Photo: X/@Capitals
The Washington Capitals were looking to put an end to their brief two-game losing streak against a Los Angeles Kings team that has struggled in their own rights, coming into the district losing four straight.
It was a pretty even contest and each team had its fair share of chances and sustained pressure. John Carlson scored a late regulation goal with under a minute to go to give the Capitals a huge two points.
A big story coming into Sunday’s affair was whether or not Alex Ovechkin would suit up. Ovechkin was injured against the Carolina Hurricanes after getting tangled up with Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal. He played the rest of the game and was a game-time decision. He ended up playing.
LINES AND PAIRINGS
Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty – Dylan Strome – Hendrix Lapierre
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Anthony Mantha
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Trevor van Riemsdyk – Nick Jensen
Joel Edmundson – Ethan Bear
Darcy Kuemper
Hunter Shepard
Scratched: Rasmus Sandin, Alex Alexeyev, Matthew Phillips, T.J. Oshie, Sonny Milano, Charlie Lindgren, Nicklas Backstrom
PERIOD 1
There was no score in the first period. The Kings outshot the Capitals for the first few minutes of the period, but Washington started to settle in as the period went on. The Capitals had a power play. Darcy Kuemper was solid in the first period coming up with some really good saves.
The Caps outshot the Kings 12-11 in the opening stanza.
PERIOD 2
Nic Dowd gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead on a two-on-one rush with Nicolas Aube-Kubel. John Carlson had the secondary helper at 4:22. It was Dowd’s sixth goal of the campaign.
Got a NAK-Nic goal pic.twitter.com/kValTwKtCP
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2024
The Kings got their second power play of the game and Adrian Kempe tied the game with a one-timer from the far circle. The puck glanced off of Martin Fehervary and into the back of the net. Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar had the helpers at 7:12.
DON’T LET JUICE GET HOT 👀 pic.twitter.com/jzjrnz9twi
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 7, 2024
The Kings continued to pile on the pressure and eventually got rewarded. Kevin Fiala followed up on a rebound to give LA a 2-1 lead at 13:02. Phillip Danault and Mikey Anderson had the helpers.
Kev wants you to #NHLAllStarVote for him 👀#NHLAllStarVote Kevin Fiala pic.twitter.com/abeTJhOjM0
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 7, 2024
Spencer Carbery switched up the top line, putting a trio of Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and Max Pacioretty. They converted on their first shift forcing a defensive zone turnover and Strome finished a give-and-go sequence with Ovechkin to tie the game at two. Pacioretty earned his first point as a Capital with the secondary assist on the play at 15:35.
Goals in back-to-back games.
Leads the team with 15 tallies.
Dylan Strome should be an All-Star.RT if you agree#NHLAllStarVote pic.twitter.com/G3D9rOmgj1
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2024
The Caps were heavily outshot 18-11 in the middle frame.
2-2 after ✌️. Fairly even possession metrics as well. Kings lead in 5v5 shot attempts, 41-38. #Caps lead in high-danger chances 11-8. Kings lead in xGF 2.97 to 2.16. pic.twitter.com/Ga8dtdK6Q2
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) January 7, 2024
PERIOD 3
Connor McMichael took an early high-sticking penalty and Fiala scored to make it 3-2 LA just five seconds into the man-advantage. Carlson sent the puck behind the net but Quinton Byfield intercepted it and fed it to a wide-open Fiala at 1:01.
Kev REALLY wants you to vote! #NHLAllStarVote Kevin Fiala pic.twitter.com/56LJFCeLtf
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 7, 2024
Aube-Kubel earned his second point of the game with a seeing-eye shot to the far side of Cam Talbot, tying the game at three at 8:36. Dowd had the only assist on the play.
Wicked, wicked shot, NAK pic.twitter.com/9IchZcpQAO
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2024
With 52.9 seconds left in regulation, Carlson threw a long-range slapshot from the point and it beat Talbot top shelf. Beck Malenstyn and Aube-Kubel had the assists.
THE CAPS TAKE THE LEAD WITH A MINUTE LEFT 😱 pic.twitter.com/bNpuW2SoUa
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 7, 2024
UP NEXT
The Capitals won’t be back in action until Thursday, Jan. 11, when they take on the Seattle Kraken for the first time this season.
SHAVINGS
- The line of Nic Dowd (2g-3a–5p), Beck Malenstyn (2g-2a–4p) and Nicolas Aube-Kubel (1g-3a – 4p) has recorded 13 points over Washington’s last five games.
- John Carlson scored his 28th career game-winning goal with with 53 seconds remaining in the third period to give the Capitals a 4-3 win. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Carlson ranks second among NHL defensemen in assists (298) and third in points (380).
- With his goal tonight, John Carlson has tied Sergei Gonchar (144g) for the second-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history. Carlson now only trails Kevin Hatcher (149g).
- Nicolas Aube-Kubel was credited with the secondary assist on Carlson’s game-winning goal, his third point of the game. With a goal and two assists this afternoon, Aube-Kubel recorded his first career three-point game.
By Jacob Cheris
Capitals Postgame Audio
Metro cant be tighter… TJ, SM and CL will be back soon, I hope
A very 2023-24 Capitals type victory.
Stop the Presses! The Choke-iak Caps actually WON a hockey game
Among the many Caps underachievers … we find a few bright spots. And it’s NAK96 who is +9 on the season, leading the team
Caps were utterly TERRIBLE first ten minutes – much like the past four games. Caps are NOT a good NHL hockey team. GMs are sitting on their hands and hoping for improvement. “Hope Hockey” was the derisive term that HC Jim Schoenfeld used to describe similar inaction, thirty years ago
“utterly TERRIBLE first ten minutes – much like the past four games.”
—
Really? Shred the Pens to pieces in the first; went down 0-2 to the Devils, that’s true (and fought back to 3-3 late in the second); went up 2-0 on the Canes (even though the second goal came later in the first, and it’s not like the Caps were dominant in the first, but were pretty good up until those stupid penalties in the third); started to turn it around from maybe the 6th minute here, against LAK. Just what are you talking about?
That was exhilarating!!! Weren’t just locking it down, but found ways to score goals at critical moments. Kept pushing and were rewarded. Could’ve been a little tighter defensively, but still overcame all adversity! Go Caps!
Looks like they found a new second line with Strome, Ovi and Patch.
Ovi-Strome-Patches
Pro-Lapierre-Mantha
Miro-McMichael-Wilson
Beck-Dowd-NAK
send Kuzy down or just get him off the team anyway they can
Shouldn’t the Strome line be the top line since Strome is currently our best goal scorer?
Over 74 thousand teddy-bears at tonight’s Hershey Bears win over Lehigh Valley
I’m still ready for call-ups
Teddy Toss was amazing! Was watching on a secondary screen. Had my daughter come down and watch it for a bit with me. Also cool that Trineyev got the Teddy Bear goal… I have really been liking him. Thrives on both 3rd and 4th line.
big W….build on that boys. closer to 60 minutes of hockey. still some flaws but against an LA Kings team, thats a quality W.
Caps hate matinees. Blue jerseys are not lucky. Last game was a disaster. Ovi was game time decision. Darcy in net. Caps gave the Kings every possible chance and the Kings blew it.
Big character win and an important two points. 4 out of 8 points on the week which is .500. Was hoping for 6.
We have holes a plenty though. Zone clears and breakouts are really killing Caps. And we need to figure out the top two lines. Start with putting Strome and OV back together and put Kuzy on third line. Or… I liked Kuzy at RW with OV and Strome and they had a goal that night. Then let Lapierre (or Protas) play 3C.
so the CMM, protas, mantha line is trash to you? sheesh. break up the one line that works. glad you’re not the coach
Hershey roster overflowing with NHL-ready players and prospects. Ranging from grizzled veteran grinders to serious scoring machines. Yet there they all sit on the Bears’ bench while the Carbery Caps embarrass themselves in the NHL
Yet the little Teacher’s Pet Nobody from a Different Franchise (!) who has played zero games for Hershey or SC, and who has been a disastrous BUST for the Caps … he eats up a roster spot. This isn’t a Salary Cap problem. It’s a Stupid problem
I’m not buying an ounce of it! (Or a lid). Caps are but a few more stinkers away from another non-playoff season. Every time MonuSportsNet interviews Mitch Love I wanna puke
Hey there! Does beg a question, ur right. But just how have those hot hands from Hershey been performing upon joining the Caps, for the most part over the last few years? Points-wise, game-wise. The fun kinda petered out, didn’t it? Not a given that if you call up more of those guys, that they would be giving you the same kind of satisfaction and excitement that they do in Hershey. For games on end, it seems. Could take a couple of seasons, in and out of the lineup, with each, more or less.
“over the last few years” Lavi was coach. I’d want a new tryout with Carbs.
I’m not sure I’ve been overly impressed with this year’s call-ups among FWs, either… MM has sure done his thang, but he’s not exactly a newbie either. Lapierre? Kid tries, has a heckuva good game, maybe 1.5 games, but otherwise? Miro? Not yet NHL material. And those that were called up under Lavi, like Snives or Sgarbs, were they given a chance? Think so. Snives had good runs, and times when he was not really cutting it, so he was sent down.
Among Ds, AA slipped this year, Lujo and HHA were good, filled the void, but still need work on, and are not really better than the core Ds. Iorio – much the same thing, IMO.
I think it all takes time, maybe several trials and errors, as has been the case with McMikey, Pro, and Beck. Not sure we have some rabbit in the hat, a magic wand that as soon as you pull it out, the Caps start tearing up the league…
Not sure we have NHL stars in Hershey either, but we also have quite a few players in Hershey to still go through. And trying them out in DC with the vets and Caps coaches now not only gives the Caps valuable info but might help the players improve for next year. I just feel long term it’s better for the Caps to designate this year as an evaluation year rather than a playoff year and see just what we have in Hershey before GMBM starts running rampant with veteran trades.
Makes sense…
for those of us that didn’t get to watch; how did Willie get so bloodied?
Ran face first into Laferriere’s stick/fist at full speed looking for a big hit open ice
PS, why does Kuznetsov keep getting a sweater? What’s this guy’s deal?
I’ve wondered too—hell, everyone has. To see his production and mental focus just drop like a rock ever since his big long term contract signing is mind boggling. It is just bad work ethic? Does he have long covid and brain fog or something? I mean, what’s up with these weird drop passes to no one for turnovers? Skating around in circles on O and all the way around the world and then turning the puck over? I sort of joke that maybe the guy’s throwing the games a bit. Does he have a gambling problem?
I wonder if GMBM is really working hard to bundle him up with someone like Mantha to move him at the trade deadline. At least Mantha has upped his trade value so far (it is a contract year for him, so yeah, he’s motivated to do well).