Here are 17 thoughts on the Capitals to close out 2023.

It's New Year's Eve, and the Washington Capitals are ready to put a rough end to 2023 behind them.

The calendar year ended on a sour note for D.C., as Alex Ovechkin's potential game-winner was waved off due to goaltender interference in a controversial call.

We'll discuss that, and much more, in another edition of 17 Things that closes out 2023.

17 Things

1. Let's start with Toronto and the situation room, since that fire's still burning for several in the fanbase — and the players and organization are none too pleased, either. Toronto initiated the challenge for goaltender interference, since, "in the final minute of play in the third period and at any point in overtime (regular season and playoffs), Hockey Operations will initiate the review of any scenario that would otherwise be subject to a Coach's Challenge." Upon video review, the officials determined that Nic Dowd's contact with Yaroslav Askarov while serving as a heavy screen "impaired Askarov's ability to play his position in the crease prior to Ovechkin's goal."

2. In my opinion, and in Spencer Carbery's opinion, there is not enough evidence to show that Dowd's contact was enough to interfere with Askarov from stopping Ovechkin's shot. Not only that, but the puck actually completely crosses the goal line at a little over the one-minute mark rather than at 59.5 seconds, and if that was the case, the goal couldn't have been challenged by the situation room. Just a tough situation overall, as it would've been a great way for Alex Ovechkin to say goodbye to 2023, which hasn't been all too kind to him.

3. Still, there is a positive. Ovechkin, with that goal, would have had three goals in his last five outings. He's starting to have that vintage jump in his step, and things could be turning around. Not only that but having career goal No. 830 taken away definitely adds fuel to the fire. It'll be interesting to see how this next stretch plays out for him.

4. Also of note from last night's game: there were some significant line changes, including one that moved Evgeny Kuznetsov from center to the wing. Hendrix Lapierre took his spot at 3C but played just over seven minutes, meaning the team ran with three pivots for the majority of the night. Kuznetsov said that the experience was interesting as he got to see hockey from a different angle, but it was a difficult adjustment as he fell into some center tendencies and didn't stand out as much as he usually does when he plays his natural position.

5. Of course, that was the hope. Carbery specifically moved him to that position in order to unlock some offense, which continued to be a struggle of late with the team managing just one goal in three of the last four games. It was also an attempt to spark Kuznetsov, who continues to be plagued by inconsistency. Ultimately, it didn't work, and as Carbery pointed out, the experiment will probably end there: "Just trying to find something offensively 5-on-5 for O, Strome, him. So, getting him with some more offensive-minded players and seeing if it worked. Do I think it worked tonight? Did I think that line was great? I thought they were okay. They ended a lot of shifts in the defensive zone. Is it ideal? Will he stay there? Probably not... just looking for different ways to get Kuz potentially with some more offensive-minded players to unlock something there 5-on-5 scoring-wise."

6. Speaking of Kuznetsov, trade rumors are picking back up, and the latest is that he could be on the move in the offseason. He'll have just one more year at $7.8 million on his deal left when summer hits, and with more flexibility, the market could be higher for him. Washington reportedly was going to trade him for Matt Duchene in a blockbuster with the aforementioned Predators last year, but that fell through. At this point, though, it doesn't look like Kuznetsov is sticking.

7. That move was also an attempt at a shakeup with Max Pacioretty not yet ready to lace 'em up and return from a re-torn Achilles. There are still some final preparations that have to be made, but I would be surprised if No. 67 didn't lace 'em up this week, but don't expect it to be Tuesday with the team going into a back-to-back. Wednesday at home? Possible.

8. Going back to the player who took his place at 3C: Hendrix Lapierre continues to impress me. While he didn't get the most ice time in a tight game against Nashville, two things that continue to impress me are his speed and hockey IQ. He can carry the puck efficiently and get into the zone fast, and he has been making some great passes and plays to set up his linemates for high-danger chances.

9. Lapierre's teammate from last year, Aliaksie Protas, continues to thrive as a 5-on-5 scorer and has 18 points in 33 games, putting him on pace for 45 points. He and Anthony Mantha have been fun to watch, as Mantha also matched his goal total from last season in half the games. Though a contract year may be fueling the fire, he's having fun again, and it's easy to see.

10. A player who did make his Capitals debut on Saturday was Ethan Bear, and the Capitals couldn't be more thrilled. The 26-year-old was solid and defensively sound and also picked up two shots — one of which rang off the crossbar — as well as three blocks and a plus/minus rating of plus-1 through 20:05 minutes. He spent the majority of the night with Rasmus Sandin, and the two young blueliners seemed to form a solid connection that worked at both ends.

11. With Bear moving to operate with Sandin, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Nick Jensen were paired together for the majority of the night, though both were underutilized. Jensen had the least amount of ice time among blueliners on Saturday, logging just 14:53 minutes. The night before on Long Island, TVR was shorted. Going off of who will be the odd man out when Martin Fehervary eventually comes back, Jensen may be in more danger than TVR, given van Riemsdyk's flexibility to play both sides. But that's just me. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman also mentioned TVR, who was extended instead of being traded last season, as being one of the pieces to face the fallout after Bear's signing.

12. On the topic of injuries, let's get into some updates Charlie Lindgren's upper-body injury, which he tried to fight through before leaving in the opening minutes of Friday's game against the New York Islanders, isn't as bad as initially thought. Carbery said the team got good news on his status on Saturday morning, and though he wasn't well enough to dress, he could be back sooner rather than later.

13. Fehervary also appears to also be doing better than once thought and is ready to get back into the swing of things. The 23-year-old went hard into the boards after being tripped up in a puck battle with Anders Lee.

14. Sonny Milano and T.J. Oshie could "potentially" be back this week as they continue to recover from respective upper and lower-body ailments. Milano may be a bit further off than Oshie, who has been taking contact and a regular participant since the team returned from break.

15. In prospect news: Alexander Suzdalev is headed back to North America, with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades making a blockbuster trade with the Regina Pats to acquire him on New Year's Eve. Suzdalev has been playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest tier of pro hockey in Sweden, but he has primarily been on the fourth line. This move back should give him a much-needed confidence boost, more ice time and hopefully, more production as he looks to keep his development going forward.

16. Some gear geek stuff: Ovechkin is back to using Bauer sticks after having experimented with them earlier in the season and ultimately sticking with CCM. He picked up two goals (one of which was disallowed), so thinking he sticks with that. Bear is also using a new twig, an unreleased Warrior Covert QR6 Pro. Also a funny story about Kuznetsov's giant Nike Bauer kidney guards — it's all part of his girdle, which just celebrated its 12th birthday. I'll have a fun write-up on that this week. The story. behind it: worth sharing for sure.

17. Ryan Leonard scored again at World Juniors on Sunday and now has points in each of his WJC appearances so far for Team USA. Meanwhile, fellow 2023 draft pick Andrew Cristall had a hat trick on Saturday and remains red-hot for Kelowna. Two successful post-draft years could indicate a quicker jump to pros, but the name of the game is patience.

Bonus Thought from Sammi:

The year 2023, on a personal note, has been huge for me. I got into grad school, captain the HNA's D.C. Ghost Pirates (shoutout to my teammates), got an Emmy nomination, overcame some medical issues in the offseason and spent a lot of time with family and friends while continuing my Capitals coverage with The Hockey News, who I joined in March following my tenure elsewhere. Wanted to thank each and every reader for following along and supporting me, and here's to more memories.