The Washington Capitals took the ice of Veterans Day looking to extend
their winning streak to seven games when they hosted the Arizona Coyotes. The Caps started slowly and fell behind, 3-0, before mounting a furious comeback to force extra time. They looked to have it won, but a game-winning goal was overturned on review, and the Caps fell in the Gimmick, 4-3.
First Period
Washington had the better of the chances over the first half of the
period, but it was Arizona who would get the first power play chance when Jakub
Vrana was sent off for slashing 10:54 into the period. The Caps killed off the penalty with having
allowed two shots on goal.
The Coyotes did, however, break on top in the 15th minute
when Hinostroza cleaned up some loose change in front of goalie Ilya Samsonov
sweeping a loose puck under the goalie from the top of the crease at the 14:15
mark.
The Caps got their first power play 15 minutes in when Nick Schmaltz
was sent to the box on a hooking penalty.
Washington managed only one shot on an unsuccessful power play, and the
teams played on. There would be no
further scoring as the teams went to the first intermission with Arizona ahead,
1-0.
-- Arizona held a 13-12 edge in shots on goal in the period, but the
Caps had a 19-17 advantage in shot attempts.
-- Jakub Vrana led the Caps in shots (three) and shot attempts (five).
-- Tom Wilson skated a team high ten shifts in the period; Alex
Ovechkin led in ice time (8:10).
Second Period
Arizona took a 2-0 lead 12 seconds into the period on a bizarre play. A Christian Fischer shot was gloved by
Samsonov at the goal line, and after review was ruled to have been carried by
Samsonov over the goal line.
It was 3-0 less than a minute later when the T.J. Oshie flubbed a pass
in the neutral zone, and Michael Grabner took off on a breakaway, beating
Samsonov cleanly at the 45-second mark.
Clayton Keller had another breakaway chance shortly thereafter, but
Samsonov threw out his right pad to deny Keller a shooting path, and the Caps
stayed within three.
It was Washington’s turn on the breakaway mid-way through the
period. After escaping a Coyote chance
at the other end, Jakub Vrana fed Evgeny Kuznetsov at the Arizona blue
line. Kuznetsov split the Arizona
defense and darted in alone on goalie Antti Raanta. Kuznetsov deked and slid the puck between
Raanta’s pads to make it 3-1, 8:47 into the period.
The Caps had a chance late in the period, but a backhand by Chandler
Stephenson hit the goalpost and rang out, leaving the margin at two goals.
Jason Demers was whistled for hauling down T.J. Oshie in front of the
Arizona net, putting the Caps on a power play in the last minute of the
period. The Caps were not able to
convert the power play chance before the end of the period, so it would carry
over to the start of the third with the Coyotes in front, 3-1.
-- Arizona had a 13-9 edge in shots on goal and a 23-19 advantage in
shot attempts.
-- Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov led the Caps with four shots
apiece; Jakub Vrana had six shot attempts.
-- Tom Wilson was credited with five hits through two periods.
Third Period
The Caps started the period with more than a minute left on their man
advantage but could not convert.
The Caps did get within a goal less than three minutes in when off a
faceoff win in the Arizona end, Michal Kempny sent a drive wide and off the end
boards. The puck rebounded out to the
left of Raanta where Kuznetsov was lurking, chipping a backhand behind the
goalie to make it 3-2, 2:23 into the period.
Dmitry Orlov drew a penalty on Derek Stepan 5:33 into the period to
give the Caps a chance to tie the game on a power play, but despite Alex
Ovechkin getting a chance from in close, the Caps could not convert the
opportunity.
The Coyotes went on a power play 9:49 into the period when T.J. Oshie
was sent off for high-sticking. The Caps
killed it off to keep it a one-goal game.
The Caps pulled Samsonov in the last two minutes, and the move paid off
with just over a minute left. A
one-timer from the left circle by Alex Ovechkin was stopped by Raanta, but he
left the puck at the top of the crease, and T.J. Oshie swatted it into the back
of the net to make it 3-3, 18:44 into the period. That would be how the teams ended regulation.
Overtime
It looked as if the Caps had the game won in overtime when Lars Eller
fed T.J. Oshie from the Arizona blue line, and Oshie skated the puck into the
middle before wristing it over Raanta’s glove.
But after video review, the play was deemed offside, Oshie crossing the
blue line before Eller could scrape the puck across the blue line. It would be the best chance to end the game in
the extra frame, but the teams went to the Gimmick.
Shootout
Nick Schmaltz and Conor Garland for Arizona… None for the Caps. ‘Yotes, 4-3.
Other stuff…
-- Tom Wilson recorded an assist, extending his points streak to five
games over which he is 4-5-9.
-- Evgeny Kuznetsov’s second period goal extended his points streak to
four games, and when he added a goal in the third period he was 3-6-9 over
those four games.
-- Jakub Vrana added an assist, giving him points in seven of his last
eight games. He is 6-6-12 in that span.
-- Even with the extra time loss, the Caps extended their points streak
to 12 games (10-0-2) and became the first team to 30 points this season.
-- The Caps were out-shot, 35-34, but they had a 66-53 edge in shot
attempts.
-- Alex Ovechkin led the team with seven shots on goal and nine shot
attempts, but Jakub Vrana had three shots and eight shot attempts.
-- Tom Wilson was credited with seven hits.
-- Richard Panik, Nic Dowd, and Brendan Leipsic finished the game
without a shot attempt.
-- John Carlson led the team with 27:17 in ice time.
-- Ilya Samsonov took the loss, but he is still 5-0-1 in his first six
NHL starts.
In the end…
Frankly, this was a game that the Caps should have lost. They were sluggish early, let Arizona set the
pace, and at times looked a bit indifferent.
But the three-goal deficit woke them up, and they were clearly the
better team over the last 30 minutes.
But this is still a 60 minute game, and for the Caps to get out with a
point without that full 60 minute game can be thought of as fortunate,
hopefully just a speed bump in their recent run of good fortune.