The Washington Capitals had a terrible night. Home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Caps were right next door, at times almost appearing to have missed half a week of COVID precautions training. And that was before Fehervary and Wilson got hurt.
Danton Heinen scored a rushed goal in the first period and Brock McGinn had a lucky rebound in the second. Kasperi Kapenen caught a pass from Crosby to make it 3-0. Alex Ovechkin prepared Evgeny Kuznetsov for a rushed attack, ending the shutout with twelve minutes to go. The Caps kept pushing, getting another one from Eller in a six-on-five game. Jeff Carter got the empty net, and that was it.
The caps lose.
- The Caps have had a strange week, limiting contact after losing a few players to the COVID protocol. Rust was evident in the team’s irregular play – missed passes, reduced coverage, unfortunate turnovers were quite common.
- Brock McGinn put a shoulder in the chin of Martin Fehervary in the second period. There was no penalty on the play, and ESPN called it an “unfortunate blow to the head.” Fehervary did not return in the third period. The defense of the Caps was already on the ground by Trevor van Riemdsyk …
what do the pens have against Fehervary, in particular? pic.twitter.com/vzZsLUhzX6
– HockeyKot (@hockeykot) December 11, 2021
- To M Wilson was tripped and then crashed into the Penguins’ net in the second period. I don’t know if that was the cause, but Wilson didn’t come back in the third period.
- I had liked a previous ESPN + broadcast, and I certainly like the idea of having new voices, but it was a disappointing game of them. The headshot minimization was bad, and John Tortorella’s anti-fun rant during intermission was worse, but calling my nephew Nic Dowd “Jim” was a bridge too far. There was also a lengthy monologue about how Wayne Gretzky’s LA business influenced the birth of Alex Ovechkin (born three years later, one hemisphere away). I couldn’t follow that one.
- With his decisive pass on goals from Kuznetsov and Eller, Alex Ovechkin has 43 points this season, surpassing his total from last season in 18 games less.
- It was a difficult start for Ilya Samsonov to shoot, with lots of rushing chances and unlucky rebounds and almost no goal support.
No Joe B costume. Here is the view from my nerd_cave.
This is how leet haxorz looks at hockey pic.twitter.com/Zku5HY7NN0
– good tweet pete taco emoji (@peterhassett) December 11, 2021
Not a good game, but two points in the standings – who cares? The biggest problem is the health of the team. Add Fehervary (head) and Wilson (upper body) to Backstrom (hip), Mantha (upper body), Dowd (COVID), Hathaway (COVID) and van Riemsdyk (COVID). It’s a daunting list. The only bright side I see is a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the month.
Well i said relatively easy. This exhausted roster must fly to Buffalo now to play against the Sabers tomorrow. I’m gonna need more Hershey bears.
Title photo: David L of Discord, who had fun playing the game despite it suction mightily
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