The Capitals picked up right where they left off 24 hours ago.
Just 24 hours prior to puck drop, the Washington Capitals strung together their most complete — and arguably, best — effort of the season. And despite a bit of a shaky start in Chicago, they picked up right where they left off for a big win over the Blackhawks.
Washington again got offense from all throughout the lineup, and Darcy Kuemper and the defense came in clutch en route to a 4-2 victory. It marks the team's second win in as many nights, and it moves the team back into third in the Metropolitan Division.
Here are all the takeaways from the W:
Capitals Keep Offense Going, Dowd Gets Two Goals As Usual Suspects Stay Hot
After going down 1-0 and seeing Chicago start to tilt the ice in the second, the Capitals kicked things into higher gear and rode its second consecutive three-goal second period to victory.
Connor McMichael's line with Anthony Mantha and Aliaksei Protas stayed hot to start the scoring spree.
McMichael made a highlight-reel play by lobbing a pass up ice to Mantha, who turned on the jets and hit 20 miles per hour to beat Connor Bedard to the waiting puck in front of the net. Mantha then deked and snuck a backhander past Arvid Soderblom to even the score.
It marked Mantha's second goal in as many games and his seventh of the season. He is on pace to finish the year with 26 goals. Meanwhile, McMichael picked up his seventh assist of the season and second in three games, putting him on pace for nearly 40 points.
Soon after, Dylan Strome scored and third in as many games, tapping in a nice feed from Joel Edmundson to make it 2-1. T.J. Oshie was the catalyst on that play with a heavy check to put things in motion.
Ovechkin picked up an assist and now has 11 on the season (the same number as Strome's goal total), and Edmundson registered his first point with Washington on the play.
Then, less than two minutes later, Nic Dowd found himself down in the crease and helped a Beck Malenstyn shot across the goal line. The 33-year-old struck again late in the third, firing home his second of the game. It is his third goal in six games, and that line has now generated three goals in the last two games.
Beck Malenstyn picked up two assists for his first career multi-point game, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel also had a helper, as each now has points in back-to-back outings.
It was a huge game overall for the entire offense again. Prior to returning home and facing Dallas, Washington had scored just nine goals in a six-game span and was shut out twice. Now, the team has 12 goals in the last three games, managing at least four in regulation in each outing.
Penalty Kill & Defense Come Up Big Again, Kuemper Makes Strong Return To Net
After shutting out the Rangers, Washington's defense was eager to play just as well again in front of Darcy Kuemper, playing his first game since being pulled on Monday against the Arizona Coyotes.
Washington's defense played a good game, sacrificing the body by blocking shots and playing physical. There were only a couple of fumbles and missed assignments, including Philip Kurashev and Connor Murphy's goals.
The penalty kill had another strong outing, too, as the PK went 6-for-6 and seemed to shake off the issues that had been plaguing it of late. It also operated without its top penalty killer, as Malenstyn took two penalties earlier in the contest.
And ultimately, Kuemper made the most of his return to the crease. He was quick with the glove and made some big pad stops, and also denied Chicago's top scorers some quality chances. He finished the night with 35 saves on 37 shots.
Ovechkin Matches Career-Long Goal Drought
Though he picked up his second assist in three games — and career point 1,501 — in the win, Ovechkin was again held off in the scoresheet, putting the 38-year-old in uncomfortable territory.
He has now gone 10 games without a goal, his longest stretch without scoring since March 2017. His last strike came on Nov. 18 against the Columbus Blue Jackets
Ovechkin is on pace to finish with 16 goals this season, which would be the first time in his career he scores less than 20 in a season. He's still finding ways to contribute without scoring, but it is concerning for the captain.
Top Shelf Takes
- The power play went 0-for-3 on the night.
- Edmundson was a plus-3 for the Capitals on Sunday.
- Nick Jensen picked up an assist and now has points in two of his last three games.