Photo: NHL.com

The Washington Capitals fell to the Edmonton Oilers by a final score of 4-1 at Rogers Place on Thursday night. Braden Holtby made 28 saves in the loss. The Oilers wrapped up a four-game homestand while the Capitals played the second game of a four-game Canadian road trip. 

Capitals’ Lineup at Oilers

#Caps lineup tonight in EDM:
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 25-Smith-Pelly
18-Stephenson, 19-Backstrom, 77-Oshie
13-Vrana, 20-Eller, 10-Connolly
23-Jaskin, 26-Dowd, 65-Burakovsky

6-Kempny, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 2-Niskanen
44-Orpik, 29-Djoos

Holtby vs. Talbot. #CapsOilers

— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) October 26, 2018

Goaltender Cam Talbot got the start in goal for Edmonton.

First Period

Evan Bouchard opened the scoring with 3:32 left in the frame for the first goal of his NHL career from the point on the power play. Former Capital Alex Chiasson screened Holtby in front for a 1-0 Oilers lead.

The Capitals led 10-5 in hits and 3-2 in takeaways. Washington had one giveaway in the first frame while Edmonton had nine. The Caps won 57% of the draws in the first period of play.

The Oilers led 9-1 in blocked shots. They scored on their lone power play of the period.

Each team recorded nine shots on goal in the first period.

Second Period

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a shorthanded goal on a miscue by John Carlson. Nugent-Hopkins toe-dragged around Nicklas Backstrom to the net and potted one past Holtby for a 2-0 lead for Edmonton.

Andre Burakovsky cut the Oilers’ lead in half with 7:39 left in the period after getting a pass from Nic Dowd behind the net. Dowd caught Talbot looking the other way and fed Burakovsky in tight to get the Capitals back in it. It was the first point of the year for Burakovsky.

Burkie on the doorstep cuts the lead in half! #CapsOilers pic.twitter.com/xgRdEZV8vA

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 26, 2018

The Capitals led 16-12 in hits and only had seven giveaways while the Oilers had 11. Washington won 54% of the faceoffs through two periods of play. They went 0-for-1 on the power play after 40 minutes of play.

The Oilers led 23-18 in shots, including 14-9 in the middle frame. They also had the lead 18-5 in blocked shots and 9-7 in takeaways. Edmonton went 1-for-2 on the man advantage through two.

Third Period

Chiasson extended the Oilers lead to 3-1 going glove side on Holtby from the slot after getting a pass in the neutral zone. The goal was Chiasson’s third goal in two games.

Connor McDavid made it 4-1 with an empty-net goal with 1:17 left in the game.

The Capitals led 28-16 in hits and 14-9 in third-period shots. Washington had 14 giveaways while the Oilers had 15. The Caps won 57% of the faceoffs. They went 0-for-1 on the power play.

The Oilers had the lead 24-12 in blocked shots and 10-7 in takeaways. Edmonton went 1-for-2 on the man advantage.

Each team tallied 32 shots on goal.

The Capitals wrap up the western portion of their trip against the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington starting at 4 PM eastern.

By Harrison Brown