The Capitals fell 4-3 in the shootout after giving up two leads.
Late in the third against the Philadelphia Flyers, things were going well for the Washington Capitals, as their offense found a spark again as the team was on its way to their its straight win and ownership of third place in the Metropolitan Division. However, a late rally forced an eventual shootout, and D.C. couldn't get the job done.
Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas put up multi-point efforts, and the shorthanded Capitals — operating without Evgeny Kuznetsov (ill) and Sonny Milano (upper-body) — led at two different times, but a couple of mistakes proved costly in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat as Washington extended its point streak to four games.
Strome, Wilson & Protas Power Offense & Lindgren Comes Up With Big Stops, But Capitals Give Up 2 Leads & Fall In Shootout
With the Flyers tying the game at 2 in the third period, the Capitals were in desperate need of a go-ahead goal, and they got it from Strome.
The 25-year-old, who picked up a primary assist in the second, went flying to the net and buried a loose puck in front to restore the lead for D.C. It was his team-leading 12th goal of the season and fourth in as many games.
While Strome got the goal, Wilson and Protas deserve a lot of credit. Wilson, who finished a feed for Strome in the second, paid back the favor with a great hustle to win a race to the puck in the corner. He then got it to Protas, who fired a shot but saw it fall apart as his stick broke in half.
Though Strome gave his team the go-ahead goal, the Capitals weren't able to hold onto that lead — or the one that preceded it — due to a handful of mistakes and poor reads.
Charlie Lindgren, despite the loss, stopped 29 of 32 shots and came up with some critical stops at key moments.
Ultimately, the team played well enough to get two points, but it wasn't enough in a shootout loss, as Bobby Brink scored the shootout winner after Lindgren had missed out on a poke check. So, D.C. settled for one.
Wilson Sparks Power Play, Penalty Kill Comes Up Big
The power play, despite getting a couple of goals of late following a 13-game drought and 0-for-34 stretch, was still struggling entering Thursday's game. After going 0-for-2 to start the night, it finally got going, thanks to Tom Wilson.
Wilson got to the backdoor and buried a cross-ice feed from Strome to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. It marked Wilson's ninth goal of the season, putting him second behind Strome for the most goals on the team.
Seconds before No. 43 scored, Strome had pulled off a diving effort to keep the puck in the offensive zone. He now has three points in his last four games.
Not only did the power play find a spark, but the penalty kill was perfect. Beck Malesntyn continues to play a big role there, along with Nic Dowd and the likes of Wilson and Connor McMichael.
The PK went 5-for-5, even killing off a two-man advantage that ran over from the second into the third.
Second Line Stays Hot, Gets Capitals Back In Game
After Bobby Brink struck to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead, head coach Spencer Caarbery put his second line of Protas-McMichael-Mantha out there to respond — and the trio made no mistake.
Mantha got the puck to Protas, who showed great patience and hustle along the boards and ultimately won his battle to get the puck to a waiting McMichael in the crease. From there, No. 24 deked and put home his sixth of the season to make it 1-1 and put D.C. back in the game.
McMichael now has points in three of his last four games, and Mantha extended his point streak to four games on the play. Protas ended up with two assists and is tied with Strome for the most multi-point games this season (5).
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Top Shelf Takes
- Alex Ovechkin's goal drought hit 11 games, marking a new career high.
- Matthew Phillips played just 2:44 minutes, with 2:01 of those coming on the power play, and did not play after the first period. The 25-year-old dressed as the third-line center, with Kuznetsov a late scratch due to illness.
- Joe Snively skated just 6:31 minutes in his season debut in place of Milano.
- Garnet Hathaway got a rude hello from his former team, taking a big check from Joel Edmundson to open the game. He also took a two-minute penalty for an illegal check to the head on former linemate and close friend Nic Dowd.
- T.J. Oshie was all over the place and had a strong outing, picking up an assist and leading the way with energy. He also had an impressive shootout goal.