or maybe it would’ve been even worse with Hillen?)
- Was this game bad enough that Trotz finally switched up the D-pairings? Halfway through the third period, this:
Green with Carlson and Orpik with Oleksy the last time out.
— pfholden.bsky.social (@pfholden) February 15, 2015
- The Capitals power play is a thing of beauty. At least the first unit it. The second unit found Kuznetsov trying to do too much, and Jason Chimera, I don’t even know.
- At least the ongoing war between Drew Doughty and Alex Ovechkin is always entertaining.
- How much you wanna bet there’s a “St. Valentine’s Massacre” headline somewhere in the Caps media in the next 24 hours?
Joe B suit of the night
From HockeyStats.ca:
Yeah, that was a stinker. The Kings just straight-up had the puck all night. My favorite player couldn’t do anything at evens. My favorite goalie got lit up and let three past. My favorite announcer sounded like he was in pain.
I don’t have any big conclusions to take away from this one. The organ guy was good, I guess. I’d prefer to think of this as an anomaly, the kind from which we can’t learn any lessons. Burn the tape, salt the earth, try again tomorrow.
Happy V’s day, lovers.
