Capitals Fall to Canucks, 4-2, Ovechkin Scores 276th Career Power-Play Goal, Extends NHL Record

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Della Young
Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals fell to the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 4-2 in a Sunday matinee at Capital One Arena. The loss drops the Capitals’ record on the season to 21-9-9 and 51 points. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 28  saves in the loss.

Lines & Pairs

Graphic: @Capitals

Scratches: Left-wing Anthony Mantha (shoulder; indefinitely), right-wing T.J. Oshie (upper-body), and defensemen Dennis Cholowski

COVID-19 Protocol: Defenseman John Carlson became unavailable, per the team, at the start of warmups. Left-wing Conor Sheary remains on the list while defenseman Dmitry Orlov and left-wing Carl Hagelin were activated off prior to the game.

First Period

Captain Alex Ovechkin (26) opened the scoring with a power-play tally from his office at the 10:31 mark, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Justin Shultz (5) and center Evgeny Kuznetsov (25) assisted.

Quick Stats

SOG: 14-11 Canucks

Face-Off Win %: 50%-50%

Hits: 12-10 Canucks

Second Period

Thirty-three seconds into the middle frame, Canucks center Elias Pettersson (7) tied it up 2-2 on the power-play that continued from the first period. Center Bo Horvat (10) and defenseman Quinn Hughes (27) had the assists.

Pettersson (8) potted his second of the day off his own rebound and gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead at the 15:12 mark. The assists went to defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (5) and left-wing Nils Hoglander (6).

The Canucks would extend their lead 3-1 with a goal by Horvat (13) on another power-play at the 18:50 mark. Center J.T. Miller (26) and Hughes (28) had the helpers.

Quick Stats

Total SOG: 24-22 Canucks

Face-Off Win %: 61% (Canucks), 39% (Capitals)

Total Hits: 23-17 Canucks

Third Period

Right-wing Tom Wilson (11) moved the Capitals within one on the man advantage at the 6:22 mark. Kuznetsov (26) and center Nicklas Backstrom (5) assisted.

Miller would score an empty netter with less than a minute left to win 4-2.

Quick Stats

Total SOG: 33-32 Capitals

Face-Off Win %: 59% (Canucks), 41% (Capitals)

Total Hits: 27-25 Canucks

Notes Through the Game

  • Ovechkin scored his 7th power-play goal of the season and his 276th of his career, extending his NHL record.
  • Ovechkin scored his first career goal against goaltender Thatcher Demko, the 153rd goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career. There have been 6,684 skaters in NHL history that have scored 153 or fewer goals in their career.
  • Wilson’s tally marked his second straight game with a goal and his second power-play goal of the season.
  • Kuznetsov picked up his second assist of the game on Wilson’s goal.
  • Backstrom has recorded an assist in five of his six games this season.

The Capitals are back in action Tuesday night at Capital One Arena taking on the Winnipeg Jets for the second and final time this season. NBC Sports Washington will have the coverage starting at 7 PM ET.

By Della Young

About Della Young

Della Young is an aspiring novelist and screenwriter who earned a BFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University in 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Screenwriting from Regent University. Della comes from a family of big Capitals fans and became inspired to start writing for hockey in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and working on both sides of the camera. Follow Della on Twitter: @dellayoung
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1 Response to Capitals Fall to Canucks, 4-2, Ovechkin Scores 276th Career Power-Play Goal, Extends NHL Record

  1. Billy says:
    January 16, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    Looked really old in this game. Please put some speed back in lineup and bench some vets.

    Reply

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