It was just one of those nights for the Washington Capitals (18-10-4). They put up one of their weaker performances and got crushed 5-1 by the Winnipeg Jets (15-15-1) on Saturday.
From the get-go, the Capitals just couldn’t get much going, as they only totaled three shots in the first period.
The Capitals’ performance was so bad to the point where they trailed 5-0 in the third period. It took a 5-on-3 opportunity for the team to end the shutout, thanks to Jakob Chychrun.
It also didn’t help that defending Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck made his return for Winnipeg after his injury.
Logan Thompson did all he could as he stopped 30 of 35 shots, but wasn’t given much help from his teammates.
With this result, the Capitals’ nine-game point streak comes to an end. They will look to regroup as they visit the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Capitals Analysis
Coming off the previous game, it seemed like the Capitals’ offense had been sputtering. Saturday’s loss against Winnipeg wasn’t any better.
The Capitals got off to another slow start, as they were outshot by Winnipeg 13-3 and trailed 2-0 in the opening period.
Defending Hart Trophy winner Hellebuyck made his return for Winnipeg after missing time due to knee surgery. He was too much for the Capitals as he stopped 24 of 25 shots.
The Capitals struggled on the 5-on-5 throughout the night, failing to generate much pressure or enter the zone cleanly. Carbery changed up the lines, with Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd reuniting, and Hendrix Lapierre moving up to 3C. Unfortunately, the new lines didn’t work.
Multiple Capitals players finished below zero when it came to the plus-minus. However, Justin Sourdif registered the worst at -3.
The Capitals also struggled on special teams, failing to convert on their first three power-play opportunities. The team also gave up a Winnipeg goal on the penalty kill in the middle frame.
The Capitals finally got on the board late when Chychrun fired the puck past Hellebuyck on the 5-on-3.
Chychrun now has 12 goals on the season, while Alex Ovechkin’s assist moved him past Jaromir Jagr for 10th-most power-play points in NHL history.
Capitals Report Card
Team: F
This just wasn’t one of the better performances for the Capitals. The team couldn’t generate chances and was outplayed by Winnipeg.
Capitals Special Teams: D+
While the Capitals weren’t able to get going on the 5-on-5, the special teams didn’t help for the most part. The Capitals finally scored via Chychrun on the two-man advantage late in the game.
Logan Thompson: B-
Thompson was put in a rough situation as he made 30 saves on the night. Though the five goals he gave up made all the difference (not his fault).
Bogdan Trineyev: C+
The 23-year-old made his NHL debut and was quite all right. Playing on the fourth line with Duhaime and Dowd, Trineyev tried to be physical and finished with 11:45 of ice time.
