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Capitals vs. Lightning Recap: Lightning Strikes Late, But Caps Hold On For The Win

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The Capitals poured on the offense all throughout the game, but things got a bit dicey with just 10 minutes remaining in the third period. But the Caps still walked out with two more points in the standings with a 4-2 win.

Ten more notes on the game:

  • You all just witnessed John Carlson’s 400th consecutive game, 23 away from franchise mark set by Bob Carpenter. Per Elias Sports, That’s the fifth longest active streak behind Andrew Cogliano (644), Keith Yandle (490), Patrick Marleau (481) and Phil Kessel (466). Who’s sixth on that list? Karl Alzner, with 398.
  • The last 21 times the Lightning have visited the Capitals at home, the Caps have gone 17-2-2. The Caps now have points in 12 straight games at the Verizon Center. Credit Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times for that little factoid. Not a bad record against a team like that.
  • Joe Beninati mentioned it, but Alex Ovechkin did appear to try to get the puck up on his classic one timer on the power play. It makes sense. When Andrei Vasilevskiy squared up against Ovechkin before Ovechkin tallied the first goal of the game, Vasilevskiy had his pads on the ice, exposing the top of the net. And every time the puck was brought to Ovechkin, Vasilevskiy was down. If Ovi can pick a corner, accompanied with his quick release, no way any goaltender can stop it.
  • Most surprising Capital this season? It’s Jason Chimera. His possession numbers still aren’t on par with what you would hope from a third-line player, but he’s producing. He now has four straight games with an assist, and added another goal to his resume. And, oddly enough, he added his fourth and fifth power play point on the year in this game. That’s tied for the most power play points he’s produced in his career.
  • Andre Burakovsky looked like he played with a bit more confidence tonight. That’s a good thing. He was taking players one on one, sped into open spaces, and never really managed to give up the puck like he has previously this season.
  • Alright, we have to talk about SOMETHING bad, right? How many goals do you think the Caps have passed up on this season because they got too cute with the puck? Nicklas Backstrom gathered the puck right in front of the net, and crept within 10 feet of the crease right in the slot in the second period. Instead of firing it, he dished it to T.J. Oshie on his right, who had to wait until the puck crossed his body so he could hit it with his forehand. He got no mustard on it. What if Backstrom had shot it?
  • So happy to see Oshie get a goal. That’s Oshie’s second goal in the last 13 games. He doesn’t need to be the top goal scorer on the team, but everyone would like to see more Oshie bombs. So hopefully that goal springs a streak or something.
  • How about one more bad thing? It would have been so nice to see the Capitals buckle down and get the shutout win after such a strong offensive performance. But, it just wasn’t meant to be. They gave up far too many chances within the last ten minutes of the game. But it was excellence to see the penalty kill completely shutdown Tampa Bay’s power play. Things could have gotten a little dicey if they converted on the opportunity.
  • The last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed Mike Vogel asking the Caps about the lively boards. They’ve all collectively agreed the boards are bouncier than normal. The boards, of course, are brand new, as Barry Trotz ordered replacement boards after his first season in Washington. I think we are going to start seeing the Caps utilize this advantage a bit more as the season rolls along. Evgeny Kuznetsov played the puck to himself off of the boards. Even Taylor Chorney played the puck off of the boards intentionally. That could be a huge advantage if the Caps get used to them.
  • Against the Capitals, Steven Stamkos has scored on 11.2 percent of his shots. That’s the lowest shooting percentage he has against Eastern Conference teams. Tonight, he went tonight 0 for 3.

Plus: Four goals, four different scorers. It’s exciting when literally anyone on the team can score, and it makes for a dangerous team.

Minus: It would have been nice to see the Capitals completely shut Tampa Bay out. Instead, they let them get right back into the game late in the third period. But they bunkered down and shutdown the late power play opportunity, which was a good thing.

And now, this…

Game highlights:

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