The Capitals have now won seven of their last nine games.
WASHINGTON — Tuesday's game was an important one for the Washington Capitals, as it was time to face reality and see if they could keep their recent turnaround and hot streak going against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. They passed that test with flying colors, and it was mainly because of the man between the pipes.
Charlie Lindgren put on a show, and Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael and Beck Malenstyn scored en route to a 3-0 win.
Washington has now won seven of its last nine games, including three straight.
Here are all the takeaways from the victory.
Charlie Lindgren
Lindgren's strong play to open the 2023-24 campaign has admittedly forced head coach Spencer Carbery's hand, and with Darcy Kuemper getting over a recent injury, Lindgren got the call for his second start in three games, and he made the most of that opportunity.
The 29-year-old was stellar between the pipes, coming up with some key saves to help preserve the lead. He faced multiple breakaways after a couple of poor turnovers, shutting down the likes of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel and more. And, late in the third, he shut down some key high-danger chances, including two shots on the doorstep for Pavel Dorofeyev.
Lindgren is now 3-1-0 on the season with a .947 save percentage. His save percentage from mid and long-range remains a perfect 1.000.
Dylan Strome Gets On Board; Matthew Phillips Promoted Over T.J. Oshie
With Washington still trying to get its offense going on a consistent basis, the second line stepped up and ultimately, made the difference with D.C.'s lone goal of the night.
Milano was in the defensive zone and saw linemates Dylan Strome and Matthew Phillips sneaking behind the defense. That's when he banked a nice pass of the boards up to Strome, who went on an ensuing 2-on-1 with Phillisp and called his own number to make it 1-0.
The goal marked Strome's team-leading seventh of the season. Milano, meanwhile, now has points in three of his last five outings.
Having Phillips back in the top-6 was the plan all along for Spencer Carbery, who mentioned more opportunity for the 25-year-old on Tuesday morning with the team looking to get him back to his high level of play that won him a roster spot in the first place.
Phillips took Oshie's spot on the second line and his place on the first power-play unit. The rookie looked strong in his ice time, using his speed, getting puck touches and looking confident.
Power Play Struggles Continue, McMichael & Malenstyn Clinch Win In Third
While the Capitals, offense is still an issue, especially when it comes to the power play. And ultimately, that was the glaring flaw in the victory.
Washington went 0-for-3 on the man advantage, and on a five-minute power play early in the second period, they failed to generate much in the way of opportunity. There was a bit of reluctance when it came to shooting the puck, and it resulted in just seven shots over the course of three chances.
The Capitals have now gone seven straight games without a power-play goal and are 0-for-19 over that span. Washington's PP now ranks last in the league at 7.3 percent.
Washington did get two more on the board, though. Connor McMichael had the empty-netter, marking his fourth point in his last four games. Seconds later, Beck Malenstyn scored his second of the season and second in four games on a beautiful breakaway strike.
Top Shelf Takes
- Evgeny Kuznetsov made a great defensive play in the third to help preserve the win, and he also had a run-in with Jonathan Marchessault after the Conn Smythe winner appeared to poke at Lindgren. Kuznetsov had also left the game shortly after taking an illegal check to the head from Paul Cotter.
- Dylan McIlrath made his season debut on the third pairing with Alex Alexeyev and logged 4:20 minutes while also recording a fight against Keegan Kolesar.
- Connor McMichael had the empty-netter, marking his fourth point in his last four games.
- Beck Malenstyn scored seconds after McMichael, getting his second of the season and second in four games on a beautiful breakaway strike.
- Rasmus Sandin has assists in three straight games and four of his last five overall.