To say the Washington Capitals (15-9-2) are officially back would be an understatement. They finished the month of November with a 4-1 road win over the New York Islanders (13-10-3) on Sunday afternoon.
The Capitals struck first in the opening period when they went on the power play, as Alex Ovechkin fed to Tom Wilson near the net for the tally.
Then, in the second period, Wilson intercepted a pass from Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin and scored on an empty net to make it 2-0.
In the third period, the Capitals gave up a goal from Bo Horvat while on the penalty kill. However, Aliaksei Protas and Alex Ovechkin both responded with two empty-netters to seal it.
However, this game belonged to Logan Thompson, who made 30 saves on 31 shots and continues to be a surefire Vezina candidate.
With the win, the Capitals are now 7-1-0 in their last nine games. They now head west for three late-night matchups against Los Angeles, San Jose, and Anaheim.
Capitals Analysis
Right out of the gate, Thompson made his presence known. He opened the game with a cartwheel glove save on Anders Lee off a 2-on-1. He then made some more big stops like a breakaway stick save on Simon Holmstrom and a split pad save on Mathew Barzal’s wraparound bid.
The Capitals were trapped in their own zone at various points in the game, but Thompson was able to step up and prevent the Islanders from scoring for the most part.
Thompson hadn’t given up a goal until the third period when Horvat scored off a rebound on the power play. Nevertheless, it was still an incredible performance for the 28-year-old as he made 30 saves to notch his 11th win this season.
As for the offense, Tom Wilson provided the spark the team desperately needed. The Capitals went on the man advantage as some tic-tac-toe passing from Ryan Leonard and Ovechkin led to Wilson tapping the puck in.
Then, in the middle frame, Sorokin made a huge error while behind his own net. He attempted a pass that was intercepted by Wilson, who fired into the open net to make it 2-0.
Wilson almost recorded a hat trick when his long empty-net shot attempt bounced off the boards. Luckily, Protas put the puck away to make it 3-1.
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old finished the afternoon with three points (2 goals, 1 assist). He extends his point streak to five games and is up to 15 goals and 29 points through 26 games this season.
Finally, Ovechkin added another empty-netter to seal it once and for all. The Great 8 now has 12 goals on the year and 909 for his illustrious career.
Capitals Report Card
Team: B+
The Capitals couldn’t really score on Sorokin all that much. However, they were still very aggressive and did enough to get the job done.
Capitals Power Play: B
The Capitals went on the power play early on as Wilson tipped the puck in. They also did well on the penalty kill until they gave up the Horvat goal in the third.
Tom Wilson: A
Wilson continues to be one of the Capitals’ best players this season. With two goals on the day, he extended his point streak to five games and leads the team in scoring.
Logan Thompson: A+
Thompson ended up playing his best game of the season. He stopped 30 of 31 shots and made some remarkable saves, especially to start the game.
Alex Ovechkin: A
Ovechkin continues to impress, as he extended his point streak to four games with the assist and empty-netter to seal it.
Ryan Leonard: B
The 20-year-old Leonard was very physical and threw his body all around on Sunday afternoon. His assist on Wilson’s first tally also helped.
