Photo: Twitter: @Capitals
The Washington Capitals were edged the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 7-6 in overtime at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night. Charlie Lindgren made 32 saves in the loss.
Washington’s Lines vs. Columbus
Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Craig Smith
Sonny Milano — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Conor Sheary — Nic Dowd — Aliaksei Protas
Rasmus Sandin — Nick Jensen
Alexander Alexeyev — Martin Fehervary
Matt Irwin — Gabriel Carlsson
Charlie Lindgren
Zach Fucale
Scratched: LW Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Injured: D John Carlson (skull/severed temporal artery, missed 36th straight game, out day-to-day); RW Connor Brown (ACL, 68th, indefinite); LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 72nd, indefinite); G Darcy Kuemper (upper-body, second, day-to-day); D Nick Jensen (upper-body, third, day-to-day); D Trevor Van Riemsdyk (birth of child, first, day-to-day)
Sheary dropped to the fourth-line while Wilson took his spot. Oshie moved down by one to the right side while Smith was lifted one. Mantha drew back in, replacing Aube-Kubel, and skated on Kuznetsov’s line with Wilson getting promoted. With Van Riemsdyk out, Jensen played with Sandin.
Columbus’ Lines
Johnny Gaudreau — Patrik Laine — Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson — Boone Jenner — Jack Roslovic
Liam Foudy — Cole Sillinger — Emil Bemstrom
Eric Robinson — Lane Pederson — Mathieu Olivier
Nick Blankenburg — Erik Gudbranson
Tim Berni — Andrew Peeke
Gavin Bayreuther — Adam Boqvist
Daniil Tarasov
Michael Hutchinson
Scratched: G Elvis Merzlikins
Injured: C Sean Kuraly (left oblique strain, ninth, week-to-week); C Justin Danforth (torn labrum, 64th, month-to-month); D Zach Werenski (separated shoulder/torn labrum, 57th, season); D Jake Bean (torn labrum, 55th, season); RW Yegor Chinakov (ankle, 39th, indefinite)
First Period
Scoring
5:12, 1-0 Washington: Blackenburg, who was in a battle with Strome for positioning, tipped the puck in from the goal crease to finish off a cross-rink tic-tac-toe passing play that also featured Ovechkin and Wilson. Strome, who earned the secondary assist, has 16 points (six goals) in his last 12 games and 53 (21) in 56 career games in March, his highest point total in a single calendar month in his career. Ovechkin, who became the fourth player in NHL history to score 40 or more goals at age 37 or older (Gordie Howe: 44 in 1968-69; Johnny Bucyk: 40 in 1972-73; Brendan Shanahan: 40 in 2005-06), has an NHL-record 13 40-goal seasons. Since 2005-06, Ovechkin’s rookie season, no other player has more than six 40-goal seasons.
Dylan Strome jams to the net and directs home Ovechkin’s backdoor feed to put Washington up 1-0!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/NYqwNJGZvO
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 21, 2023
9:10, 2-0: Oshie tipped in Fehervary’s wrister from the top in the slot after Milano fed Fehervary from the right dot. Milano tallied his 21st assist of the season, which establishes a new single-season career high (20 in 2021-22). Oshie has recorded 17 points (nine goals) in his last 17 games.
T.J. Oshie beats Tarasov with a redirect tally from the slot, extending Washington’s lead to 2!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/4BE5WKZoKD
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 21, 2023
16:00, 3-0: Sheary one-timed a shot to the top shelf from the slot after Sandin threw the puck to the middle with a defenseman coming towards him for his first goal in 21 games.
Rasmus Sandin wins the loose puck battle and sets up Conor Sheary for Washington’s third goal of the first!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/4yZiTWNoGO
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 21, 2023
16:45, 3-1: Pederson tapped Olivier’s rebound through Lindgren after Olivier spun off a Washington defender on the half-wall and powered to the net before getting denied with the pad. Robinson got a touch on the shot before it went in.
Eric Robinson cleans up Olivier’s power move rebound to put the Blue Jackets on the board!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/ng3D6RaZsD
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 21, 2023
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Second Period
Scoring
6:57, 3-2: Blackenburg got the puck at the point off of an offensive zone faceoff win, protected the puck with a defender on him, and slipped one in from down low by the goal-line.
Adam Boqvist dances to the net and elevates home a beauty to trim the Columbus deficit to 1!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/zNPXkzlMsz
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
10:36, 4-2: After poking the puck back into the offensive zone at the blueline, Milano took it to the net on the backhand and drilled a give-and-go with Backstrom into an empty cage in front. It’s Milano’s second point of the game, marking his sixth multi-point game of the season. Oshie’s 10 multi-point games this season are currently tied for third on Washington (Ovechkin: 19; Strome: 13; Kuznetsov: 10).
Sonny Milano tucks Backstrom’s pretty return pass into the yawning cage for a terrific goal, 4-2 Capitals!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/v8m6iZhoAe
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
15:01, 4-3: Sillinger’s slapper from the high slot squeaked through the five-hole of Lindgren and sputtered across the goal-line after he got a feed from the halfwall by Johnson.
Jack Roslovic’s power play rip trickles over the goal line to bring Columbus back within 1!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/DmduFvHLG5
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
19:53, 5-3: Jensen stepped in and ripped a wrister to the top left corner from the slot after getting fed by Dowd, who circled around the offensive zone, by the half-wall. Dowd tied his career high in points (10 goals, 24 points in 64) in six fewer games. 24 of Jensen’s 25 points this season have come at even strength.
Nick Jensen snipes home Dowd’s nifty setup with just 7 seconds left in the 2nd period, 5-3 Capitals!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/AUvYGZtKqJ
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Third Period
Scoring
6:37, 5-4: Boqvist ripped one over the glove of Lindgren from the left dot after getting a feed by Foudy from behind the goal-line off of the forecheck.
Adam Boqvist scores against the Washington Capitals to make it 5-4 #WSHvsCBJ #ALLCAPS #CBJ pic.twitter.com/tcbIYKmbeZ
— nopClips (@nopClips) March 22, 2023
8:35, 5-5: Bemstrom bombed a one-timer from the left dot after Laine found him all alone and laid a backhand feed to him from the point.
Emil Bemstrom blasts Laine’s backhand feed home to tie it up for the Jackets at 5!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/VWFzzFPSgh
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
15:24, 6-5 Washington: Jensen took the puck from end-to-end, softly dangled past Gudbranson in the left dot, and put it to the left corner on Tarasov. It marks Jensen’s second career two-goal game (other: Oct. 11, 2018 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs as a member of the Detroit Red Wings).
SHEEEEEEEEEESH pic.twitter.com/z2HBZIX5Rt
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 22, 2023
19:14, 6-6: Jenner buried a rebound off of Johnson’s sharp-angle shot from the low left dot in the blue paint.
JENNER TIES IT! Boone Jenner buries Kent Johnson’s rebound to knot it up at 6 in the final mionute!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/JdbqLg4zA0
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Overtime
Scoring
2:43, 7-6 Columbus: Roslovic one-timed a cross-ice feed from Gaudreau underneath the crossbar glove side on a two-on-one.
ROSLOVIC IN OVERTIME! Jack Roslovic beats Lindgren on the odd man rush to win it for the Jackets in OT!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/8PlOEATicA
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Current Eastern Conference Wild-Card Standings
Washington is now five points back of the Florida Panthers (who have a game in hand) for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference; four behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (two) for the third; and leapfrogged the Ottawa Senators (one) by one for the fourth. They are also now two in front of the Buffalo Sabres (two) and five ahead of Detroit (two) for the fifth.
Next game: Thursday vs. Chicago Blackhawks (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington in-market, ESPN+ out-of-market)
By Harrison Brown
Embarrassing. CBJ had a .355 points percentage entering the game.
This team is bad.
Start fucale for the love of god.
I mean, what not? What is the goal here in the last 10 games?
Caps’ goal tending has been pretty bad lately. Considering how admirably they played earlier in the season, are they just tired? I know the D lets them down all the time, but sometimes you just need a stop – and we’re not getting it.
This team is a serious disgrace. Both goalies let in nearly 5 goals a game…. It’s time for a change
Bedard getting closer! I can feel it!
#TankHardForBedard
On a positive note, I thought the Strome and Backstrom lines looked pretty good. Nic Dowd is always reliable, no matter who he plays with. I have no idea what to make of Kuzy at the moment, he seems a bit lost.
The loss isn’t on Chucky but I think he probably wants one or two of those back.
The d-men need a proper training camp. They’re just a bit all over the place and it’s throwing everyone off a smidgen. If you want young players in the line up you’re going to get young player mistakes and games like this, it’s a good learning experience.
Side note, yikes on Sammy’s save percentage tonight for Toronto. I hope he can find his game for the playoffs, he always seemed like a nice kid.
Confess I did not consider the game as “thrilling”. More like I was disgusted by the fact they blew three different leads at home, including two multi-goal leads. And losing to one of the worst teams in hockey. Columbus, who is one of the leading competitors in the Bedard lottery.
If next season is like calendar year 2023, expect a last place finish in the Metro Division for the Caps. (Maybe better health will help next season.) But must confess I’ve been studying 2024 Draft rankings this month. Celebrini is the top guy. There’s also a few Russian defensmen, and several guys that make me think of Red Wings past, like Eiserman (ranked #3 or #4) which is pronounced like Yzerman, Howe, and Zetterberg.
I agree on next year and probably the next several years as this garbage about retooling is just that garbage. NO one is going to give you anything of worth or long term use for players on expiring contracts or making large salaries because if they were Mantha would be gone. The idea should be to draft wisely the next few years and if trades are made then they should be for picks not players.
As the game went on the jackets got stronger and faste while the Caps showed their age but you know getting that record is the most important thing in the world for the owner. And this is the team you will be seeing next year.
Making conclusions about next year already is just stupid. Still opportunities to have new coaches, better health and an upgrade to the top 6.
Look AT Basic game stats ! Those are horrendeous.
In game where half of goals are archieved by D-man ! Who must defend in addition.
We can not relly on Defenders with all work for god’s sake!!
That ofensive unit is not working. They have problem to score and They lose Lot of pucks so oponents score
Laviolette cares too much about defensemen jumping into the play. That’s why we constantly have odd man rushes going against us. C’mon PL, this ain’t the early 2000s anymore! Teams are so quick these days, they can (and against the Caps, often do) exploit that. Play a safer, 1-3-1, don’t have the D jumping up all the time. D are not forwards, and forwards are not D.
The early 2000s, when he was coaching Eric Cairns? I don’t remember the early 2000s being wide-open hockey, compared with the clutch and grab of pre-lockout NHL.
Uhhhh….the early 2000s was pre-lockout. The lockout was the middle of the decade
Not sure if you’re aware of how to use the internet, but Laviolette coached the Isles from 2001-2003, then the Canes from 03 through the lockout. That’s the “early 2000s”, as you’ve stated twice now.
I’m not sure if you watched hockey before last week, but the removal of the two-line pass incentivized teams to bring in more mobile defensemen, not less.
You compared the early 2000s to pre-lockout. They’re one and the same. There were plenty of mobile defensemen pre-lockout, Kevin Hatcher and Brian Leetch being two.
I don’t care who Laviolette was coaching in the early 2000s, that’s irrelevant to the discussion. The point is he shouldn’t be using an outdated coaching system
My point, that you obviously didn’t get, was that this isn’t the pre-lockout NHL anymore. They took the red line out in 2005, and that allows stretch passes, which will burn a pinching defenseman. Teams are constantly looking for that home run pass. The Caps get burned several times a game by this. It’s a faster game now, and leaving yourself vulnerable to this is suicide.
Good point. There is definitely a lot to what you are saying about the Lavi system, Kim, and d-men pressing too hard/not in a position to stop odd man rushes.
This is the same style of play that is being coached in USA Hockey. The best youth teams play it. colleges play it. Pros play it. five man rotation with dee pinching in and forwards dropping back. All 5 players have to be able to play all five positions. Now the talent can be wrong. But I think a lot of this is players not playing the system right (or the coaches aren’t correcting the way they play). The forwards need to rotate back up top better. Too many men getting caught down low. Most importantly shooters gotta finish.
I just want to know what the deal was in overtime where all they did was try to play keep-away, and never shot on goal. Seriously!