Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals lost to the Calgary Flames by a score of 5-2 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night to fall to 1-2-1 on their season-long six-game road trip. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves on 26 shots before Charlie Lindgren made seven on nine shots in relief in the loss. Washington captain Alex Ovechkin skated in his 1,300th NHL game.
Capitals’ Lines at Calgary
Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Conor Sheary
Sonny Milano— Evgeny Kuznetsov — T.J. Oshie
Marcus Johansson — Lars Eller — Anthony Mantha
Aliaksei Protas — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway
Erik Gustafsson — John Carlson
Martin Fehervary — Nick Jensen
Alexander Alexeyev — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: LW Joe Snively, RW Nicolas Aube-Kubel, D Matt Irwin
Injured: RW Connor Brown (ACL, missed 22nd straight game, out indefinitely); D Dmitry Orlov (lower-body, 13th, day-to-day); LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 26th, indefinite); RW Tom Wilson (ACL, 26th, indefinite); C Nicklas Backstrom (hip, 26th, indefinite); LW Beck Malenstyn (finger, 15th, week-to-week)
No changes were made up front from Washington’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday but Alexeyev replaced Irwin on the backend.
Calgary’s Lines
Jonathan Huberdeau — Elias Lindholm — Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube — Nazem Kadri — Andrew Mangiapane
Adam Ruzicka — Mikael Backlund — Blake Coleman
Milan Lucic — Kevin Rooney — Trevor Lewis
Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar — Christopher Tanev
Nikita Zadorov — Michael Stone
Dan Vladar
Jacob Markstrom
Scratched: RW Brett Ritchie, D Connor Mackey
Injured: N/A
First Period
Scoring
18:03, 1-0 Calgary: Coleman wristed one to the top left corner at the right dot after getting a feed from Ruzicka right beside him, Calgary hymned the Capitals at the goal-line and forced a turnover.
What a shot from Blake Coleman 🎯 pic.twitter.com/h62qiN5DTv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 4, 2022
19:28, 1-1 (PPG): Sheary roofed one over the glove of Vladar from the right dot to finish a triangulation passing play down low with Milano and Kuznetsov. It marks Sheary’s second-straight game with a power-play goal. 10 of Kuznetsov’s 14 assists have been primary helpers.
#ALLCAPS 1-1. SHEARY SCORES pic.twitter.com/fIR2yXlHhg
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) December 4, 2022
Shots: 15-14 Washington
Other Notable Stats: Washington won 64% of the faceoffs and scored once on two power plays. They also had one giveaway while Calgary earned four.
Second Period
Scoring
1:35, 2-1 Calgary: Mangiapane roofed one over the arm of Kuemper from the low dot after Backlund, who picked up a turnover by Ovechkin in the defensive zone, fed him at the side of the net from the slot.
Praise the loaf 🍞 pic.twitter.com/wNsiLqZ3Bu
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 4, 2022
Fehervary left with around 11:30 left due to what appeared to be a lower-body injury.
Injury to Martin Fehervary. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/VvxwglWDzx
— #ALLCAPS (@JonItBe) December 4, 2022
Lindgren replaced Kuemper with 3:50 left. It was later announced that Kuemper had left the game with an upper-body injury and would be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Shots: 28-20 Calgary (including 14-5 in the second)
Other Notable Stats: Washington led 18-16 in hits, 15-6 in blocked shots, and had three giveaways while Calgary turned in eight.
Third Period
Scoring
The Flames would add three goals in the final period on tallies from Adam Ruzicka, Andrew Mangiapane (his second), and Elias Lindholm (empty-net).
Ruzicka’s goal (his sixth of the season), came at the 13:39 mark of the frame.
It was perfect, perfect. Everything. pic.twitter.com/DODPnUpGoH
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 4, 2022
Mangiapane’s second of the night:
They can’t contain the grain 😏 pic.twitter.com/3zOlc7L0lA
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 4, 2022
The Capitals’ John Carlson would score with 1:03 left in the period, and Lindholm’s empty-net tally would increase the deficit to three.
John Carlson trims the Washington deficit back to 2 late in the third!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/FC5EypCIcO
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) December 4, 2022
Shots: The Caps led the Flames 9-8 shots in the period but lost the SOG battle 36-29 overall.
Other Notable Stats: The Capitals converted on only one of four power play opportunities while holding Calgary to no conversions on three opportunities. The Capitals fall to 10-12-4 on the season. Their 2.73 Goals Per Game rank 27th in the league.
Next game: Monday at Edmonton Oilers (8:30 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington in-market, ESPN+ out-of-market)
By Harrison Brown
How much worse will get? Tune in Monday.
Are we boned?
Yeah, we’re boned
Depends how you define “boned” 😁
I borrowed that line from Futurama
It means screwed, SOL, toast, stick a fork in it, over and out, Hasta la Vista baby, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible, cue the fat lady to sing, insert whatever witty remark you please to say the show is over…..
Only left to do is enjoy Hershey’s playoff run and look forward to the trade deadline and draft in the summer
Are we boned?
Yeah, we’re boned.
Good points
With the new round of injuries isnt it time that the lame duck HC be fired so that when young guys are called up they actually play not sit in the stands eating popcorn because it is not in HIS comfort zone to play young players. Time that he grew up and grew a pair and acted like a coach not a sniveling panty waste. He was hired to coach the players provided to him and if he doesnt like it then by all means please resign and walk away as he is doing this team and all future players any favors by sticking around chewing on his gum and flapping his lips! OH and if you walk away we wont think any less of you than we already do!!
IF Kuemper is out any length of time do they bring up Fucale ( sounds like he is a noodle from central Italy) or Shepard especially as he is not only doing well but already 27? Unless Orlov is ready to play they will have to call up 1 D. Please GMBM NO trades to bring players in; only sending players out for younger players and/or picks.
I’d bring up Shepard, he’s got the hot hand now. But with the screwball, up is down, left is right way this organization thinks these days….who knows?
I’m nervous that we found and developed Shepard, but he’ll blossom in another organization. I believe he’s UFA this summer
Both Shepard and Fucale are UFA this summer. At 27 Shepard didnt have a lot of offers but I hope that if he is brought up that he gets to play and not just sit.
Pure poop show.