Washington Capitals Earn Much Needed Win in Vancouver
After a forgetful game against Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals earned two points against the Sedin twins in Vancouver on Hockey Night in Canada. It wasn’t a perfect game; the Caps let a far inferior Canucks team hang around too long. However, two points is two points.
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Right off the bat, you could tell the Caps were looking to avenge a terrible effort in Edmonton. The Caps had plenty of fantastic looks in the opening twenty minutes, but nothing could get through the wall that was Jacob Markstrom.
Late in the first period, the Caps forced a turnover after a puck battle along the half wall in the Vancouver zone. The puck came to Matt Niskanen who fired it on net. Marcus Johansson was, as he so often is, in the right place at the right time and tipped the puck past a fooled Markstrom to put the Caps up 1-0. It was a great job by the Caps 2nd line to control the puck entering the zone , win a battle along the boards and crash the net. A very ‘gritty’ goal for a top-6 line.
The shift wasn’t over for Kuznetsov’s line. Tom Wilson stayed high in the zone as Kuznetsov and Johansson forechecked. Kuznetsov found Wilson in the high slot, and the latter sniped a shot to the top corner to make the score 2-0 Caps. A lot has been made of WIlson’s place in the Capitals top-6. It will be interesting to see the critics response to his effort tonight. For Wilson it was a fitting end to a strong period.
If the first goal was important, the second goal would prove valuable. With time winding down in the period, Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson fired an innocent looking shot towards Phillip Grubauer. Washington’s backup goaltender left a rebound a little too juicy for Jannik Hansen. He only had to put the shot on net to put Vancouver on the board.
Early in the second period, Washington’s forecheck was alive and well. They rolled over the Canucks defense over and over, and the energy was building. With the captain’s line on the ice, Nate Schmidt took a shot, and grabbed his own rebound. Ovechkin poked a loose puck in the blue paint into the back of the net. The Canucks would argue that Markstrom had the puck covered, but the referee called a good goal on the ice. However, Vancouver challenged the play for goalie interference, as Backstrom made contact with Markstrom in the crease. The war room in Toronto concurred with the locals. For a second period that had started so well, it was tough call for the Caps to swallow.
It’s no secret that the power play has been struggling. That’s nothing a little quality zone time can’t fix. With Backstrom and Johansson working the puck down low, Oshie got open in the slot. His shot hit the post. and Johansson poked in the rebound that sat behind Markstrom. It wasn’t a pretty PPG, but with the numbers as bad as they are, I’m sure this team will take all it can get.
With a 3-1 lead late in the second period, Washington got caught puck watching with Vancouver transitioning through the neutral zone. It took three whacks of the puck to put it being Grubauer and put the Canucks back in the game. Bo Horvat, one of the good young player Vancouver hasn’t traded away yet, was credited with the goal.
The third was hard to watch as a Caps fan. Washington didn’t seem to want to do anything to put the game away. Rather, they were giving Vancouver too many chances to tie the game. Grubauer, however, was strong in net. The Capitals are the type of team that have enough skill to score at will, even on an off-night. Late in the third, they showed that skill. Burakovsky led down the right wing on the rush and dropped a pass to Oshie. Oshie blasted it past Markstrom, similarly to how Wilson had so fourty minutes earlier. A fluke empty-netter credited to Karl Alznet made it 5-3, and the Caps said goodnight to British Columbia.
It was a well played road game for the Caps. Those who went to bed early will be mistaken to think a 5-2 score indicates a lopsided game. Washington lacked the killer instinct to put a lowly Vancouver team away. However, they did significantly out-attempt the ‘Nucks at 5-on-5, and scored a power play goal. It may have been a sloppy road game; but two points is two points. On to Calgary.
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