After getting shellacked 5-1 by Winnipeg on Saturday, the Washington Capitals will complete their frigid two-game road streak in St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild come into the game riding a major high after acquiring Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes.
“He’s a human one-man breakout,” Alan May remarked on the Capitals pregame show on Monumental Sports Network.
“He’s as good as anyone I’ve seen,” his former coach, Bruce Boudreau, added.
During his Wild debut on Sunday, Hughes received a standing ovation from an electric crowd at the end of warmups and later scored in the team’s 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins at Grand Casino Arena.
The Capitals will get a second crack at Hughes in a Wild uniform and are making a few changes ahead of the game. Sonny Milano will get back into the lineup in favor of Bogdan Trineyev while Connor McMichael will skate on the fourth line. Minnesota native, Charlie Lindgren, will start in net, opposing the Wild’s Filip Gustavsson.
Puck drop for today’s game is scheduled for a little after 8:00 pm. Joe Beninati, Craig Laughlin, and TJ Oshie will have the call on Monumental Sports Network.
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Lines
Washington Capitals
Beauvillier
Strome
Ovechkin
Minnesota Wild
Kaprizov
Eriksson-Ek
Boldy
Foligno
Hartman
Aube-Kubel
Tunnel shenanigans
1st Period
Puck is dropped. Duhaime-Dowd-McMichael and Chychrun-Roy get the start.
Vladimir Tarasenko beats Lindgren early to give the Wild an early 1-0 lead. That was Minnesota’s first shot on goal.
🚨
1-0 Minnesota Wild
Goal: Vladimir Tarasenko (4). Assists: D. Yurov (6), B. Faber (12). Time: 2:09
Wild are 9-1-2 at home when scoring first – the most wins in the NHL this season in the category.
Tom Wilson getting grumpy with Pitlick and Jones after a whistle to try and bring the Capitals into the fight.
Justin Sourdif gets the Capitals their first power play of the night at 11:39, drawing a hooking penalty on Danila Yurov as he went one-on-three into the offensive zone. Really silly penalty by the Wild but great job by Sourdif to keep moving his legs.
Tom Wilson loses his skate blade and one leg hops back to the bench.
Canucks kill the power play, but the Caps had some chances there.
Quinn Hughes skating circles around TVR, creates two separate chances down low in the offensive zone.
Dylan Strome with a turnover giving Foligno a breakaway from the red line, but Lindgren makes the huge save.
Connor McMichael with a breakaway of his own, but his five-hole shot is stopped by Filip Gustavsson.
Rasmus Sandin to the box for holding at 17:55. Wild get their first power play.
Kirill Kaprizov’s one-timer hits the post.
At intermission: The Wild lead 1-0. Capitals lead in shots on goal 11 to 9 and in five-on-five shot attempts 19 to 9.
2nd Period
Puck is dropped.
Wild send a shot off Lindgren and then the post. Lindgren can’t find it but the Capitals eventually clear. That gets the heart beating quick early.
Faber nearly poke-checks a Capitals’ center pass into his own net.
Pitlick nearly scores on a breakaway.
Great, great shift by the Capitals first line around the 4:30 mark of the period.
McMichael with an incredible deke and no look pass to Nic Dowd, but he can’t finish.
A great back pass by Protas to Wilson, but Gustavsson makes the save again on Tom’s shot from the top of the circles.
Martin Fehervary hooks Marcus Foligno at 11:53. Minnesota to their second power play of the night.
Point shot from Hughes hits Eriksson-Ek’s body and goes right to Kaprizov, who backhands the rebound into the yawning net.
🚨
2-0 Minnesota Wild
PPG: Kirill Kaprizov (21). Assists: J. Eriksson Ek (17), Q. Hughes (22). Time: 12:51
Caps appeared to be asking officials if that was a hand pass after the fact. But it will be a good goal. The Wild are now 3 for their last 5 on the power play overall.
That was Kraprizov’s 206th career goal with the Wild, breaking the franchise record.
Spurgeon hits the post with a shot from deep in the offensive zone.
Matt Boldly draws a penalty on Jakob Chychrun, using a change of speed. Chychrun gets whistled for the hook at 17:23.
Wild moving the puck well on this power play. Lindgren is flying all over the place trying to track the puck as they sling it around.
At intermission: The Wild are leading 2-0. Shots are 24 to 20 Minnesota. The Capitals are leading in five-on-five attempts 42 to 28.
3rd Period
Puck is dropped. The Caps need to be one of the rare teams here that can have a third-period comeback against the Wild this season.
The seas parted and Boldy walked up the slot – Lindgren made the save with the tiny sliver of his goalie stick above his arm.
This one’s about over. Tarasenko beats Lindgren again.
🚨
3-0 Minnesota Wild
Goal: Vladimir Tarasenko (5). Assists: D. Yurov (7). Time: 4:23
Filthy pass by Tarasenko.
🚨
4-0 Minnesota Wild
Goal: Danila Yurov (4). Assists: V. Tarasenko (11). Time: 8:53
David Jiricek to the box for hooking Justin Sourdif at 12:44. That’s Sourdif’s second drawn penalty of the night. I like this.
Oh no, I do not like this. Cohn Jarlson makes an appearance. Boldy creates some space and scores a shorty easily past Lindgren.
🚨
5-0 Minnesota Wild
SHG: Matt Boldy (19). Assists: M. Kiersted (1). Time: 14:12
Aliaksei Protas to the box for holding Vladimir Tarasenko at 15:22. Wild can go for the touchdown now.
Filip Gustavsson shutout.
Wild win 5-0.
Wild beat Caps 5-0: power play’s in the red, no one can score, neutral-zone turnovers aplenty
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