Photo:X/@Capitals
The Washington Capitals closed out 2023 with a dramatic 3-2 shootout loss against the Nashville Predators. Things were not looking bright for the guys in blue, going down 2-0 early in the first period. The Capitals battled back to tie it and thought to have taken a late lead, but it was not enough as the game went to overtime.
Despite the Capitals dropping their fourth straight contest, Hunter Shepard was sensational in his second ever NHL game with 33 saves.
Ethan Bear made his Capitals debut after he was signed back on Thursday. He had been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
LINES AND PAIRINGS
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Evgeny Kuznetsov
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Anthony Mantha
Matthew Phillips – Hendrix Lapierre – Tom Wilson
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Rasmus Sandin – John Carlson
Trevor van Riemsdyk – Ethan Bear
Joel Edmundson – Nick Jensen
Hunter Shepard
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: Alex Alexeyev, Max Pacioretty (achilles), Charlie Lindgren (upper), Martin Fehervary (upper), T.J. Oshie (upper), Sonny Milano (lower), Nicklas Backstrom (hip)
PERIOD 1
The Predators drew first blood 2:44 into the game thanks to Luke Evangelista. Dante Fabbro and Tommy Novak had the assists.
VANGE pic.twitter.com/hb05ic9rQJ
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 31, 2023
Alex Ovechkin took a cross checking penalty and the Predators capitalized. After Joel Edmundson failed to clear the puck, Roman Josi made it 2-0 Nashville on a long range wrist shot beating Hunter Shepard through a screen. Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly had the apples.
Roman Josi has now tied Shea Weber for most goals by a defenseman in team history. pic.twitter.com/7bjK4khaTh
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 31, 2023
The Capitals responded with a few good chances and they eventually got one. Beck Malenstyn buried a rebound off the pad of Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to cut the deficit to one. Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk had the assists at 10:25.
Beck’s on the board pic.twitter.com/xiezyG4Nf6
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 31, 2023
Washington was outshot 11-10 in the first frame.
PERIOD 2
Shortly after the Capitals’ power play expired, Ovechkin rifled a one timer from his office past Askarov tying the game at two. Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas had the assists at 14:59.
THAT’LL DO, O pic.twitter.com/31ma9aFjGN
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 31, 2023
The Predators outshot the Capitals 13-5 in the middle frame, but started to control play at the end of the period.
Shepard came out with a few highlight-reel saves to keep the score tied.
WHAT A SAVE BY HUNTER SHEPARD pic.twitter.com/ehPSY23NPL
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 31, 2023
PERIOD 3
Ovechkin thought to have given the Capitals a 3-2 lead, but the goal was wiped out due to goaltender interference.
A late Alex Ovechkin goal is taken away due to goaltender interference…
Right call? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/iA7XRRQIOG
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 31, 2023
The Caps had 1:01 left of power play time heading into overtime. Shots were 9-8 in favor of Washington.
Overtime
Despite some glorious chances from the Caps, they could not beat Askarov and it once again required the shootout.
Shootout
Round 1: Kuznetsov, miss; Nyquist, score
Round 2: Ovechkin, miss; O’Reilly, score
Predators win
Up Next
The Capitals will be back in action on Jan. 2 when they travel to the Steel City to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
By Jacob Cheris
Capitals Postgame Audio
The most disgusting raw THEFT of a Caps Win in franchise history. If you want to know why I hate Bottmann so passionately, THAT’s WHY. Anyone else but Ovechkin, and it’s a good goal
Toronto gifted Nashville with two free points today.
At this point I genuinely believe that Toronto has it out for us. Also for all the (deserved) grief Darcy has been getting, he is the only goalie on this team that’s even remotely trustworthy on shootouts.
I’m starting to wonder about Toronto having it in for us, also. Caps have had a lot of overturned goals. And I believe Ovi’s had at least four overturned goals for this season, counting today’s. He’s had at least two overturned goals this season. Either somebody in Toronto doesn’t want Ovi to pass Gretzky and/or is objecting to Ovi goals for political reasons.
Ouch
Such BS…TO has it in for the Caps. Shep deserved better. And what the heck is up with Kuzy? Some of those passes were absolutely incomprehensible….centering pass right in front when there is no Caps linemate in front but a Preds D man is. Giving up puck possession like that drives me nuts. Drop passes on the break out….right to nobody but a waiting Preds forward. Sheesh!
Check out his postgame interview… His comments were just as off as his passes, had to struggle to get what he was saying. And he looks like a piece of crap meat… Even for postgame, and I rarely ever miss any Caps interviews over the years. Swollen face; slightly swollen and shaking hands. Scared the shoot out of me with the way he looked!
I’ll say this as well, Ov should not be in the SO…. period.
The Caps had their chance with the PP in OT… But a few important notes… as of Jan 1st, PP, NJD, NYI, PF, WC and CH are essentially tied.. Drop the teams with poor Gs… NJD and CH…. PP show no life some nights…
1. We need a trade as Kutzy is a ghost some nights… OV has no puck luck some nights… I am thinking Gaarland or Kuzmenko… Leafs need a RHD…
2. Stay healthy. If HL and MP are on your 3rd line then you dont make the POs… TJ, SM, Pacs and MF are back then should be ok…
3. Bear looked good..
4. Is HS good enough to be G2? If yes, trade a G. Call the Leafs first…
5. Other Metro teams are thinking the same thing
Wonder when they will give Kuzy a drug test and suspend him? All the time he spent trying to get into the goalies head and no results and I think the goalie got into his! He had 28 shitfs and 21:28 ice time and took a whopping 3 shots, OMG he must be so exhausted that he cant lift his arms. Also winning only 20% if his faceoffs, terrible. So far as a trade, especially with his salary, he is becoming another Mantha and we will be stuck with him for the remainder of his contract. And please will someone tell me what is so great about Phillips? Even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then but this guy is a total waste of roster space. Yeah I know he is cheap but sadly he brings nothing except practice fodder to the table.
On Kuzy’s contract, it expires after 2024-25 so just 1.5 seasons left of it. We also have the same amount left for Oshie and Backstrom. I’m sure someone would take on Kuzy, either next season or at the trade deadline, either this year or next. At least it’s not like Jonathan Huberdeau’s contract in Calgary which goes on forever and ever.
True his contract is up ater next season and I would like tothink that someone would take a flyer on him to see if they can not motivate him this season. He might get motivated next season as that is his FA year and he will probably want another contract. However in trading him I do not expect much in return; at best maybe a 3rd round pickif he can pass the physical for another team which includes a drug test! I wonder if Kuzy and Sammy might not head back to Russia together to play there.
It doesn’t seem like the team has more than one or two puck handlers who can keep possession for more than a second or two, and Carbery’s system of quick passes doesn’t seem to be happening. The passes that are happening are back and forth 3-4 times between the defenders, being hemmed in by one opponent, followed by an attempted long stretch pass that’s either picked off or is then dumped in and turned over immediately. Hard to watch 3 periods of this. Any opponent can pinch up as far as they like because they have no fear of a Caps forward moving the puck in through the defense.
Fun game to be at. A couple of things I liked which may be against popular opinion.
1. I liked Kuzy as 1RW with OV and Strome – but Kuzy needs to get his shit together
2. JC74 and Edmundson looked really good together when they were paired. I’d do more of this pairing
I also thought Bear looked good and I’d like him paired with Sandin. Lappy has looked OK to good, but when Patches and Oshie (and Milano) come back then Lappy will need to go back to Hershey. And we’ll finally get to send Phillips to Hershey (or he gets claimed).
The McMichael line looks great. But it just can’t be our most productive line if we are going anywhere.
I don’t see Phillips as being a viable NHL’er because of his small size. He just kind of gets smashed on the boards when he gets the puck and I haven’t seen his speed be very effective either.
Right now he is here because he is…..CHEAP!!