📸: Mario from #crashers
The Washington Capitals met the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time this season on Friday night. After coming out of the Olympic break with a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Caps were looking to double up on home ice before heading north to Montreal.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice within 3:23 to begin the second period and put the Capitals up two goals. Jakob Chychrun followed that up with a blast of his own to extend the lead. Braeden Bowman got Vegas on the board, and Tomas Hertl put them within one in the third frame.
Capitals beat Golden Knights 3-2!
Get RMNB ad-free
Support us on Patreon for $5 to hide all ads and get other perks
More Info
- The first period felt like it was played in slow motion. Neither team really had any jump; the power plays fizzled out for both teams, and the goalies stopped everything they should have. Alex Ovechkin probably had the period’s best chance but couldn’t find the net with an in-tight chance. Please, Ovi, we need moar scoar.
- With the team’s full forward group finally healthy, the Caps sat Hendrix Lapierre. I thought he was great against the Flyers, but that’s the right call. Unless something happens around the trade deadline, I imagine this is what we see for the rest of the season, barring further injuries. Also, the reason this bullet is so high in the recap is that literally nothing happened in that first period. I had to come up with something.
- Really cool to see the Black History activations, those jerseys are too sweet. I do wish teams could wear their specialty jerseys during games as they do in the minors, though. Always nice to see Joel Ward back in the building, too.
- The five-on-five stats had Vegas dominating the second period, which feels incredibly bogus to me. They apparently left the frame up 6-1 in high-danger chances, but I don’t remember Logan Thompson even having to break a sweat. Y’all know I’m a big numbers guy, but that’s just some evidence that you can’t automatically take everything that you see at face value. It felt like the complete opposite from an eye-test perspective.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois led the offensive charge for the Capitals, scoring two quick goals and assisting on the third. He now has five points (3g, 2a) in the three games since his return to the team’s lineup. Just a completely different team with him down the middle.
- What an absolute laser beam from Jakob Chychrun to put the Capitals up three goals. Sure feels like Team Canada could have used him over, checks notes, Drew Doughty and Travis Sanheim. Chychrun leads all NHL defensemen in goals (22) and played his 600th career game on Friday night. Congrats, Bandz.
- The Capitals really need to find an actual top-six wing to play with Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Anthony Beauvillier does his best, but that line is just not cooking this year. The unfortunate part is, I’m not sure that player is available right now. I know people love bringing up Jordan Kyrou from the Blues, but St. Louis seems to want a ridiculous return for him. He isn’t having an encouraging enough season to make that feel like a good idea.
- The third period was pure turtle mode, and you hate to see your favorite team play like that. Special teams are still a massive, apparently unsolvable issue.
- Oh, man. The power play didn’t figure anything out over the break. It’s still just utterly useless in huge moments during games. Unbelievable that the Capitals have not done anything more drastic to try and fix these woes. You could argue they are in the standings position that they’re in based on their power play alone. Bonkers.
- Logan Thompson was phenomenal again. I think he got caught in two minds on the first goal, but Vegas should have had this game tied and then some without him.
The Capitals have no time to rest as they’ll board a flight to Montreal for a back-to-back against the Canadiens. The Habs lost their only post-Olympic break game 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders on Thursday.
