The Washington Capitals are back home after a 4-3 setback in Canada to face the Chicago Blackhawks at Capital One Arena for the first time since one of my favorite days as a Caps fan.<\/p>\n
Alex Ovechkin scored his 893rd<\/a> and 894th career goals on April 4th<\/a> to tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record, sending me to tears. The Great One was in the house for the game, and it was a classic Ovi night \u2014 the Caps\u2019 legend met the high-pressure moment by scoring two emphatic tallies and setting himself up for history with an empty-net goal in front of his home fans, which I very, very much wanted him to do. Instead, he respected the game and the milestone, wanting to score on a goalie for the record, and stayed on the bench as Ryan Leonard scored on the empty net, notching the first of his career<\/a>.<\/p>\n From the bowing<\/a> to the beer bath<\/a>, it was one of the greatest nights I\u2019ve ever gotten to see, and perhaps my second-favorite moment beyond the Caps winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. This game tonight serves as a reminder of the incredible hockey we\u2019ve been able to watch over the last 20 years; we all have so much passion for this team and have come so bar as a fanbase. A lot of it is due to the Big Man, but it\u2019s also due to all of us as a collective putting so much love into the team \u2014 from deciding to play hockey, reading about it so much (thank you), teaching our kids (I love you, Ethan), and buying season tickets. This is a special place to love hockey, and I\u2019m always grateful to share my passion (sometimes fun, sometimes dumb) with you.<\/p>\n Now that I\u2019m done being unbearably sentimental, I do have some bad news. Aliaksei Protas is out tonight due to injury<\/a>. Justin Sourdif, who had two incredible games on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a> and New Year\u2019s<\/a>, will play despite missing the morning skate<\/a>. Logan Thompson will start in net and oppose <\/p>\n Puck drop for today\u2019s game is scheduled for a little after 7:00 pm. Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin will have the call on Monumental Sports Network.<\/p>\n Get RMNB ad-free<\/p>\n Support us on Patreon for $5 to hide all ads and get other perks<\/p>\n More Info<\/a><\/p>\n Lines Ovechkin<\/p>\n Strome<\/p>\n Beauvillier<\/p>\n Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n Bertuzzi<\/p>\n Greene<\/p>\n Burakovsky<\/p>\n Donato<\/p>\n Dickinson<\/p>\n Mikheyev<\/p>\n Tunnel shenanigans<\/p>\n 1st Period<\/p>\n Puck is dropped. McMichael-Sourdif-Wilson and Fehervary-Carlson get the start.<\/p>\n Blown assignment by Dylan Strome and Rasmus Sandin leaves Ryan Donato wide open in front of the net where he easily deflects a shot past Logan Thompson. BAD START. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n 1-0 Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n Goal: Ryan Donato (10). Assists: I. Mikheyev (5). Time: 1:13<\/p>\n Anthony Beauvillier rips one off the inside of the post after a great pass by Alex Ovechkin finds him from behind the net.<\/p>\n Ethen Frank stopped, but Dylan Strome scores on a huge rebound from Spencer Knight. We\u2019re tied 1-1.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n 1-1 tie<\/p>\n Goal: Dylan Strome (10). Assists: E. Frank (8), T. van Riemsdyk (5). Time: 4:46<\/p>\n Matt Roy was destroyed via a hip check. Like he\u2019s okay, but that was a huge hit.<\/p>\n Andre Burakovsky nearly scores via a rush down the right wing. Appeared to go five-hole on Thompson.<\/p>\n Tyler Bertuzzi wide open in front of the net, but stopped by Thompson. Caps are playing, per Joe B, some \u201cSKETCHY defense.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Wilson takes a stick right to the Tom Wilsons and he is in huge pain. He began slamming his stick against the bench as if he was trying to break the bench. <\/p>\n Bertuzzi with another high-danger chance in front of the net. Can the Caps please guard this man? <\/p>\n Wilson slow to get up after a counter hit behind the net by Connor Murphy. He\u2019s limping big time. Not good. He\u2019s being helped down the runway to the locker room. <\/p>\n More miscoverage in front of the net and Donato nearly scores. The Capitals are playing some horrible D.<\/p>\n Somehow, Connor McMichael doesn\u2019t score after multiple whacks at the puck to the side of the net. He literally shot it horizontally through the crease. Story of his season for sure.<\/p>\n At intermission: The game\u2019s tied 1-1. The Caps are lucky it\u2019s tied. Shots on goal are 13 to 9 Caps.<\/p>\n 2nd Period<\/p>\n Puck is dropped. Tom Wilson is not back. <\/p>\n Already have a fishy icing call.<\/p>\n Duhaime with an opportunity near the net.<\/p>\n Ilya Mikheyev has a semi-breakaway but falls to the ice as he\u2019s shooting.<\/p>\n This game is opening up quite a bit now.<\/p>\n Jakob Chychrun hits a Kirby Dach up in the face as the Blackhawks forward skates into the offensive zone. He\u2019s called for roughing at 3:20. Chychrun\u2019s nodding with the ref in agreement on the call lmao.<\/p>\n Bertuzzi finds Teravainen with a cross-seam pass and he roofs it perfectly past an outstretched Thompson.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n 2-1 Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n PPG: Teuvo Teravainen (9). Assists: T. Bertuzzi (12), A. Burakovsky (17). Time: 4:24<\/p>\n Sonny Milano with a nice rush to the net, but can\u2019t beat Knight.<\/p>\n Ryan Leonard loses his blade and has to hop back to the bench.<\/p>\n Dowd hits the post.<\/p>\n Caps have now hit the post 55 times this season.<\/p>\n Tom Wilson is questionable to return.<\/p>\n
\nWashington Capitals<\/p>\n