Capitals Win a Squeaker, Beat Senators 1-0

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Jon Sorensen
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Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators 1-0 Saturday night in Ottawa. The win raised the Capitals record to 25-9-5. The Caps next travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens on Monday night. Puck-drop is 7:30 PM. 

capitals-at-senators-projected-linesBraden Holtby got the start in goal for the Capitals. Philipp Grubauer, who has been sick as of late, traveled to Ottawa on his own later in the day on Friday, but was able to participate in morning skate today.

Liam O’brien, called up from Hershey Friday morning, and Taylor Chorney were the healthy scratches for this game.

Mike Condon got the start in goal for the Sens. The Sens have been off since their game against the Caps on January 1st.

QUICK NOTES

  • This game started with a bang and ended with a fizzle. The Capitals scored 1:38 into the game, and that was all of the scoring for the game.
  • This was Braden Holtby‘s fifth shutout of the season, tying him for the league lead. Holtby has now gone 121:54 since giving up his last goal – since he was pulled in the Toronto game. (Mike Vogel).
  • Nicklas Backstrom notched his 500th career assist on the game’s first goal by T.J. Oshie.
  • This was the Capitals 5th consecutive win.
  • The Capitals penalty kill continues to be strong, successfully nullifying three Senators power plays.
  • The Capitals could manage just 13 shots on goal through the first two periods, tied for the fewest all season. (WaPo).
  • The Capitals power play was a disaster on their first two man-advantages, managing 1 shot on goal, looking completely disjointed, thus continuing the downward trend.
  • T.J. Oshie appeared to re-injure his left shoulder in the second period. This is the same shoulder he dislocated in November, causing him to miss seven games.
  • Nate Schmidt has three points in two games since returning to the lineup.

FIRST PERIOD
The Capitals wasted very little time in lighting the lamp. TJ Oshie cashed in on a feed from Nicklas Backstrom just 1:38 into the game, giving the Caps a 1-0 lead. Backstrom’s assist was the 500th of his NHL career.

Ottawa led in shots on goal 7-4 through the first 10 minutes of play. The period would end with the Caps hanging on to the 1-0. The Senators led in shots on goal 10-5 for the period.

SECOND PERIOD
The second period would go scoreless, but the Caps were clearly outplayed in the middle frame. The Senators had several odd-man break-aways, but could not convert. The Capitals had one power play in the second period and it was a disaster, as the Caps had trouble entering the offensive zone.

T.J. Oshie injured his left shoulder in the period, and left the ice. This is the same shoulder he dislocated in November, causing him to miss seven games. He would return for several shifts but would again return to the dressing room prior to the end of the period.

The Senators led in shots on goal 11-8 for the middle frame, and 21-13 for the first two periods.

THIRD PERIOD
The Capitals stymied the Senators again in the third period.  T.J. Oshie’s goal 1:38 into the opening frame would prove to be the game winner. The Capitals held on for the 1-0 win.

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By Jon Sorensen

SCENES FROM OTTAWA

 

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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5 Responses to Capitals Win a Squeaker, Beat Senators 1-0

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