The Capitals picked up two more critical points with a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks.
WASHINGTON — Though the math isn't on their side, the Washington Capitals still believe that they can battle for the playoffs. That belief was on full display against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, and it paved the way for two critical points.
Washington repeated what it accomplished against Pittsburgh on Thursday, as the team came together for offense and got standout showings from Hendrix Lapierre, Aliaksei Protas and more youngsters en route to a dominant 4-1 victory.
Here are all the takeaways from the win, which puts D.C. three points within a playoff spot for the time being.
Lapierre Stays Hot As Chemistry With Ovechkin Continues, Call-Ups Help Capitals Get Off To Strong Start
The Capitals again had their Hershey Bears call-ups to thank for a strong start and solid overall outing, especially Hendrix Lapierre.
Lapierre has been red-hot in his latest call-up, and that continued on Saturday against Chicago. In the opening minutes of play, the 22-year-old got to the front of the net and tipped a point shot past Petr Mrazek to make it 1-0. It marked his fifth goal and seven points in six games since being summoned back up from the AHL.
He also continues to show outstanding chemistry with captain Alex Ovechkin, as the two have been able to stay in sync off the ice, make some good passing plays and read off one another well to generate chances in the offensive zone.
Just 1:44 minutes after Lapierre, fellow recall Sgarbossa also chipped in, getting to the front of the net and backhanding a loose puck past Mrazek to put his team up 2-0. He now has three goals since his call-up and continues to help fill the void at center.
Wilson, Strome Keep Capitals Power Play Red-Hot
The Capitals power play has also done a complete 180 since the start of the season, and Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome teamed up to keep it going once again.
Wilson got to the bumper spot and picked up an expert feed to the slot from Strome for his 15th goal of the season and second goal in as many games. Strome also has four assists in his last two outings and points in four straight and eight of the last nine.
Alex Ovechkin also picked up a secondary assist on the play, and he has points in five straight games and 15 of the last 17 games overall.
Washington's power play now has goals in seven straight games, with 10 total in that span, and has converted in 10 of the last 11 outings overall. Since Feb. 13, the Capitals' power play is the best in the league, operating at 35.1 percent.
Lindgren Stands Tall As Capitals Keep Pressure Going, Milano Keeps Goal Streak Alive
Charlie Lindgren again stood tall in his fifth straight start, coming up with some huge saves to shut down the likes of Connor Bedard and more, including a ten-bell stop where he went to the splits to rob the Calder frontrunner on a late third-period power-play.
Lindgren stopped 29 of 30 shots while the team was also 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. He went six consecutive periods without surrendering a goal before giving up a strange one that went in off of Tyler Johnson in front.
The Capitals also did a good job of keeping the pressure alive and keeping their foot on the gas for the full 60 minutes, and it paid off as Sonny Milano got on the board for the fifth straight game.
Milano and Aliaksei Protas went on a 2-on-1 break, where Milano buried the feed from No. 21 to make it a 4-0 game. Milano has points in seven of eight games since returning from an upper-body injury that held him out for over two months.
Top Shelf Takes
- John Carlson picked up two assists in the win and now has points in six of the last seven and seven of the last nine overall.
- Tom Wilson led with four shots on goal.
- Protas had two assists for his sixth multi-point game of the season, tied for the most on the team with John Carlson.
- Ivan Miroshnichenko had a couple of fast shots and good looks on net.