A ONE Point Night: Washington Capitals -- Game 24: Blackhawks 4 - Capitals 3 (OT/SO)

The Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks played an off-again, on again game, slogging through chunks of ice time with a zone-to-zone grind, interspersed b occasional interludes of end-to-end hockey. It was fitting that the teams fought to a 3-3 tie in regulation and a scoreless overtime.  Patrick Kane scored the only Gimmick goal, and the Hawks left Washington with a 4-3 win in their baggage.

 

First Period

Evgeny Kuznetsov almost got the Caps off to a good start in the first minute when he stole the puck from Jujhar Khaira at the Blackhawks’ blue line and broke in alone on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, but his attempt to hook the puck one-handed around Fleury’s left pad was denied.

Washington earned the first power play of the game when Khiara slashed Nick Jensen at the 13:41 mark.  The Caps managed one shot on an unsuccessful power play opportunity.

Chicago broke in front late in the period when, on a 2-on-1 break, Alex Debrincat deked goalie Vitek Vanecek to the ice and slipped a backhand past his right skate to make it 1-0, Chicago, 19:00 into the period.  That would be how the teams went to their locker rooms after one period.

-- Chicago out-shot the Caps, 9-8, and out-attempted them, 19-16.

-- Daniel Spong was the only Cap with more than one shot on goal in the period; he had two.  He also led the team with four attempts.

-- Alex Ovechkin led the Caps in first period ice time (7:56), but he had no mark of any kind on his line of he score sheet.

Second Period

Washington tied the game 70 seconds into the period when, with a 3-on0-2 advantage, Nic Dowd skated the puck down the middle into the Hawks’ end.  Dowd slid the puck to Garnet Hathaway on his right.  Hathaway cut to the middle and fed Carl Hagelin on his left.  Hagelin stepped up and shot the puck to ward the net, and Dowd was there for the tap-in past Fleury’s left pad to finish the play he started, and it was 1-1 at the 1:10 mark of the period.

Nic Dowd went to the penalty box in the 12^th minute of the period when, after Vanecek gloved a shot a scrum developed in front of him, and Dowd threw a punch at a Blackhawk.  Roughing at 11:08 of the period.  The Blackhawks converted with 11 seconds left in the power play when Dominik Kubalik roofed a puck from between the hash marks I the slot to make it 2-1, 12:57 into the period

The Caps tied it on a scramble in front of the Chicago net.  From the right wing circle, Alex Ovechkin sent a pass into the slot toward Aliaksei Protas, but the puck clicked off the skate of defender Henrik Borgstrom and off the far post.  The puck ended up resting inches from the goal line behind Fleury, but his effort to stick the puck out of danger was bested by Evgeny Kuznetsov muscling the puck off Fleury’s stick and over the line to make it 2-2 at the 17:31 mark.

Washington went short handed when Hathaway went off for elbowing at 18:50 of the period.  Chicago did not convert in the time left in the period, but would carry over time into the third period.  Caps and Blackhawks tied, 2-2 after two.

-- Washington outshot Chicago, 10-9 in the period, and out-attempted them, 19-14.

-- Garnet Hathaway led the Caps in shots through 40 minutes with three; six Caps had four shot attempts.

-- Nic Dowd was 0-for-8 on faceoffs through two periods, but he did lead the team in credited hits with five.

Third Period

The Caps killed the penalty, then stuck a dagger in it for good measure, when Hathaway exited the penalty box, took a pass in stride from Nic Dowd, and broke in alone on Fleury.  He tried to roof a forehand over Fleury’s glove, and Fleury got his glove on it, but not enough to keep the puck from sneaking through and trickling over the goal line to give the Caps their first lead of the night, 3-2, at the 57 second mark.

Chicago tied the game when Josiah Slavin skated the puck down the right side in the offensive zone and slipped the puck back to Seth Jones entering the zone.  Jones stepped up, used the Caps’ Beck Malenstyn as a screen and ripped

The Caps applied severe late pressure on the Hawks, but they could not find the tie-breaker, and the game went to…

Overtime

There were chances on both sides, but no lamp was lighted, and the teams went to…

The Gimmick

Kuznetsov… miss, off post

Toews…save by Vanecek

Sprong… miss, off the post (again?!)

Kane… goal

Ovechkin… save by Fleury

...Chicago wins, 4-3

Other stuff…

-- The teams split 56 shots evenly – 28 apiece – the Caps out-attempting Chicago, 58-53.

-- Alex Ovechkin and Garnet Hathaway led the team with four shots apiece; Ovechkin had 11 attempts, all in the final 45 minutes.

-- Fifteen of 18 skaters were credited with hits, Nic Dowd leading the team with six.

-- Dmitry Orlov and Trevor van Riemsdyk were the only Caps not credited with a shot attempt.

-- This was the Caps’ first loss to Chicago on home ice since January 10, 2006, when the Blackhawks also won, 4-3, also in extra time (overtime).

-- Connor McMichael and Beck Malenstyn were on the ice for the Seth Jones game-tying goal in the third period.  Neither skated another shift in this game.

-- John Carlson led the team in ice time, as usual… 22:48.

-- Washington and Chicago split 62 faceoff wins evenly, 31 apiece.  Lars Eller was 10-for-15, and even Evgency Kuznetsov was 10-for-20.  Nic Dowd was an uncharacteristic 4-for-15.

-- Hathaway and Dowd were the multi-point players for the Caps, each going 1-1-2.  It was Hathaway’s fourth multi-point game this year, Dowd’s second.

-- Although he was excellent for much of this game, especially with the rust that accumulated during a 12-day absence from the lineup, this was Vitek Vanecek’s third consecutive loss (0-1-2).  He is now 2-3-4 (one no-decision), 3.00, .893 in his last ten games. 

In the end…

Well… blown third period lead, again.  But they salvaged a point.  Still, the bad taste lingers for a second game, this time the Caps losing to an inferior team on home ice.  Except for a few bursts, the Caps looked listless and without direction.  It happens, but it’s usually a January/February thing with the hard grind.  This was a disappointing response to the Florida debacle.

 

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 24: Blackhawks at Capitals: December 2nd

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The Washington Capitals begin their longest home stand of the season – four games – on Thursday night when the Chicago Blackhawks blow in from the Windy City.  The Caps will be looking to rid themselves of the stench of the third period in Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, when they coughed up a 4-1 lead, allowed four goals (the last with 15 seconds left), and lost without so much as salvaging a single standings point in a 5-4 loss.  Chicago has alternated wins and losses over their past six games overall (3-3-0).  They are 2-2-0 in their last four road games after going 0-5-1 in their first six road contests.

Patrick Kane is the only number one overall draft pick in Chicago Blackhawks history.  He has had a much better career than the Blackhawks’ only number two overall pick in their history – Andrew Culligan (1965 Amateur Draft) -- who never dressed for an NHL game.  Kane is fourth all-time in franchise history in games played (1,046), third in goals scored (410), third in assists (696), third in points (1.106), fourth in power play goals (113), tied for third in power play points (355), second in overtime goals (nine), third in game-winning goals (67), second in ice time per game among forwards (20:13), second in takeaways (632), fourth in first goals of games (69), first in empty net goals (25), and second in both Gimmick goals scored (47) and game-deciding Gimmick goals (19).

In 14 seasons preceding this one, Kane was a point-per-game player in 11 of them, and with 18 points in 17 games (he missed four games to COVID protocol), he is on pace to do so a 12^th time.  He has been in a slump of late, going 0-1-1, minus-4, over his last five games after going 1-5-6, plus-6, in his previous four games.  Odd Kane info nugget…Kane as points in three of eight road games this season, all multi-point games.  In 17 career games against the Caps, he is 7-8-15, minus-7.

Seth Jones came to Chicago on July 23^rd from the Columbus Blue Jackets with a sixth-round draft pick in 2022, and a first-round draft pick in 2021 for a conditional first-round draft pick in 2022 (if 2022 first-round pick is in the top two, becomes a 2023 first-round pick), Adam Boqvist, a second-round draft pick in 2021, and a first-round draft pick in 2021.  In his first season with the Blackhawks, Jones is 2-15-17, minus-9.  His 1.9 points per 60 minutes and 0.81 points per game to date represent career highs.  Jones scoring has had an effect on wins and losses, within the context of a struggling team. Chicago is 6-7-2 in the 15 games in which he has a point, 1-5-0 in the six games in which he does not.  He has points in six of ten road games to date (1-5-6, minus-6).  Odd Seth Jones info nugget…Jones is the only defenseman in the league with at least 15 points and minus-9 or worse.  He is 3-10-13, plus-3, in 19 games against the Caps.

It might seem like it should be more, but Marc-Andre Fleury has 42 career regular season appearances against the Caps, the same number, it turns out, and another Capital nemesis and erstwhile teammate (sort of) – Henrik Lundqvist.  The two have very similar career records against the Caps, Fleury with a 24-14-2/2.62/.911/four shutout record, and Lundqvist with a 22-13-7/2.76/.907/4 shutout record.  And Fleury has faced the Caps only three times in the postseason.  It just seems his footprint as an opponent in Caps history is larger than the numbers suggest.  Perhaps it is that Fleury faced the Caps in two seven-game series (both wins with Pittsburgh) and another of five games (the Stanley Cup final in 2018, a Caps win).  There might not be another opposition goalie in the Rock the Red era for the Caps who is remembered more by Caps fans.   

And now, the Caps get to face Fleury on his third team. His numbers have not been impressive with Chicago to date – 39^th of 58 goalies with 250 or more minutes in goals against average (2.91), 26^th in save percentage (.914), and one shutout.  He has been streaky, a five-game losing streak to start the season (4.63/.872) and a four-game winning streak in mid-November (1.22/.964/one shutout/40 or more shots faced twice).  He is, however, working on a two-game winless streak despite stopping 54 of 58 shots (.931).  He is 2-5-0/3.12/.916/one shutout in seven road games to date.

1.  Chicago has difficulty getting pucks on net on the road.  Their 24.5 shots per game are fewest in the league.

2.  The Blackhawks find themselves behind the eight-ball early in games.  They have been scored upon first in seven of ten road games (0-6-1 record), tied for third-most in the league; and they have trailed seven times at the first intermission (0-6-1). 

3.  Perhaps allowing 20 first period goals has something to do with those early-game woes – most in the league by far (Vancouver: 14).

4.  Chicago plays well within the rules on the road.  Their net penalties (drawn less taken) of plus-4 and their 0.40 net penalties per 60 minutes rank second in the league in both categories.

5.  The Blackhawks are adept at pilfering pucks, their 7.98 takeaways per 60 minutes ranking third in the league.

1.  Washington is one of only four teams with a single loss in regulation on home ice (New York Rangrs, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers).

2.  The Caps’ plus-1.46 goal differential on home ice is fourth-best in the league.

3.  Washington has allowed only 25.3 shots per game on home ice, second-fewest in the league (Calgary: 24.0).

4.  The Capitals have six wins when scoring first on home ice, tied for second-most in the league (Florida: seven).

5.  Washington needs to do better in close games on home ice. Their 1-1-3 record is tied for fourth-worst in the league by points percentage (.200).

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Chicago: Alex DeBrincat

Back in 2016, a well-regarded Capitals Web site selected Alex DeBrincat with the 26^th overall pick of the 2016 Entry Draft.  The Capitals did not take the advice.  Instead, the Caps traded the 26^th pick to St. Louis for the Blues’ first round pick (29^th overall) and a third-round pick (87^th overall).  The Caps took Lucas Johansen with the first round pick and Garrett Pilon with the third round pick.  Johansen has not yet played an NHL game and has spent the last five seasons with the Hershey Bears.  Pilon broke through and dressed for his first NHL game last season and has played two this season for the Caps.  The two have combined to go 1-0-1, plus-1 (all from Pilon) in the NHL.

DeBrincat slipped to the second round of the 2016 draft where he was taken by the Blackhawks, perhaps his size (5’7”/165 pounds) working against him.  The 39^th overall pick has been a bargain – sixth in his draft class in games played (307), third in goals scored (131), sixth in assists (113), fourth in points (244), third in power play goals (41), fourth in power play points (74), second in overtime goals (seven), and fourth n game-winning goals (17).  This season, DeBrincat has taken over as the dominant offensive force for the Blackhawks, leading the team by a wide margin in goals (12, to Brandon Hagel’s seven) and is second in points overall (15, to Patrick Kane’s 18).  He and Kane lead the team in game-winning goals (two apiece; the team has only six overall), he trails only Kane among forwards in team goals for at even strength (15, to Kane’s 16).  On the other hand, though, he has been on ice for 20 even strength goals against, most among forwards.  DeBrincat is 2-2-4, plus-1, in five career games against the Caps.

Washington: Carl Hagelin

Of all 355 active players having faced the Blackhawks in ten or more games, who has more points per game against Chicago than Logan Couture, Max Pacioretty, Filip Forsberg, or Phil Kessel?  Carl Hagelin, that’s who.  With eight points in 13 career games against Chicago (0.62 points per game), he has more than Couture (0.61), Pacioretty (0.61), Forsberg (0.58), and Kessel (0.55). Hagelin is one of 12 players in that group to have posted two shorthanded points.  Hagelin also averages 16:24 in ice time per game against Chicago over his career, more per-game ice time than he has against any other team except the Minnesota Wild (16:47 in 13 games).

Hagelin could use some of that production at the moment.  Never an especially noteworthy scorer – his best points per game was in 2011-2012 with the New York Rangers (0.59), and his career average coming into this year was 0.43 – his scoring this year has been disappointing, even by modest standards.  Hagelin has three assists in 23 games and is looking for his first goal, going 0-for-28 shooting.  He is one of seven forwards in the league without a goal and having taken 28 or more shots.  He and Zach Parise are tied for fewest points in than group (three).  On the other hand, Hagelin leads that group in plus-minus (plus-4), which is more evidence of the Caps’ overall strength than Hagelin’s performance.  He is 2-6-8, minus-1, in 13 career games against Chicago.

In the end…

Good veteran teams do not let one bad period linger in the mind, especially when they dominated the two periods preceding it, as the Caps did against Florida in their 5-4 loss on Tuesday.  And they don’t let a team that is 2-7-1 on the road add to the recent misery.  The Caps, that third period notwithstanding, are a good – a very good – team. Chicago is not.  This should not be close.

Capitals 5 – Blackhawks 2

A NO Point Night: Washington Capitals -- Game 23: Panthers 5 - Capitals 4

The Washington Capitals broke out to a 4-1 lead over the Florida Panthers barely half-way through the contest and looked to make it an early evening.  They might have punched their time cards, but the Panthers did not, charging back with four third period goals, the last of them with 15 seconds left on a power play, and escaped with a 5-4 win over the Capitals.

First Period

Washington jumped on the Panthers early with goals 11 seconds apart six minutes into the game.  Connor McMichael got the Caps off and running 5:52 into the period on a sequence started by Nick Jensen, who slid up the right wing wall in the Florida end to improve his angle to get a shot on net.  He fired at the Panther goal, but the shot was muffled, the puck dribbling to the left of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.  McMichael got two whacks at the loose puck, the second one from below the goal line, hitting Bobrovsky’s left leg and caroming in to make it 1-0, Caps.

Beck Malenstyn posted his first NHL goal 11 seconds later.  Off the faceoff following the McMichael goal, Trevor van Riemsdyk banked the puck off the right wing boards into the offensive zone.  Matt Kiersted could not control the puck for the Panthers, but Brett Leason did corral it.  He cut to the middle, drawing the defense, and then slid the puck to Malenstyn on his left.  Malenstyn one-timed the puck past Bobrovsky, and it was 2-0 at the 6:03 mark.

Florida halved the lead 52 seconds later when off a scramble in front, the puck found its way to open ice to the right of goalie Ilya Samsonov.  Joe Thornton shrugged off Leason and bunted the loose puck past Samsonov’s right skate to make it 2-1, 6:55 into the period.

Washington was awarded the first power play at the 13:38 mark when Frank Vatrano was sent off for high-sticking.  Washington had some good looks, but they failed to convert the man advantage. Neither team could score from there, and the teams went to the first intermission with the Caps holding a 2-1 lead.

-- Florida outshot the Caps, 15-12, and out-attempted them, 23-21.

-- Three rookies – Connor McMichael, Brett Leason, and Beck Malenstyn – had points in the period.

-- Three defensemen – Trevor van Riemsdyk, Dmitry Orlov, and Nick Jensen – had points in the period.

-- Alex Ovechkin led the team with four shot attempts (two on goal, tied for the team lead through 20 minutes).

Second Period

Washington regained their two-goal lead in the seventh minute when Lars Eller steamed down the left side of the offensive zone, curled in and around the flat-footed Aaron Eklblad, and flipped a backhand past the left pad of Bobrovsky at 6:40 to make it a 3-1 game.

Mid-way through the period the teams practiced their playoff orneriness moves, several players squaring off against one another  Martin Fehervary and Jonathan Huberdeau being one pair penalized and MacKenzie Weegar the other, all four receiving two minutes for roughing.

Nick Jensen put the Caps up by three goals when Nic Dowd, from below the goal line, threaded a pass through several players to Jensen alone in the middle of the ice.  Jensen fired, his shot nicking defender Anton Lindell on the way through just enough for the puck to sail high over Bobrovsky and under the water bottle, making it 4-1, Caps, 12:40 into the period.

Tom Wilson went off at 13:03 of the period to put the Panthers on a power play.  Florida had a couple of fine chances late in the man advantage, but Samsonov fought them off, and the Caps maintained their 4-1 lead.  It would be the lead they took to the locker room at the second intermission.

-- Washington outshot Florida, 13-9, in the period and out-attempted the Panthers, 20-15.

-- Ten skaters had points for the Caps through 40 minutes, three defensemen combining for five points.

-- Connor McMichael led the Caps with four shots on goal through 40 minutes; he and Alex Ovechkin each had six shot attempts.

Third Period

The Caps got caught in their own end and playing a bit lackadaisical when the Panthers shave the lead to two goals.  Controlling the puck below the Caps’ goal line, Patric Hornqvist sent the puck out in front to a wide open Ryan Lomberg, who fired the puck into the open side of the net to Samsonov’s right, making it 4-2, 3:23 into the period.

The Caps’ sluggish play caused head coach Peter Laviolette to call his time out at the 4:40 mark and Florida with an 8-0 edge in shots in the period to try to get the Caps bright eyed and bushy tailed once more.

Washington went to a power play when Vatrano was sent off for tripping at the 5:36 mark.  But it was Florida who capitalized when Eetu Luostarinen got behind the Caps defense on a breakaway and beat Samsonov between the pads at 6:09.

The Caps went shorthanded after a wild scrum in front of Samsonov as both teams desperately searched for the puck. Tom Wilson went off for interference at 8:18 of the period.  Washington killed the penalty and recorded a shorthanded shot, their first shot on goal of the period.

Washington went right back to the PK, though, when Dennis Cholowski went to the box for cross-checking at the 11:27 mark.  The second time worked for Florida when an Aaron Ekblad drive was redirected through the pads of Samsonov to make it 4-4, 12:01 into the period.

Florida got one last power play late in the period when Malenstyn went off for goalie interference at 19:03.  Florida converted the man advantage when Sam Bennett one-timed a puck past Samsonov on the short side at 19:45.  The comeback was complete, and Florida skated off with a 5-4 win.

Other stuff…

-- Beck Malenstyn’s goal made it eight-for-eight for Caps rookies.  All eight rookies to dress for the Caps so far this season have points.

-- Florida recorded 26 shots in the third period against a team allowing only 27.3 shots per game, fewest in the league.

-- The Caps allowed 50 shots on goal for the game, the first time they allowed 50 or more in a game since October 13, 2007, when they allowed 53 in a 7-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

--  Florida outshot the Caps, 50-27, and out-attempted them 72-45.

-- Connor McMichael led the team with four shots on goal; he and Alex Ovechkin had six shot attempts.  Neither player had a shot or a shot attempt in the third period.

--  The teams split 70 hits down the middle; Garnet Hathaway and Martin Fehervary led the team with six apiece.

-- Mike Sgarbossa and Brett Leason did not have a shot attempt.

-- Every Panther had a shot on goal except Radko Gudas.

-- John Carlson let the team in ice time…again (23:05).

-- The Caps allowed two power play goals in a game for the first time this season.

In the end…

For 40 minutes, the Caps looked like the best team in the league.  In the last 20 minutes, they looked like a lottery team.  And they paid for it.  Burn the tapes, get ready for the next one.