The Washington Capitals hosted the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, part one of Washington’s back-to-backs as we approach the Christmas holiday. In an important intradivision matchup, Washington seemed to have the edge, but the scoreboard didn’t necessarily agree.
Hendrix Lapierre was our first goal scorer, getting a quick shot off after New York turned the puck over in their own zone. Hudson Fasching returned fire with a sort of wraparound that required a major misread from Trevor van Riemsdyk. Joel Edmundson summoned a monstrous shot to restore Washington’s lead.
In the third, John Carlson made an excellent pass to Anders Lee, who tied the game and nudged us into overtime. Dylan Strome called his own number and finished it.
Caps win! 3-2 in OT!
- Can we just take a moment to think about this lineup? I think there were just four guys playing who were on the 2018 team (Ovechkin, Wilson, Carlson, Kuznetsov). The team is changing.
- To wit: the debut of Ivan Miroshnichenko, the 19-year-old Russian selected in the first round of the 2022 draft. We have a lot of coverage of Miro, and I think it’s required reading. This is a player you’re going to need to know going forward. Him plus Ethan Bear signing soon; we’re in a moment of major upheaval.
- Miro looked great by the way.
- I think I’m about to be unfair to Trevor van Riemsdyk here. Prior to the Fasching goal he was occupying the far side of the net, just above the goal line. And then I guess he just misreads the play before the puck tricks him and goes in the opposite direction? I’m not totally sure. It had the feeling of him putting his belongings in a bandana on a stick, jumping on a train, and lighting out for some prairie town to grow up with the country.
Fasching ties it for the Islanders! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/bADyP72IFr
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 21, 2023
- I’ve been warming up to Joel Edmundson for a little while, and boy his goal here sure turned up the heat. “I’ve been working on it at practice enough,” Edmundson told Al Koken at intermission. “Luckily, I had some traffic up front.” That’s his first goal as a Capital, but let’s agree to keep an eye on how he and Jensen might be stabilizing each other.
- I hope everyone enjoyed the WINTER HAT GIVEAWAY at Capital One Arena. I am calling it a WINTER HAT because I am confused by the difference between the following terms: beanie, toque, and toboggan. Some people say it’s about brims, other says poms, still others say it’s a Canada thing. I had a friend who went to college in North Carolina, and he was thought of as a rude yankee if he wore a winter hat to class. “‘Boggin’ it, huh?”, they’d say to him, exasperated. I don’t understand people. People or hats.
- My power-play derangement continues to grow. The personnel remains the same, but they try ineffectual tweaks, which is at least interesting when it’s Ovechkin going to the net, but pointless when it’s Ovechkin going ranging in Narnia along the blue line.
- Speaking of: Alex Ovechkin was hungry with eight shot attempts in regulation. This was a good opportunity for him to catch up, but the slump continues. He’ll have another chance tomorrow against a similarly bad defensive team in Columbus,.
- Washington controlled play vastly better than New York for two periods, but in the third all four forward lines had trouble getting the puck back in the defensive zone. They allowed four high-dangers in front of Darcy Kuemper before Anders Lee finally knotted it. The opponent escalated their game, and the Caps didn’t match them, and it cost them a clean regulation win.
Aubergine and tangerine for Miro's debut #joebsuitofthenight pic.twitter.com/XolXKVEuX4
— RMNB (@rmnb) December 21, 2023
Fun finish, but it was a shame to give away a point like that. The Capitals dictated play for too much of this game to let their division rival sneak back into it and keep clawing up the standings.
Anyway, keep your head on a swivel, the Capitals head to Ohio right now to prepare for their Thursday date with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Headline photo: Kurly from Crashers
