The Washington Capitals seemed to have rebounded after a rough two-game road trip. They returned home Thursday night and shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0.
The Capitals looked like an entirely different team, as they quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Jakob Chychrun scored a pair of goals, while Aliaksei Protas and John Carlson also contributed to putting the puck in the net.
Justin Sourdif also had a strong performance as he recorded two assists on the night. He showed impressive hockey IQ and vision on the ice.
Logan Thompson also stepped up in net as he stopped all 22 shots en route to his second shutout of the season.
“I think we stepped up,” said Thompson. “We weren’t happy the last two performances, and it was a great game [tonight].”
Next up, the Capitals have a weekend back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings at home Saturday and on the road Sunday.
Capitals Analysis
The Capitals were looking to regroup after giving up five goals against both Winnipeg and Minnesota. After multiple lineup changes, Spencer Carbery decided to stick with the original top-6.
At the same time, Hendrix Lapierre was out due to an illness. This resulted in Connor McMichael taking his spot on the third line to work alongside Sonny Milano and Ethen Frank. Bogdan Trineyev was also slotted into the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime.
It’s safe to say the Capitals found a lot more chemistry this time around. Aliaksei Protas tapped in the first goal off a feed from Sourdif, who faked out Dennis Hildeby.
Chychrun then made it 2-0 in the opening period, responding to a rebound that rang off the boards. The 27-year-old defenseman struck again in the third as he sniped a rocket past Hildeby.
Then, Sourdif wheeled around the net with the puck and found a wide open Carlson at the point, who fired it home to make it 4-0. The 35-year-old blueliner also had two assists to end the night with three points.
“It was kind of a big moment to stop the losing streak that we were on,” said Carlson. “Now, we’ve got to move forward again and do it again in a few days.”
Not only were the Capitals much better on the 5-on-5, but the special teams also improved for the most part. The Capitals went on the penalty kill five times and succeeded without surrendering a Toronto goal. The team also showed great potential on the man advantage, despite going 0-for-3.
Capitals Report Card
Team: A
This looked like an entirely different Capitals team on Thursday night. They were smart with the puck, got chances, and didn’t give up a single goal.
Jakob Chychrun: A+
Chychrun had a multi-goal night as he scored two against Toronto. The 27-year-old now has 14 tallies on the season.
John Carlson: A+
Carlson scored his seventh goal of the season and finished with three points. He tied Ryan Suter (589) for the fifth-most assists by an American born NHL defenseman.
Justin Sourdif: A
Sourdif returned to his role as second-line center and made a big impression. He recorded two assists and was very smart on the ice.
Logan Thompson: A+
Thompson made 22 saves to post his second shutout of the season and improve to 14-7-3. He now leads all NHL goaltenders with at least 20 games played with a .925 save percentage.
Capitals Special Teams: B+
The special teams fared much better tonight as the Capitals succeeded on all five PKs. While they went 0-for-3 on the power play, they showed great hustle and potential.
