The Washington Capitals played a mostly miserable game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. But mostly miserable is sometimes also partially passable, which is how the Caps somehow got a standings point out of the night.
The Caps got crushed in the first period, spotting the Penguins a one-goal lead thanks to Evgeni Malkin on the power play. Washington fought back in the second period with two big goals — one from Richard Panik and one from Conor Sheary — only to lose their lead on the very next shift as Jake Guentzel tipped in a tying goal.
Both teams turtled in the third, pushing us into overtime, which is where Kasperi Kapanen won it.
Caps lose.
- Despite Peter Laviolette’s pleadings earlier in the day, his Capitals got thoroughly outworked in this one. During five-on-five play, it was a drubbing wherein the only dignity the Caps could muster was some big ol’ hitties.
Don’t Panik!@budlight | #BudLightCelly pic.twitter.com/bDbXj7whT1
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 24, 2021
- I love this goal by Richard Panik, just his second of the year. It’s the quintessential Panik goal. He’s strong on the puck, he’s facing a relatively weak defender (Mike Matheson), and he needs absolutely no finishing skills to score. He just sorta skates it into the net. That is the entire Richard Panik skillset in a single highlight.
- Meanwhile, Conor Sheary is the opposite. He’s got a ton of finish in his toolbox, making him an easy complement for lots of lines. He paired with Evgeny Kuznetsov on his goal on Tuesday, with Jakub Vrana playing an important role as well.
- Pittsburgh forward Jason Zucker left the game halfway into the third period after suffering an apparent lower-body injury. I adore Zucker’s playstyle, and I’m worried about how bad that injury might be.
- Hey, there is too much advertising for sports betting.
- My most edgy take is that I don’t have any edgy takes about jerseys. Anyway: the Reverse Retros. I think they’re nice? I guess. I wish the team could commit to a single logo that isn’t the wordmark. I guess I can go out on a limb and say the Penguins RR’s look lazy.
#JoeBSuitOfTheNight #CapsPens Of course I olive this look. pic.twitter.com/Y4hB1hjTFx
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 24, 2021
Not a great game, but here’s a silver lining: a tremendous effort by rookie Vitek Vanacek, who stopped 34 (!) of 36 shots through regulation. He still had some iffy plays and some honking rebounds, but that’s a darn fine effort in his portion of the ice.
RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Penguins
Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports Washington
