Harry Lichtman
The Washington Capitals (7-5-1) had nearly everything go in their favor on Wednesday night. The team crushed the St. Louis Blues (4-8-2) 6-1 at home to snap the four-game losing skid.
The Capitals opened the scoring in the first period on the power play, an area the team has struggled in this season. Tom Wilson tipped in John Carlson’s shot from the point to make it 1-0.
Then, in the second period, the Capitals went on to score four goals, with one of them being a historic goal.
Captain Alex Ovechkin attempted a backhanded shot that went past Jordan Binnington for his 900th career goal.
After that tally, Anthony Beauvillier scored twice, while John Carlson also put the puck in the net as the home team led 5-0.
While St. Louis ended the shutout 37 seconds into the third period, Wilson then scored his second goal of the game.
The Capitals did an excellent job to end their losing skid as they head off to Pittsburgh to face the rival Penguins on Thursday.
Capitals Analysis
The Capitals had really been struggling the past four games. They were plagued by injuries and the offense wasn’t getting much going, especially on the power play. The team was also in last place in the Metro division.
One player who had really been struggling was Ovechkin, who had only two goals in the team’s first 12 games.
Thankfully, Wednesday was a much different result as the team scored six goals, carried the puck well, found good looks, and were aggressive.
Early in the second period, Jakob Chychrun attempted a shot that bounced off the end boards. But Ovechkin was right there for the rebound as he backhanded the puck into the net for career goal No. 900.
It was truly a historic moment as the Capital One Arena crowd went wild and Ovechkin’s teammates celebrated with joy.
“Trust me, I’m going to enjoy it too,” Ovechkin said about getting to share the moment with teammates and how much they enjoy it.
However, Binnington wasn’t too happy about the goal as he hid the puck in the back of his pants. Fortunately, linesman Michel Cormier took the puck away for Ovechkin to keep.
Another player who truly shined was Wilson, as he opened the floodgates with a power play goal. The Capitals had previously gone 0-for-13 on the man advantage until the Wilson tip-in. He now has four power-play goals which rank fourth-most in the NHL.
Wilson later added his second tally in the third period for his eighth on the year to make it 6-1.
After Ovechkin’s milestone goal, Beauvillier ended his own scoring drought with a backhander, while Carlson found a bouncing puck and shot it past Binnington.
St. Louis pulled Binnington after he gave up four goals on 15 shots, with Joel Hofer replacing him. But he wasn’t any better as he soon surrendered Beauvillier’s second tally.
It’s safe to say that Logan Thompson fared much better between the two Team Canada-hopeful goaltenders. Thompson stopped 21 of 22 shots as Team Canada management Doug Armstrong and Don Sweeney were both in attendance.
Capitals Report Card:
Team: A+
The whole team found its spark after struggling the last four games. They scored six goals, carried the puck well, found good looks, and were aggressive. They also ended their power-play drought.
Alex Ovechkin: A
What more can you say about Ovi? The Great 8 scored his third goal of the season and more importantly the 900th of his career. He’s the only NHL player to reach that milestone as everyone in Capital One Arena congratulated him.
Tom Wilson: A
Wilson continues to have an impressive season as he scored two goals for eight on the year. His first tally on the night was on the power play, as the team’s special teams really needed a boost.
Anthony Beauvillier: A
Beavillier ended his own scoring drought as he scored two goals against two different netminders, Binnington and Hofer. He also finished with a plus-minus of 3.
John Carlson: A
Carlson was also quite impressive as he recorded a goal and an assist. He now has three tallies on the year as the Capitals celebrated the defenseman on playing in 1,100 career games.
Jakob Chychrun: A
Chychrun was another blueliner who stepped up as he recorded three assists. They all came on the first three goals, including Ovechkin’s.
Logan Thompson: A
Thompson is having a stellar season so far. He stopped 23 of 24 shots as he has now given up two or fewer goals in his first nine starts.
