Harry Lichtman
This was definitely not a result the Washington Capitals (35-28-9) wanted. They fell flat and were shut out by the St. Louis Blues (29-30-11) 3-0 on Tuesday night.
This was the Capitals’ first stop on a three-game road trip as they looked to keep their playoff hopes alive. Unfortunately, Tuesday’s shutout loss was definitely not it.
The Capitals looked promising early on, but they just couldn’t figure out St. Louis goaltender Joel Hofer. The team’s power-play issues continued as well.
The main highlights for the Capitals were when they got chippy with the Blues. Ryan Leonard continues to be fierce as he dropped the gloves with Otto Stenberg.
Later in the game, Pierre-Luc Dubois received a five-minute match penalty for taking down Robert Thomas. Many questioned if the penalty was too much.
The Capitals’ regulation loss hurts more when you realize Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Islanders all lost the same night. Washington’s playoff chances keep decreasing by the minute.
Next up, the Capitals head towards the rocky mountains to face Utah on Thursday night.
Capitals Analysis
From the moment they took the ice, the Capitals just looked off on Tuesday. They were unable to score on Hofer as the St. Louis netminder stopped all 21 shots.
Even worse, the Capitals managed just six shots on goal through the first 40 minutes. The extra 14 in the third period just weren’t enough in the end.
The ongoing power-play issues continued as the Capitals went 0-for-2 on the night. The team was just unable to generate high-quality chances.
The Blues went up 1-0 in the middle frame as Jimmy Snuggerud fired a one-timer from the left circle.
Shortly after that goal, Leonard took a high hit from Stenberg and the two players exchanged blows. The 21-year-old tried to inject some life into his team as he now has two career fights under his belt.
In the final period, Stenberg doubled St. Louis’ lead when he snuck the puck past Logan Thompson in front.
Down 2-0, Dubois grabbed a hold of Thomas and brought him down hard to the ice. Thomas appeared to be hurt bad, and Dubois was given a match penalty for intent to injure.
Late in the game, Jordan Kyrou recorded an empty-netter to complete the Blues’ shutout win.
Capitals Report Card
Team: D-
Just a flat performance from the Capitals, especially on offense. Things did get chippy with St. Louis though.
Capitals Power Play: F
Once again, the Capitals couldn’t get going on the man advantage. The team failed to generate chances and went 0-for-2.
Ryan Leonard: B–
Leonard did try to inject some life into the Capitals as he dropped the gloves with Stenberg. The 21-year-old seems to be learning hard from Tom Wilson.
Logan Thompson: B
Thompson was impressive despite his teammates letting him down. He stopped 24 of 26 shots against the Blues.
Ivan Miroshnichenko: C+
Miroshnichenko stepped in for the injured Ethen Frank on the fourth line. He rang a shot off the post after a feed from Hendrix Lapierre.
