good tweet – WMGD http://wmgd.net/ Mon, 21 Feb 2022 09:35:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.3 https://wmgd.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/profile-150x150.png good tweet – WMGD http://wmgd.net/ 32 32 Fourth line propels Caps to victory in Philadelphia: Capitals beat Flyers 5-3 https://wmgd.net/fourth-line-propels-caps-to-victory-in-philadelphia-capitals-beat-flyers-5-3/ Fri, 18 Feb 2022 03:22:13 +0000 https://wmgd.net/fourth-line-propels-caps-to-victory-in-philadelphia-capitals-beat-flyers-5-3/ The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers met for the second time this season. The Metropolitan Division game has been a tough one in the past and the Caps badly needed two more points heading into their next bye week. Michal Kempny propelled the Caps into the lead with a traffic slapper that beat Martin Jones. […]]]>

The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers met for the second time this season. The Metropolitan Division game has been a tough one in the past and the Caps badly needed two more points heading into their next bye week.

Michal Kempny propelled the Caps into the lead with a traffic slapper that beat Martin Jones. Gerry Mayhew tied the game on a Flyers power play. Joe Snively stayed hot with his own power play goal. Travis Sanheim responded late in the second with an odd rush count.

Mayhew with the count to give the Flyers their first lead of the game. Garnet Hathaway with two huge straight goals to restore the Caps to their lead. Empty Net by John Carlson.

The Capitals beat the Flyers 5-3!

  • This first period for the Caps was their best period in what feels like weeks. You could say they should have scored three goals, but you’ll take any lead right now. Martin Jones was… good. Weird sentence to write.
  • Michel Kempny returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 26 and was immediately involved in the game on his first shift as he was taken on a tripping penalty. The penalty was excellent and Kempny soon after put the Caps ahead with a slapper through several screens that found string. He took another penalty in the third which wasn’t great.
  • Ian wrote this really cool article which features quotes from Joe B, Locker and the NBCSWA TV crew about hitting the road again to cover Caps away games. You should read it.
  • Everything the Caps did right in the first, they just reset with a bad second. They were stuck in their zone for what felt like minutes at a time and let the Flyers get right back into the game. After the first twenty minutes at five-on-five, they had a 5-0 advantage on the high danger odds. The second period ended with that total tied at six apiece.
  • Trevor Van Riemsdyk was called for an instigator after Michal Kempny boarded. If you recall, the Caps didn’t get the exact same call against the Senators when Tom Wilson was forced into a fight after dropping Thomas Chabot with a big hit. Officiating in the NHL is nothing but consistently inconsistent.
  • Joe Snively again on the board. That’s four goals and seven points in nine NHL games this season. The former Little Cap pleads to remain a Big Cap for the remainder of this season. What a nifty little gem the Caps found in him.
  • There has been a lot of commercial buzz around Caps recently. They’ve been linked to the Canucks, Kraken and Stars in their search for trade deadline additions, which seems more forward-focused than goalie-focused right now. When you look at the rosters of these teams, which guys would you most like to see wearing a Caps uniform soon? I would love Jared McCann or Yanni Gourde from Seattle personally.
  • Garbage third against a team of garbage. Typical for the Caps lately. The last forty minutes border on the terrible in all areas. Luckily, the fourth line is incredibly hot right now because the Caps probably didn’t deserve anything from this game.
  • Absolutely fantastic work on this penalty extended to five against three in the third. Huge saves, blocks and pass deflections. It was fun to watch.
  • I was thinking Ilya Samsonov was great again. I can’t blame him for any of the goals against. It’s really nice to see him play like that.

The Caps have a full week off before facing the New York Rangers at MSG. I’m sure one won’t be spicy at all.

Title photo courtesy of @trash__em/Twitter

]]> Much-needed road win: Caps beat Predators 4-1 https://wmgd.net/much-needed-road-win-caps-beat-predators-4-1/ Wed, 16 Feb 2022 04:04:15 +0000 https://wmgd.net/much-needed-road-win-caps-beat-predators-4-1/ The Washington Capitals emerged victorious in a road game against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, but whether or not it was a good game is up for debate. Joe Snively extended his strong start with a first-period goal set up by Conor Sheary. Nashville rang the iron four times but then beat Samsonov with […]]]>

The Washington Capitals emerged victorious in a road game against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, but whether or not it was a good game is up for debate.

Joe Snively extended his strong start with a first-period goal set up by Conor Sheary. Nashville rang the iron four times but then beat Samsonov with a lucky rebound early in the third period. In quick response, Nick Jensen teamed up the Dowd line for a stunning goal, then Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play. Ovi added another with an empty thread.

The selections win 4-1.

  • Joe Snively in eight games: three goals, three assists. Not bad for a Herndonian.
  • justin schultz left the game after the first half with – well, we’re told it’s an upper body injury, but watch the video clip and let me know what you think.
  • Alex Ovechkinhad tough times with Mattias Ekholm and Alexandre Carrier, but Ovi had his powerplay attack. His PPG ends a six-game slump and finishes at 30 this season.
  • There was a lot of good in this game, but you have to admit that the Caps were very lucky. The Preds hit a lot of pipes and really controlled the game late in each period.
  • I don’t want to remove Ilya Samsonoveffort. He had to make 15 saves in the first half, and he was damn good when needed.
  • I just want to include a video of Jensen’s goal. This transition was smooth and everyone was involved.

  • Connor McMichael broke ten minutes of ice time and had two great breakaway chances.

Was it a good game? I do not know. It is complicated. Washington was outplayed overall, but the scorecard looked good. But it took a lot of luck to turn it into a happy result, and Washington’s five-on-five weakness continues unabated. But we had some great grinder plays, a big goal from a young kid, and Ovi boosted the stats. Again: I don’t know. Any win is pretty good I guess, but you decide in the comments.

Meanwhile, are we all staying up late Wednesday for the Canada-USA game?

Main image: NBC Sports Washington

]]> Lucky to play who they were playing against: Capitals beat Canadiens 5-2 https://wmgd.net/lucky-to-play-who-they-were-playing-against-capitals-beat-canadiens-5-2/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 02:41:59 +0000 https://wmgd.net/lucky-to-play-who-they-were-playing-against-capitals-beat-canadiens-5-2/ A new coach for the Montreal Canadiens and a struggling Caps team is his first test. New magic trainer or new tragic trainer? Joe Snively pounced on a terrible rebound for his first career NHL goal to open the scoring. Only twenty seconds later, Connor McMichael doubled the advantage. Carl Hagelin found one of his […]]]>

A new coach for the Montreal Canadiens and a struggling Caps team is his first test. New magic trainer or new tragic trainer?

Joe Snively pounced on a terrible rebound for his first career NHL goal to open the scoring. Only twenty seconds later, Connor McMichael doubled the advantage. Carl Hagelin found one of his rare goals when he put the puck high on Cayden Primeau from a bad angle.

Rem Pitlick stuck in a loose puck to bring the Canadians to the board. Snively scored his second career goal, chasing Primeau out of the net. Cole Caufield beat Ilya Samsonov with a backhand.

Tom Wilson clears the net.

The Capitals beat the Canadians 5-2.

  • The Caps benefited from some terrible Montreal goaltenders to take a 2-0 lead and generally started the game well. The power play ruined that momentum as usual and the Canadiens got into the action more as the period went on, which is annoying because they’re a terrible hockey team. You want to see more after the two goals in just twenty seconds, which is not what we saw.
  • Joe Snively scored his first in the NHL. He’s the eighth rookie this season for the Caps to score their first, which would sound absolutely crazy to anyone like the “fronts” of COVID. In 2018, I would have thought half the roster was traded in a single offseason.
  • Martin Saint Louis is much less threatening behind the bench. This man has tortured the Caps for too many years. What a player he was. Let’s hope he’s a bad coach as long as he pilots this ship when the Canadiens face the Caps.
  • The Caps defense didn’t do well in the second. They didn’t take Canadians seriously at all and the laziness was evident. In no world should this Montreal team surpass you like they did with the Caps in this frame. 6-0 for Montreal in terms of high risk at five against five. It’s a joke.
  • Joe Snively’s second was much prettier than the first. He absolutely burned Jeff Petry with a nice inside move and passed Primeau who was left sliding in the wrong direction. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to go back to Hershey.
  • Cayden Primeau showed one of the reasons the Habs suck this season. What an absolutely horrible performance from him with four goals against on 15 shots. He entered the game with an .874 save percentage and a 4.62 goals-against average, which will get worse after this one.
  • I literally don’t even watch the game if the Caps power play is on the ice. Better for my mental health.
  • The Caps did little or nothing in the third. Didn’t like the goals Ilya Samsonov conceded but he was tight in the third as the team in front of him stood tall. They were lucky to play who they were playing against. Yeah.
  • Some of the smoothest referees in a game I’ve seen this season. I disagreed with four of the penalties. Call it that and you should have 56 penalties every game.
  • This team is not playing good hockey right now, no matter how strong. It’s not fun to watch. We can only hope that this is just a crisis that turns around and soon.

Next up for the Caps will be a Super Bowl Sunday matinee in DC against the Ottawa Senators. Alex Ovechkin will be back in the lineup.

Screenshot via NBC Sports Washington

]]> The Knights beat Caps 1-0 in a dreary game except for the puppies https://wmgd.net/the-knights-beat-caps-1-0-in-a-dreary-game-except-for-the-puppies/ Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:46:58 +0000 https://wmgd.net/the-knights-beat-caps-1-0-in-a-dreary-game-except-for-the-puppies/ The Washington Capitals played a dismal game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Of course, it looks like the mid-season slump is in full effect. At least we had the puppies. After a scoreless first period, Christian Amadio earned a rebound to put Vegas up 1-0 in two periods. The Caps tried to muster some offense […]]]>

The Washington Capitals played a dismal game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Of course, it looks like the mid-season slump is in full effect. At least we had the puppies.

After a scoreless first period, Christian Amadio earned a rebound to put Vegas up 1-0 in two periods. The Caps tried to muster some offense in the third but failed.

Caps lose.

  • No dog puns in this recap. Just a little rule that I set for myself.
  • The Caps have been worked well in this one. It’s just a micro-trend at this point, but I fear Washington’s possession is eroding.
  • Garnet Hathaway got arrested for boarding tonight. He’s had blatant play in just about every game for the past two weeks. And a lot of them have been in the offensive zone.
  • Michel Kempny received two restrictive penalties. I expressed my anxiety about Kempny in Monday’s snapshot. I do not know. Maybe we see more Irwin?
  • Please watch our story about all the dogs at play. This was by far the best thing of the night.
  • Two experiences in this one: Connor McMichael on the second line and Conor Sheary on the first line. McMichael’s line with Kuznetsov and Wilson was good in a short burst but then quickly dropped. Laviolette also picked up the Ovi-Nicky-Sheary line in the second period.
  • The power play went 0 for 5 chances, including a 5-on-3 streak lasting almost two minutes. I don’t want the Capitals to fire Blaine Forsythe. It’s wrong to want someone fired unless they make $200,000 a year. But I want him reassigned; I want someone else in charge of this power play, someone who can make adjustments.
  • Vegas Goalie Robin Lehner was good with over 30 stops.

Looks like Washington can’t buy a goal lately. Every team goes through patches like this, but you want to see a good process under the dashboard. I don’t really see that either.

Goodbye, puppy night at Cap One Arena. The next game is Wednesday, it will be a police night at Cap One Arena. Aaaa okay.

Main photo: @Capitals

]]> Capitals beat Senators 3-2 (OT) https://wmgd.net/capitals-beat-senators-3-2-ot/ Sun, 23 Jan 2022 02:53:25 +0000 https://wmgd.net/capitals-beat-senators-3-2-ot/ The Washington Capitals have lost six of their last eight games heading into Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Could the Caps start to turn the tide and get back into the win column? Thomas Chabot slammed a practice point to open the scoring for the evening. Zach Sanford burned through his former teammates, […]]]>

The Washington Capitals have lost six of their last eight games heading into Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Could the Caps start to turn the tide and get back into the win column?

Thomas Chabot slammed a practice point to open the scoring for the evening. Zach Sanford burned through his former teammates, hitting a tight home on Vitek Vanecek.

Alex Ovechkin put the Caps on the board with his 28th goal of the season. He tied the game with his 29th. Nicklas Backstrom on the roof in overtime.

The Capitals beat the Senators 3-2!

  • It took the Caps over 17 minutes to register their first shot on goal and they all came on the power play. The Sens, who are very bad by the way, held them without shooting at five against five. The offense has apparently completely dried up lately and I don’t think the front line Garnet Hathaway and scratch Daniel Sprong for two consecutive assists.
  • People are getting their RMNB jerseys in the mail and it’s super awesome. If you get yours, be sure to take a photo and tag us on social media. If I see it, I’ll retweet for sure!
  • Georegtown lost at home earlier today to Villanova in basketball, where the ice was laid for hockey. You could definitely tell. There are few things that annoy me more watching hockey than the horrible home rink.
  • The energy was just completely absent in the second. Matt Murray was very good shorthanded, but I mean the Caps were slipping and barely in the five-on-five game again. Just a listless, somber effort against a team with literally half the Caps’ wins.
  • matt irvin and Denis Cholowski were on for both goals conceded for forty minutes. Neither should be NHL players right now, but that’s what you have to deal with when your top three literal defensemen are out at the same time for various reasons.
  • Zach Sanford, the owner with potentially pierced nipples, burned his former side with a second-half goal. Was that bullet just an excuse to pick up this story? Yes.
  • 700th career game for Carl Hagelin. In my honest opinion it should be traded in to free up space to get a fender upgrade on the deadline. Sorry, Hags. Too many attacking talents keep leaving the roster every other day, it seems, and this team needs a shock.
  • The captain scored early in the last frame and immediately brought his club to life. A pretty fantastic third period. Big win.
  • Capitals apparently considering signing Evander Kane. Sadly.
  • Chris Kreider literally scores every four hits. He does not exist. Ignore him. Alex Ovechkin is your true league leader in terms of goals and he is the best. Fantastic pass from Nicklas Backstrom to organize the second of the evening of Ovi.

Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights is the next time the Caps will participate. The game is the first TJ Oshie will be eligible to come off injured reserve. Hopefully we’ll see some Teej!

Screenshot via NBC Sports Washington

]]> The Canucks beat the Caps 4-2, but Ovi scored https://wmgd.net/the-canucks-beat-the-caps-4-2-but-ovi-scored/ Sun, 16 Jan 2022 21:46:07 +0000 https://wmgd.net/the-canucks-beat-the-caps-4-2-but-ovi-scored/ The Washington Capitals lost to the Vancouver Canucks in a mixed game on Sunday afternoon. Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring with an Ovi Shot from the Ovi Spot, but then Elias Pettersen scored twice (once on the power play, once on even play) to give Vancouver control. A power-play goal late in the second period […]]]>

The Washington Capitals lost to the Vancouver Canucks in a mixed game on Sunday afternoon.

Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring with an Ovi Shot from the Ovi Spot, but then Elias Pettersen scored twice (once on the power play, once on even play) to give Vancouver control. A power-play goal late in the second period by Bo Horvat made it 3-1 early in the third period.

The Caps converted their second (!!!) power play of the day early in the third with Tom Wilson at middleman. A penalty of too many men late in the game somehow stifled Washington’s comeback offer. The Canucks got an empty net and that was it.

Caps lose.

  • The Vancouver Canucks dominated the game overall. They doubled Washington on five attempts to five in the first period, and they seemed to have plenty of second and third chances on their attacks. The Caps got better as they got more desperate, but it wasn’t one of their best even-strength outings.
  • With John Carlson on COVID Protocol, justin schultz acted as installation man for Alex Ovechkin on the power play. Schultz gave Ovechkin two good looks before Ovechkin sank the third. Whether it’s Schultz knowing the mission or if it’s just the Canucks who are the worst PK team in the league, I’ll let you decide.
  • With Wilson’s PPG in the third period, the Caps converted two power plays in one game for the first time since Oct. 27.
  • Power play coach Blaine Forsythe was also on COVID protocol.
  • Before the game, I rambled on the RMNB Discord to defend the Hagelin-Dowd-Hathaway line. Of course, they stank today. Dowd was dominated on the face-off point, Garnet Hathaway committed a costly penalty, then a very dumb one, and Hagelin was fine, but I’m sure you Goblins will bring up the one rushing attempt he didn’t score on, so yeah, okay. I wonder if Hathaway could deal with some extra discipline for the overhead elbow.
  • I’ve been exhausted from the keeper wheel since last April and it keeps spinning. After Vanecek’s shutout, Samsonov left a little to be desired, although I don’t want to overlook how badly the Bruce Canucks challenged him. It was a much tougher goalie game than the Islanders’ Saturday outing.

So it’s not a great game, but we got a goal from Ovi.

The Winnipeg Jets are coming to town on Tuesday, I heard. I was skeptical of this game being made, but all signs point to a Nate Schmidt reunion. He’s with the Jets, right? And hopefully they have been isolated from COVID due to lack of parks. See you later.

Main picture: @kristin0770

]]> Fucale’s fallible: Bruins beat Caps 7-3 https://wmgd.net/fucales-fallible-bruins-beat-caps-7-3/ Tue, 11 Jan 2022 02:50:47 +0000 https://wmgd.net/fucales-fallible-bruins-beat-caps-7-3/ On Monday night, the Washington Capitals made a goalie sandwich where the Caps’s goals were bread and inside is a juicy meat-based filling made from a billion Boston Bruins goals. Yes, this is a good introduction. I’m not going to rewrite this at all. Conor Sheary scored twice in the first period, then Boston responded […]]]>

On Monday night, the Washington Capitals made a goalie sandwich where the Caps’s goals were bread and inside is a juicy meat-based filling made from a billion Boston Bruins goals. Yes, this is a good introduction. I’m not going to rewrite this at all.

Conor Sheary scored twice in the first period, then Boston responded with SIX goals, chasing Zach Fucale and burning Vitek Vanecek straight away. Under the guidance of a physician, I will not recap these goals here. TJ Oshie slammed into the net to turn Ovechkin’s pass into a goal, but Marchand made it 7-2 in the race. More and more meaningless hockey was played, becoming less and less consistent until clarity suddenly came with the final buzzer.

The caps lose.

  • Before entering the dark, Conor Sheary had a great first half. Substituting Carl Hagelin (on the COVID roster) with Dowd and Hathaway, Sheary added the finish to a solid line of possession. Both of his goals were scored by turnovers from the Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark in the slot.
  • Good then Zach Fucale is not foolproof. Good to know. He stood out with two power play goals in the first period, then two evenly matched opposing goals (his very first) in the second period.
  • Then Vitek Vanecek made his first appearance in goal since Dec. 19, allowing a goal on his first tackle shot.
  • The game started to turn when Washington got a penalty kick in the first half. They committed three minors (Kuznetsov, Dowd, Carlson) and probably received a favorable compensatory appeal (Bergeron). Boston punished Fucale in two of those power plays.
  • Dude, the Caps’ finishing percentages – shooting and saving – have really cratered over the last couple of weeks. It can tend to make it seem like even the right things are catastrophic. Like, the Caps gave Boston too many tasty rushing opportunities in this game, but also a Caps goalie should hypothetically be able to stop more than zero.
  • Anyway, that’s four Lis in a row. Not great.

Okay, it was a stench.

For no apparent reason that I can determine, the Caps will now have four days off before playing Long Island. Hopefully, during that time, they can regain their health, correct the power play, revisit goalkeepers, and adopt the Weagle as their primary logo.

Title image: NBC Sports Washington

]]> Wild beat Capitals 3-2 (SO) https://wmgd.net/wild-beat-capitals-3-2-so/ Sun, 09 Jan 2022 04:02:50 +0000 https://wmgd.net/wild-beat-capitals-3-2-so/ The Washington Capitals had a chance to bounce back from a bad loss in St. Louis the night before. Could they do it or would the Wild just send them off at the start of a losing streak? Nada in the first half in terms of goals. Connor McMichael scored a goal from Nick Jensen […]]]>

The Washington Capitals had a chance to bounce back from a bad loss in St. Louis the night before. Could they do it or would the Wild just send them off at the start of a losing streak?

Nada in the first half in terms of goals. Connor McMichael scored a goal from Nick Jensen to open the scoring. Evgeny Kuznetsov… get this… hit home a slap on a power play to double the lead.

Carl Hagelin put the puck into his own empty net with a delayed appeal against the Wild. I cannot describe the full significance of this to you. Mats Zuccarello actually scored against Zach Fucale with less than a minute to force extra time. We headed for a shootout.

  • Zuccarello did NOT put the cookie in the basket
  • Kuznetsov did NOT put the cookie in the basket
  • Fiala put the cookie in the basket
  • Sprong did NOT put the cookie in the basket
  • Gaudreau put the biscuit in the basket

Wild beat the Capitals 3-2.

  • The first half was pretty balanced. The Wild is missing 27 players, so that probably shouldn’t have been equal. I thought the Caps were getting into better areas, but the decision making sucked. The power-play attempt in Game 1 also made me want to never watch hockey again, but that’s nothing new with this thing.
  • Zach Fucale set the franchise record for the longest streak without allowing a goal to start their Caps career in this game, jumping over Cristobal Huet’s mark of 80:36 he set in 2008. It was a season really fun.
  • After 3:43 of the second period, he now holds the NHL record for longest career-opening shutout. The Wild’s Matt Hackett previously held the record after 102:48 of his career.
  • Carl Hagelin scored in his own empty net with the goalkeeper out for a delayed penalty appeal. That’s enough summary for the period and for the season of Hagelin in this team.
  • A gong rang at the Xcel Energy Center to start the second period and almost immediately after the power to NBC Sports Washington went off and I’m just very disappointed that the Undertaker didn’t seem to let go of the puck in the center of the box. rink.
  • Connor mcmichael scored a goal which is beautiful every time it happens. It’s good when he plays hockey.
  • Happy birthday to the owner of Capitals, Ted Leonsis!
  • The stint in that game was one of the worst I can remember in a long time. I don’t know if they just didn’t like the ice or what, but the number of passes to absolutely no one or straight to the other team was endless. It made me an incredibly cranky spectator.
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov may have scored straight out of a draw with some excellent shot, but that power play is still terribly mind-numbing. I don’t want to watch the game anymore when they’re there. They stay still and throw the puck in their ankles for two minutes. It would be a real torture for me to have to watch it over and over.
  • I mean… how do you get away from Zach Fucale after that 47-save streak and especially that OT stop? The late goal was probably the one he wanted to recover, but it was fantastic for the rest of regulation time.

The almost always annoying Boston Bruins visit the Caps in DC next Monday. Hopefully the Caps will try to score less on themselves in this game.

Title photo: @mirror/ Twitter

]]> Hershey’s Night in DC: Kings beat Capitals 3-2 https://wmgd.net/hersheys-night-in-dc-kings-beat-capitals-3-2/ Sun, 19 Dec 2021 08:00:00 +0000 https://wmgd.net/hersheys-night-in-dc-kings-beat-capitals-3-2/ The always-depleted Washington Capitals played better than the Los Angeles Kings at home on Sunday night. It’s just that the scoreboard disagreed. Three unanswered goals blew up what should have been a scrappy win for the Washington Bears. Connor McMichael scored in the run in the first period, assisted by hometown boy Joe Snively. In […]]]>

The always-depleted Washington Capitals played better than the Los Angeles Kings at home on Sunday night. It’s just that the scoreboard disagreed. Three unanswered goals blew up what should have been a scrappy win for the Washington Bears.

Connor McMichael scored in the run in the first period, assisted by hometown boy Joe Snively. In the second period, Justin Schultz waited just after a four-minute power play ended before scoring to make it 2-0. Blake Lizotte scored a shorthanded goal late in the second, then Christian Wolanin grabbed a big rebound early in the third to tie the game.

With just ten minutes remaining in the third, Adrian Kempe earned a lucky break by beating Vitek Vanecek with the puck rolling off his stick, giving the Kings the lead.

Caps lose.

  • The Capitals had six power play opportunities in the first two periods, and they were upgraded at that time. Blaine Forsyth should be very grateful that Backstrom, Oshie and Kuznetsov are unavailable at this time. These are individually his quarterback, hidden dagger, and area entry key. They are collectively his excuse. The PP has one goal on its last twenty-one chances.
  • Joe Snively grew up not too far from here, and on Sunday night he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. Snively had a great assist in McMichael’s opener.
  • Calmly, Conor Sheary brewed a five-game point streak. Ian and I both loved when he attempted a goal line action on the power play.
  • The officials were short of a linesman. You’ll never guess why unless you guess COVID. It was COVID. The shorthanded officials loved giving penalties, and this game was particularly hectic for no apparent reason I can discern. Excessive AHL energy?
  • The Los Angeles Kings came up with a brilliant strategy to quit Alex Ovechkin: human shields. The Kings blocked eight. Missing most of his friends, Ovechkin played a ton of minutes in this one: 26:30.
  • Vitek Vanecek didn’t face a ton of shots, but that rebound off Christian Wolanin to allow him to score for the first time since 2019 was really bad. Kempe’s goal was just a monster rebound in my eyes, but it’s hard not to see this game as a setback for him.
  • Truly strong diffusion of the NBC Sports Washington team. We’ll miss them on Tuesday, which airs nationally (sort of) on ESPN+.

Yeah, that was unfortunate.

See you Tuesday as the Caps head to Philly. Or do you think this game will even happen?

Main photo: Pam Ford

]]> Shorthanded but still successful: Capitals beat Jets 5-2 https://wmgd.net/shorthanded-but-still-successful-capitals-beat-jets-5-2/ Sat, 18 Dec 2021 03:38:27 +0000 https://wmgd.net/shorthanded-but-still-successful-capitals-beat-jets-5-2/ The Washington Capitals traveled to Canada, which in itself is a dangerous situation right now, to take on the Winnipeg Jets in the new Canada Life Center. They did so without three of their usual centers. Brett Leason opened the scoring, beating Connor Hellebuyck five holes from the slot. Daniel Sprong doubled the Caps lead […]]]>

The Washington Capitals traveled to Canada, which in itself is a dangerous situation right now, to take on the Winnipeg Jets in the new Canada Life Center. They did so without three of their usual centers.

Brett Leason opened the scoring, beating Connor Hellebuyck five holes from the slot. Daniel Sprong doubled the Caps lead with a nasty shot. Brenden Dillon scored one of his rare goals, peering blindly into the top corner above a thrown Vitek Vanecek.

Josh Morrissey took a shot on a power play to tie the score two. Conor Sheary broke the tie, blocking a loose puck in the crease. Michael Sgarbossa and Alex Ovechkin added empty rules.

The Capitals beat the Jets 5-2!

  • The first half was weird. I barely felt like either team was playing defense, but at the same time, neither of the chances looked like A-grade opportunities. Ultimately with this lineup I didn’t don’t really care about the stats of this individual game. Just find a way to get at least one point (they did more than that but no spoilers).
  • Alex Ovechkin was absolutely reprimanded Daniel Spring on the bench at the end of the first frame. It’s not something we’ve never seen before, as his screams against Ilya Samsonov received a lot of media coverage last season. Captain stuff. Maybe Daniel was trying to tell him Spider-Man spoilers.
  • The power play sucks when the most talented offensive players are in it, so I expected them to do what they did tonight… which was nothing.
  • The Caps scored two goals in the second, but then fully braked for some reason. I didn’t like the way they played after winning two points and a Jets goal seemed inevitable. Without a few exploits from Vitek Vanecek, this game is at least tied for forty minutes.
  • Brett Lesson has one of hockey’s best nicknames as “Owner” and apparently the rent was owed to Winnipeg as he scored his third career NHL goal. More rookie goals are helping this season for the Caps. I’ll take some more.
  • Remember when Ovi was yelling at Sprong at the end of the first one? Well, whatever that worked, as Sprong now has goals in back-to-back games. Ovi gave her a huge hug during the celebration.
  • Brenden Dillon can apparently score goals. He of course clinched his first of the season against his former team.
  • The third seemed like a great response from a shorthanded Caps team. Great stuff, fantastic, fantastic victory.
  • I was very critical of Michel Sgarbossa in the last recap and he responded by looking a lot more active in this game and recorded two runs, one being the empty net to seal things off.
  • Vitek Vanecek was phenomenal. Truly a superb VV performance with 40 saves on 42 shots.

Then, for the Caps, they’ll… hopefully?… Go home and face the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings just played against the Florida Panthers, so that should be awesome.

Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports Washington

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