After a three-day break, the Washington Capitals are back after what seemed like a millennia.
Tonight, the Capitals will take on Metropolitan Division foe, Carolina, an analytical darling that puts pucks on net from everywhere. Frederik Andersen will not play, as Rod Brind’Amour opting to start Brandon Bussi in net. Bussi is 9-1-0 with a 2.09 goals against average and.909 save percentage this season.
Meanwhile, the Leonard-less Capitals will get a boost on the backend. John Carlson is back after sitting out a week’s worth of games. Spencer Carbery will counter Bussi with Logan Thompson in net.
Puck drop for today’s game is scheduled for a little after 7:00 pm. Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin have the call on Monumental Sports Network.
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Lines
Washington Capitals
Ovechkin
Strome
McMichael
Carolina Hurricanes
Tunnel shenanigans
1st Period
Puck is dropped. Ovechkin-Strome-McMichael and Sandin-TVR get the start.
First shift, Tom Wilson destroys D’Andre Miller behind the net.
A very slow start to this game. Both teams look very sleepy.
Ethen Frank goes 1 on 3 in a board battle. Oh, Frank wins!
Justin Sourdif, I love this, slid around a Canes defender along the boards and hit Rasmus Sandin on the opposite wing. Sandin sent a back pass to Aliaksei Protas, but the puck rolled over his stick. Great idea.
Logan Stankoven with a wide open shot on a 3-on-2 odd-man break but he shoots it right into Thompson’s crest.
Justin Sourdif loses the puck in a puck battle after getting bodied behind the net. Caps keep it in at the blue line though. Sourdif gets it back and goes for a weak wraparound attempt, is stopped, and then takes an offensive zone roughing penalty. Not the best shift from him. Hurricanes go to their first power play at 18:55.
At intermission: 0-0. The first period was a snoozer. The Hurricanes are outshooting the Capitals 13 to 4.
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
Capitals kill Sourdif’s penalty.
Connor McMichael with some silky mitts on a breakaway and beats Bussi five hole. 1-0 Capitals. That’s McMichael’s fourth even-strength goal of the season.
🚨
1-0 Washington Capitals
Goal: Connor McMichael (5). Assists: A. Ovechkin (16), R. Sandin (6). Time: 5:00
Jackson Blake rings one loudly off the post during a chance down the right wing. You could have heard that one in space.
Logan Stankoven now rings one hard off the post. That’s the third pipe that’s been hit by the Canes.
Thompson thanks his post with his catching mitt.
Ehlers finds a rebound in front of the net and beats Thompson through the arm. That goal felt like it was coming for five minutes.
🚨
1-1 tie
Goal: Nikolaj Ehlers (7). Assists: L. Stankoven (8), A. Nikishin (7). Time: 13:43
Nic Dowd with a huge hit in the corner on Shayne Gotisbehere.
Judy to the box for a big cross-check on Jackson Blake at 17:29. Hurricanes back to the power play.
Staal shanks a wide-open chance near the net.
At intermission: It’s tied 1-1. The Hurricanes are outshooting the Capitals 29-9.
3rd Period
Puck is dropped…and Nic Dowd and Jordan Martinook are fighting. a lot of wrestling. Martinook seemed to be avenging Dowd’s hit earlier in the game. Both players are chatting to each other across the penalty box to each other.
Bussi robs Ovi.
Capitals to the power play after K’Andre Miller interferes with Tom Wilson 1:35.
John Carlson rips one off the post hard at the end of the PP.
Nic Dowd is on one tonight. Had a fight and now the go-ahead goal in the third period after a great look by Rasmus Sandin. “WHAT A PASS!” Dowd screamed at Sandin as he approached the goal hug.
🚨
2-1 Washington Capitals
Goal: Nic Dowd (2). Assists: R. Sandin (7), C. McMichael (12). Time: 11:32
Canes pull Bussi for an extra attacker and OH NOOOOOOOO. Off Dowd’s skate and Stankoven beats Thompson bardown.
🚨
2-2 tie
Goal: Logan Stankoven (6). Assists: N. Ehlers (14), J. Chatfield (5). Time: 17:45
At the end of regulation: Hurricanes lead in shots 39 to 22. To OT we go.
Overtime
Puck is dropped.
Hurricanes are constantly ragging the puck. They are so boring.
Two Hurricanes crash into each other along the sideboard springing Dylan Strome on a breakaway! Bussi then makes a diving glove save. Ughhhhhh. That would’ve been an amazing way to end it.
Bussi stops Ovechkin at the far post after a good feed by Sourdif.
Protas unable to finish on a semi-breakaway.
To the shootout we go. Caps should have won it in overtime.
Shootout
❌ Anthony Beauvillier dekes but stopped by Bussi
✅ Seth Jarvis scores the puck and himself into the net.
❌ Dylan Strome goes to a headfake and a deke to his forehand but Bussi stops him
❌ Andrei Svechnikov tries Jarvis’s same move but looses control of the puck
❌ Sonny Milano stopped on his backhand.
Carolina Hurricanes win 3-2 in the shootout. Bussi wins his eighth straight game. The Hurricanes outshot the Capitals 39 to 25.
Beaten by the boring beasts of the east: Canes beat Cap 3-2 in the shootout
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