Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of t-1 at Amalie Arena on Saturday night. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves in the defeat. The team’s tragic number until they get eliminated from 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff contention is now down to six points.
Washington’s Lines at Tampa Bay
Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Craig Smith
Aliaksei Protas — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Conor Sheary — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Rasmus Sandin — Nick Jensen
Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Alexander Alexeyev — Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: D Matt Irwin
Injured: RW Connor Brown (ACL, 72nd, indefinite); LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 76th, indefinite), LW Sonny Milano (upper-body, third, week-to-week)
Washington made no line changes from their 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay’s Lines
Steven Stamkos — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel — Nick Paul — Ross Colton
Patrick Maroon — Anthony Cirelli — Alex Killorn
Tanner Jeannot — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Corey Perry
Victor Hedman — Nick Perbix
Mikhail Sergachev — Darren Raddysh
Ian Cole — Erik Cernak
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Brian Elliott
Scratched: D Zach Bogosian, D Hadyn Fleury, C Michael Eyssimont
Injured: N/A
First Period
Scoring
9:20, 1-0 Tampa Bay (PPG): Sergachev wristed a shot on net through a maze of players and it beat Kuemper under the arm after Fehervary blocked Stamkos’ one-timer from the left dot.
Sooooo influential on the power play 🤩 pic.twitter.com/SbYFoMQV0F
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 30, 2023
In a goal-mouth scramble, Cole found a loose puck at the top of the blue paint with an open net yawning before Kuemper sprawled across and gloved one.
19:57, 2-0: Stamkos ripped a wrister from the high slot over the glove of Kuemper off an offensive zone faceoff win.
CAP WITH THE BUZZER BEATER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/JERqDyPzYi
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 30, 2023
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Screenshot: Natural StatTrick
Second Period
Oshie was not on the bench to start the period and did not return with an upper-body injury.
Here was Oshie’s last long shift. Looks like he took a bit of contact, a big collision with Sergachev then a hit from Raddysh.
A bit slow on the backcheck toward the end.
He had one last shift final seconds of the first for the last draw. Did not return after that.
(📹: NBCSW) pic.twitter.com/54IFLltw7c
— Sammi Silber (@sammisilber) March 31, 2023
Kuemper shut down Point with the left pad after Point wristed one from the left dot off of a cross-ice feed from Stamkos around the 14-minute mark.
Kuemps keepin’ us in it#ALLCAPS | @WeAreHII pic.twitter.com/gF5F1FDdBn
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 31, 2023
Scoring
16:10, 2-1: Smith swiveled a backhand off of the right pad of Vasilevskiy and in from below the goal-line after Mantha picked the puck up from the top, stepped in, and wristed a shot wide of the cage. Sandin has recorded 13 points (12 assists) in 13 games with Washington since making his team debut on March 4, which ranks third on the club (Strome: 17; Ovechkin: 15). Mantha has registered 19 points (13 assists) in 25 career games against Tampa Bay, the most points he has scored against a single opponent.
Craig Smith’s wraparound attempt banks in, putting Washington on the board near the end of the 2nd!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/9yZ9bakR4V
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 31, 2023
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Screenshot: Natural StatTrick
Third Period
Scoring
4:30, 3-1: After Kuemper turned away Cirelli’s wrister from the right dot and Cirelli grabbed the puck at center, skated in with speed, and hitthe breaks on Van Riemsdyk, Maroon was right there at the doorstep to tuck in the rebound.
Pat Maroon wins positioning at the top of the crease and buries the rebound on the rush, 3-1 Lightning!#GoBolts pic.twitter.com/SDsLRXRrfn
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 31, 2023
16:28, 4-1: Maroon backhanded one into an empty net in the crease after Kuemper thwarted Cirelli on a semi-breakaway.
We think we’ve seen this film before… pic.twitter.com/OFKkyAV87O
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 31, 2023
18:06, 5-1 (ENG): Cernak sent a puck down from center into an empty net.
Stats:
Screenshot: NHL.com
Current Eastern Conference Wild-Card Standings
Washington is now seven points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins (who have a game in hand) for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference; six behind the Florida Panthers (both teams have six games left) for the third; fall two behind the Ottawa Senators (one) for the fourth; and remain tied with the Buffalo Sabres (three) for the fifth.
Next game: Sunday vs. New York Rangers (1 PM ET, TNT)
By Harrison Brown
Sit out Smith, CS and AM and bring up Becks, CMM and Frank…even Snively
No Caps practice today. Wonder if the players
a. slept
b. went to the beach
c. golfed
Lovely day, upper 80s, no clouds.
Well they didn’t get into Tampa until 3:00am so I imagine that between trying to get enough sleep, pre game meetings, their scheduled afternoon nap and pre-game stuff they didn’t have much down time, lol.
im gonna go with “Yes” to your multiple choice.
At what point do we insert the prospects? These seem like valuable learning experiences (games)
Postgame NBCSW analysis was that the Caps looked lost out on the ice. If the vets are lost, what will the prospects be? Will it actually be good experience for them? Will it help the Bears in their upcoming playoffs? Will it help the prospects next season? Recognizing how the Caps are getting injured, do we want to deplete the Bears roster by bringing them to DC?
All season I’ve been for bringing our prospects up and actually playing them, but now I’m not so sure.
The bears have already clinched a playoff spot so depleting their roster only matters when playoff begins. And recalling CMM still leaves the bears top three or four scorers in the lineup, and calling up Lapierre might help him through his slump.
Perhaps Caps management has already decided to part ways with Laviolette, and don’t want the prospects to pick up bad habits from PL? Which would beg the question, why leave him there, and not replace him with Scott Allen on an interim basis.
I dunno. Just theorizing.
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Tough B2B
Tonight was Bolts’ 16th game in 29 days, last 4 on the road. 9 losses out of those 16 games. So Tampa has been beatable. They are tired. At times this month they have looked as disorganized as the Caps did tonight. Some teams (Devils) have run them ragged. Caps had a hard back to back, but the Caps’ problems tonight run deeper than that.
It’s not just physical fatigue though, it’s mental too. Nick Dowd said something interesting in one of his radio interviews about how taxing mentally this season has been because of all the injuries and having to constantly play catch up whether it be in-game or in the standings.
Watching tonight, it looked like a lot of guys were second guessing passes and plays and that pretty much killed their momentum. There were so many times the forwards would head north and the defence men would track back into their zone to reset giving Tampa all the time in the world to pick off passes. Or the forwards would go in hard on the forecheck and get the puck but then have no one to pass it to because the d where sitting back in the neutral zone. I’m guessing they’re desperately trying not to make mistakes but you can’t play tentative in this league, it’s just too fast for second guessing.
Tank update:
The Caps have 77 points, with 6 games remaining, good for 11th worst. Detroit can leapfrog them, by winning their games on hand, as also can St. Louis and Vancouver. Philadelphia can come within 2 points by winning their games in hand.
On track for a 6 percent shot at Bedard. Fingers crossed. Rabbits foot ready. Searching for 4 leaf clover.
Yes! We are desperate for young stars. The draft is the only way to acquire those guys.
I agree 100%. If I had my way, I’d blow it up now, trade everyone on the current roster, except for Ovi, Wilson, Fehervary, Sandin, Alexeyev, Strome and Protas. But Leonsis never listens to me. For some reason he won’t answer my emails addressed to “Hey Idiot”.
Just a thought: why keep Wilson as after next season not only will he be 31 but he will be a UFA. So would it not be better to move him in a trade either before the draft or by the trade deadline? I dont mind keeping Lindgren however I see a problem in trading Keumper, due to salary and length of contract.
For me I hope that PL is gone and I also would like to see GMBM go with him. Unfortunately Ted hangs unto coaches and GM’s to long. The day he and Trotz parted was the day that this team lost the chance for a second Cup with Ovie. This team has been hurt by bad trades, bad contracts, low draft picks and now are paying the toll for said miscalculations and misjudgements. .
Wilson is a rare combination of skill and intimidating physicality. You’re correct that he’s getting on in years, and has an injury history, but the rarity of that type of player in today’s NHL means you have to keep him. You resign him, and keep your fingers crossed that he stays healthy.
Yes, about Wilson’s unique combination of talents, and he’ll actually only be 30 after next season (just turned 29 on Wednesday).
There are two draft lotteries this year, and a team can move up a max of ten spots in each one. So the Caps have a shot at moving to the 2nd overall pick, and a consolation prize as well: stud college center Adam Fantilli, or silky smooth Russian wing Matvei Michkov. It’s a deep draft, no matter what. They’ll get a highly skilled player, no matter where they draft. Maybe even trade down, to gain more assets.
Sad to see the Caps struggling and playing out the string. It’s been years since there was no anticipation and hope for the playoff season. Would be great to get a surprise in draft position on May 8th also. Here’s to a long offseason rest for the guys and a hope of a new coach and a new addition or two to the starting roster to give them a better shot at getting back next year. I really will miss Caps playoff hockey.
I’m celebrating Ovi goals and L’s only at this point!
Tampa analysts pointed out that Ovi had 11 hits and 2 sog and how that was so much preferable to 11 sog and 2 hits.
He only had 1 sog against NYI, does that mean that he is slowing down or has tossed in the towel on this year? AS he only needs 72 to tie an 73 to own the scoring record, I wonder if he is thinking about getting 900 or even 925! Wonder if he get goal 895 in the 24/25 season and as that would be the last for Backy, Oshie and Kuzy here, would Ovie walk away with them at the end of the season owning the record and going out with hi buddies?
He also hit a cross bar and had a few shots blocked that game against the Islanders which was notoriously stingy and had no meaningful power plays.
If he had packed it in he wouldn’t be throwing a season high in hits at 37. Pretty sure he was just trying to get the team going after that sleepy start and create some space.
You could see that Ovi was pissed off. I’m sure losing like this has wounded his pride. For all the talk of tanking, professional athletes don’t like to lose. Take Arizona. Not much real talent on that roster, and they got worse when they traded Chychrun, but they’re putting up a respectable season. Philly too has finally found their next gear under Torts. These guys won’t lay down. The Caps are losing right now, but I’ll betcha no one likes it.
He was and should be. But that hit/sog ratio isn’t going to help his race and isn’t going to help his health and longevity. Play smarter, not harder.
I was at a Caps/Stars game a few years ago. Can’t remember the exact date, but Siegenthaler was still with us. The Caps were playing listlessly (they lost 2-1) and Ovi started hitting everything in green. That’s his style. He wants to take the team on his back, when he needs to. Not defending or criticizing, just saying that that’s his thing. He’s the captain, and he acts like it. I’d be more critical of those players (cough) Kuzy (cough) who will let their aging captain put his body on the line for them, while sleepskating through a game.
I know that is his style, his tendency. But he needs to lead by example and that is by scoring, by putting pressure on the goalie, not by hitting everything blue in sight. He isn’t a 20 year old anymore. He needs to adapt. It isn’t easy, it isn’t in his nature. But he is a smart player. He knows hockey history. He knows that players have to adapt over their careers. He needs to look inward.
Different players lead differently. Some are more rah rah types. I kind of doubt Ovi is like that. I’d say his way of leading by example is to engage physically. We saw him lay his body on the line in ’18. He was doing everything he could to win: laying out hits, blocking shots, and of course, scoring goals. And we all know what happened then. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for him to disengage from physical play, though it’d likely prolong his career. It seems to be his way of saying “come on guys, get your sh** together”.
I happen to be somewhat competitive myself. Even if it’s a game of Scrabble, I don’t like to lose. And I imagine Ovi is 10x as competitive as I am.
I still compete, just not the same way I did back in college in the 60s. Still think Ovi needs to evolve his way of competing but you’re probably right, he won’t.
Hey NovaCapsFans Staff: We need you to handicap the RACE for the Caps’ new Head Coach.
Will it be Todd Nelson? Scott Allen? Blaine Forsythe? Rand Pecknold? Joel Quenneville? Dale Hunter? Surely SOMEBODY has the inside-track to this position. And we KNOW that NovaCapsFans will have some really good “Inside Baseball” on the upcoming selection process!
I believe Jon already did that:
https://novacapsfans.com/2023/03/27/whos-next-candidates-for-the-washington-capitals-next-head-coaching-job/#comments
One name I’d add to the list is Joel Quenneville. Yes, he has a scandal behind him, and yes, he has to meet with Bettman before he can be reinstated to the NHL, but with Leonsis’ obsession with staying competitive during Ovi’s goal chase, then I’d say Coach Q is a possibility. But not likely.
🙏👍👊
Hey KimRB, thanks for that link! Yes a most OUTSTANDING analysis of available coaching candidates. Somehow I missed it — too much baseball on my mind. And thanks to you JSorensen! Great job.
The new coach is all we jilted Caps fans have to look forward to. Dear Hockey Gods, please bring us the RIGHT one!
NP
But we do have more than just a new coach to look forward to. We’re looking at a possible Top Ten pick, in a deep draft. Even if we don’t get Bedard, there’s well regarded, highly skilled kids like Will Smith, Brayden Yager, Dalibor Dvorsky or Oliver Moore possibly coming our way.