The Caps beat the Canes 4 3 in a tough not

The Caps beat the Canes 4-3 in a tough, not sludge game.

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Through the haze of tree pollen Friday night, we watched the Washington Capitals play away with the Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams played one after the other, so expectations were not high. And yet we were given a dramatic and exciting game. First there were high-jinxes, then everything got terrible, and then it got fun again. Real fun. Ow fun.

Seth Jarvis started to score, beating Ilya Samsonov in the center. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a very curious goal for no reason, while no one was paying attention (more on that later). John Carlson caught a pass from Connor McMichael and gave the Caps the lead, but the Hurricanes scored twice in the second period (Trochek lost a pass, Jarvis again on constant pressure) to give the Carolinas the lead after two.

With five minutes left in regulation time, the Caps went into powerplay and Ovechkin immediately scored a goal, forcing the two tired teams into overtime. The Caps played well in the OT but couldn’t get a decision.

Shooting bullets!

  • Trochek did not put cookies in the basket
  • Kuznetsov did not put cookies in the basket
  • Svechnikov did not put cookies in the basket
  • Backstrom didn’t put the cookies in the basket
  • Jarvis didn’t put the cookies in the basket
  • Ovechkin put the cookies in the basket. Backhand!

Caps win the shootout!

  • Both Washington and Carolina played Thursday night, so it was a dirty game. Despite the fatigue, passions flared up. The first period was wild and fun, and then the return diminished a bit.
  • Ilya Samsonov it was a strange game. Early in the first, he left the area to chase the puck that had eluded him, giving Nino Niederreiter wide open network. Niederreiter landed a monstrous snap and missed completely. Samsonov joined in later, but he didn’t see much action late in the game as the Caps took control.
  • Nick Dowd left after hitting Seth Jarvis at the end of the first period, returned in the second, and then disappeared again in the third.
  • TJ Oshie (lower body injury) was replaced by AHLer. Mike Vecchione played sparingly and did well – except for the loss, thanks to which Vincent Troczek scored the decisive goal. He didn’t play at all in the third period.
  • It was a very effective counterattack on Tom Wilson.
  • Evgeny KuznetsovThe goal was elegant, but we almost missed it. Everyone was paying attention to the other side of the court, where Ovechkin was absorbing the attention of Carolina D and the judges. Therefore, there was no whistle in the game, no point in the net, no siren. Strange sequence.
  • Early in the third, Kuznetsov took a side kick from Carolina guard Brendan Smith, who had a bloody game. Kuznetsov was shocked, but remained in the game (and somehow evaded the shell shock protocol? Did the spotters fall asleep?). I don’t think Kuznetsov’s shot was dirty. Kuznetsov was not vulnerable; we just all think of it that way.
  • Exacerbating the lack of hands Trevor van Riemsdyk came to the bench for the Capitals in the third and was unavailable for the rest of the game. The Caps finished this match with three figure skaters behind.
  • Did the Caps play their best three-on-three overtime I’ve ever seen? Complete dominance over the puck and the ice. Orlov, Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Carlson, Wilson, Backstrom – each excelled.

It’s a grueling part of the season when tight schedules punish teams. I feel that (this is a pure feeling backed by zero research) tired players are more likely to get hurt; back-to-back games are more likely to cause injury. As much chaotic fun as this game was early on, it became uninteresting when the Caps players were defeated. Stealing even a point from this was balm. Two points is happiness.

So now they have a day off to recuperate before hosting Holtby and the Stars on Sunday afternoon. See you here.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to inject some zirtek.

Head photo: @matthogan712