It was another tight game in the Nation's Capital.
WASHINGTON — It was a should-win game for the Washington Capitals, as they played host to a San Jose Sharks team that had dropped seven straight games to drop the season and the last 14 games overall. And though it appeared to be trending in the other direction to start the night, Washington would emerge with the win.
Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson came in clutch, and Evgeny Kuznetsov sealed the deal for the win.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat, as Washington has now failed to win three in a row since December 2022.
Dylan Strome Stays Hot, Capitals Overcome Slow Start
Coming out of the gate, the Capitals were lacking speed and grit against a Sharks team hungry for not only a win but its first goal following back-to-back shutouts.
Washington could barely get anything going at even strength in the first and spent the majority of the time defending. San Jose ended the opening frame with 10 shots and a go-ahead rebound goal from Luke Kunin.
It marked the seventh time this season that the Capitals have given up the first goal of the game, as they failed to match the Sharks' speed coming out of the gate.
Ultimately, Washington would find its footing and pile on the shots, and eventually, it paid off as Strome scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season to open the first. He now has goals in three straight and leads his team in that department.
Tom Wilson Plays Hero
Late in the third, the Capitals looked like they were headed for overtime, but Tom Wilson wouldn’t be denied.
Wilson drove to the net and saw his initial shot go off Kyle Burroughs and in to give Washington the lead late.
The goal was Wilson’s 300th career NHL point and would serve as the game-winner.
Kuemper Comes In Clutch
Darcy Kuemper came in clutch last game for Washington, stopping all seven attempts from Minnesota in the shootout. And on Sunday, it came down to another goaltending battle, and he emerged with another strong outing.
Kuemper stopped 28 of 29 shots in the win.
Top Shelf Takes
- Hardy Häman Aktell picked up his first career NHL point with an assist on Strome's goal.
- Hendrix Lapierre played in his first NHL game since November 2021 after being called up, with Sonny Milano missing the game due to illness. Nic Dowd is on the injured reserve.
- The fourth line again saw a reduction in ice time. Head coach Spencer Carbery said on Saturday this was a product of game flow with the recent outings proving to be tight ones, and Sunday was no different.
