The Washington Capitals had one of their worst performances of the season, especially given the time of year and their rapidly dropping playoff odds, losing to the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Tuesday. Now the team heads into Detroit for the final stop of their six-game road trip in what Tom Wilson is labeling “the biggest game of the year.”
The Capitals will be without Matt Roy and Logan Thompson for tonight’s game due to injury. Clay Stevenson was called up from AHL Hershey in the morning.
Detroit has already beaten the Capitals twice in two meetings this year and are sitting pretty in the standings, second in the Atlantic Division. John Gibson will start in net and oppose the Capitals’ Charlie Lindgren.
Puck drop for today’s game is scheduled for a little after 7:30 pm. Today’s game is streaming on ESPN+.
Lines
Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings
Tunnel shenanigans
1st Period
Puck is dropped.
Buccigross’s play-by-play of screaming like a fan is gonna take some getting used to after getting top notch work from Joe B all season long.
John Carlson takes a delay of game penalty 1:06 in. Red Wings immediately to the power play. Bad start.
Alex DeBrincat scores his 29th of the season 53 seconds into the power play after a great set-up feed by Patrick Kane, making him the US’s all-time points leader.
Spencer Carbery is challenging the play for being offside.
No goal.
Red Wings have 1:07 remaining on the power play.
Alex Ovechkin with two big hits after the Capitals kill the penalty. Vintage Ovi.
McMichael and Dowd scrumming it up near Gibson after he freezes the puck.
Nic Dowd with two huge hits on Chariot.
WHOA, then he scores! What a shift.
1-0 Washington Capitals
Goal: Nic Dowd (3). Assists: C. McMichael (23), J. Chychrun (21). Time: 6:27
Just noting here: my telecast on ESPN+ is slightly ahead os Buccigross yelled “SCORES” like a half second before it happened. Anyone else having that issue?
John Carlson gives up a big chance in front of Lindgren, he doesn’t look “in it” yet in this game.
Raymond sets up Larkin wide open down the right wing, but he misses the puck with his stick.
Alex Ovechkin with a huge one-timer from the top of the left circle which is stopped by Gibson.
Tonight you get some analysis from my son!
TVR turnover, then TVR penalty. Carbery appears steaming at the bench. The tripping penalty comes at 17:58.
Wilson shot block.
Buccigross sounds disapointed every time the Capitals clear the puck on the power play. He really wants Kane to get the record lmao.
At intermission: The Capitals lead 1-0. They lead in shots 7 to 3. The Caps really muddied the waters in the first period. They don’t look particularly good, but we’ll see what they can do moving forward here. A lead is a start!
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
Wilson goes hard into the boards. He’s slow getting up. He wanted a penalty.
JT Compher powers past Justin Sourdif and draws a penalty on Charlie Lindgren as he goes one-on-one down the left wing at 4:45. Red Wings go to their third power play.
Red Wings getting good looks but the Capitals are holding on here. The Capitals are up to 9 blocked shots at this point.
Caps kill the penalty.
The Red Wings are just hanging out in the Capitals zone now. Feels like they’re gonna score soon at this point.
Chariot scores on a huge slap shot. Kane breaks the record for the most points by a US born player, passing Mike Modano with 1,375. John Bucciogross is going nuts about this.
1-1 tie
Goal: Ben Chiarot (5). Assists: A. DeBrincat (27), P. Kane (24). Time: 9:52
Looks like Ovechkin may have caught Hamonic on the blade with his skate blade, at least that’s what they’re speculating on the telecast. He’s yelling for officials to stop the game.
Hamonic skates off under his own power and immediately goes to the room, checking his left wrist under his jersey.
Capitals with some sustained zone time. They’re looking for redirects or rebounds in front of the net, but just can’t connect.
Hamonic back a few minutes later, that’s great to see.
Hamonic and Wilson crash into each other huge at the blue line going after a chipped puck coming down in the air.
At intermission: The game is tied 1-1. The Capitals lead in shots 15 to 11. Punishing game to watch though.
3rd Period
Puck is dropped.
Compher nearly redirects a shot down low past Lindgren. He was wide open.
Gibson stops Sandin from the high slot with a glove save.
Lindgren returns the favor the other way on a Mo Seider howitzer.
Capitals go to their first power play of the night at 6:12 of the first period after Chariot sends the puck over the glass for delay of game. Referees conferred at center ice before making the call. On replay, it looks like it might have hit Sourdif.
Not a great power play.
John Gibson tried to freeze the puck. No call. Strome knocks it loose by hitting his glove and scores on a wraparound during the confusion.
2-1 Washington Capitals
Goal: Dylan Strome (15). Assists: A. Ovechkin (24), J. Chychrun (22). Time: 9:36
Red Wings are challenging the ruling on the ice.
“The game has gone soft if this isn’t a goal,” Tom Wilson tells ESPN’s Erik Johnson.
Good goal per officials. I think they got that one wrong, but yay my favorite team.
The Capitals go to the power play at 9:36 due to the unsuccessful challenge.
Bench minor for the Capitals. Too many men at 11:52.
Capitals kill the penalty.
Declan Chisholm goes wide with a shot by about 15 feet, but it hits off a Red Wings player and in. Ugly, but they count all the same. That’s Chisholm’s first of the season and his first as a Capital.
3-1 Washington Capitals
Goal: Declan Chisholm (1). Assists: J. Chychrun (23), D. Strome (29). Time: 14:44
Debrincat misses at the far post on a shot that bounces off the backboard.
Gibson off the ice for an extra attacker with 2:47 remaining.
Debrincat finds a rebound at the side of the net and scores a 6-on-5 goal.
3-2 Washington Capitals
Goal: Alex Debrincat (29). Assists: D. Larkin (23), A. Copp (25). Time: 18:20
Red Wings have 1:40 left to tie.
Horrible bounce off a dump-in goes past Lindgren and in. Carlson is arguing it hit a camera through the hole. Officials are reviewing on the iPad.
3-3 tie
Goal: Alex DeBrincat (30). Assists: M. Seider (30). Time: 19:08
Officials rule it hit the camera hole and in. Caps blow another lead.
To overtime we go. We’re tied 3-3.
Overtime
Wings win the faceoff.
Not lots of Grade A’s in this OT session. Lots of good defense.
Chychrun tries a 360 backhand. Gibson makes the save, but wild how high he got the puck up. This guy has been using the skills stick lately.
Charlie Lindgren appears hurt, perhaps his groin, after extending out to make a last second shot by Patrick Kane.
Shootout
Stevenson is getting ready to go out on the ice. He’s asking Lindgren if he needs to come out.
Lindgren is staying in.
✅ An injured Lindgren gives up a five hole goal on Raymond.
✅ Dylan Strome fakes the shot and pulls to the backhand, and goes top shelf.
✅ Patrick Kane holds the puck and beats Lindgren low blocker.
✅ Ryan Leonard beats Gibson to the far post. Beautiful move going across the ice.
❌ Larkin goes bar down on his backhand but hits the crossbar and out.
✅ Dowd does the Kuzy…. AND SCORES.
Capitals win 4-3 (SO). Ugly game. Terrible play-by-play, but we made it through the game. Charlie Lindgren is being helped off the ice by his teammates.
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