The Washington Capitals (25-21-7) played an absolute thriller on Saturday night. Though the team got a point, they fell to the Edmonton Oilers (26-19-8) 6-5 in OT.
The Capitals traded back-and-forth goals with Edmonton throughout the night. However, Evan Bouchard recorded a hat trick and Connor McDavid scored the game-winner in overtime.
The Capitals dealt with tons of offense and a lack of discipline at the same time. Both teams went on the power play five times.
The Capitals got goals from Aliaksei Protas, Justin Sourdif, Anthony Beauvillier, Dylan Strome, and Connor McMichael. It was one of the team’s better-played games as they were close stringing together wins again.
However, with the Capitals up 5-4 late, Zach Hyman tied the game up at 5-5 with 31.7 seconds left in regulation.
With a point, the Capitals now have 57 on the season and are two points out of a tie with the Islanders in the Metro Division. Pittsburgh is second with 61 points.
Next up, the Capitals continue their long road trip as they re-enter the U.S. and face Seattle on Tuesday night.
Capitals Analysis
After Bouchard made it 1-0 Edmonton, the Capitals responded 22 seconds later to tie it up. Protas picked up a loose puck in front and slipped it past Connor Ingram for the goal. This came off of Rasmus Sandin’s shot, which was actually the team’s first of the game.
Unfortunately for Sandin, he had to leave at the end of the opening period. With just 10 seconds left, Conor Lazar sent the blueliner into the boards and was in pain. Though Sandin did remain on the ice and made a huge block on a Ty Emberson shot that sent him down.
The Capitals responded again down 2-1 with over 13 minutes left in the middle frame. Hendrix Lapierre passed the puck to Sourdif, who skated into the zone, waited, and fired away for the goal.
Later in the period, Beauvillier sent the puck home from the back of the left circle to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead. This resulted in Edmonton pulling Ingram for Tristan Jarry.
In the third, Evan Bouchard’s hat trick goal tied it back up at 3-3. But with over 13 minutes left, the Capitals were on the power play as Strome fired a point drive to make it 4-3. Jakob Chychrun had the primary assist, as it became his 300th NHL point.
After Connor McDavid tied it up at 4-4 with his own power play goal, the Capitals’ own Connor Mc responded. Multiple players tried to jam the puck in as McMichael was able to slip it past Jarry with less than five minutes left.
The Capitals led 5-4 and were close to winning back-to-back games for the first time since early December. However, with 31.7 seconds left, Zach Hyman received a perfect pass from McDavid in front to tie it up at 5-5.
In overtime, Lindgren robbed McDavid on a breakaway with a remarkable save. However, a bad turnover led to McDavid going on a breakaway again and scoring this time to win the game.
Capitals Report Card
Team: B-
The team fought hard against a loaded Edmonton team. Unfortunately, a lack of discipline and two late opposing goals proved costly.
Charlie Lindgren: B-
Lindgren did his best to keep the Capitals in the game. He ended up stopping 34 of 40 shots from Edmonton’s high-flying offense.
Capitals Special Teams: C+
The Capitals went on the power play five times and succeeded once. Additionally, they faced a tough Edmonton man advantage unit five times, allowing one tally. However, they shouldn’t have had to go on the penalty kill that many times.
Justin Sourdif: A
Sourdif continues to prove himself as a key contributor on this team. He made a nice fake on Ingram before firing away for the goal, as he now has points in three straight games.
Anthony Beauvillier: A
Beauvillier shot the puck from a tough angle to end Ingram’s night. He now has 10 goals this season.
Hendrix Lapierre: B
After scoring his first goal in 90 games, Lapierre played another impressive game by making great plays and passes.
