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The eighth game of the Barry Trotz era in Washington wasn’t nearly as nice as the first seven. The Capitals came out sluggish and sloppy, but thanks to the work of their goalie, headed into the first intermission unscathed. After a strong start to the second, Vancouver got back into the game and entered the second intermission up, 3-2. The Canucks added an empty-netter, and now the Caps will return home to face Detroit on Wednesday having lost two of their last three in regulation.
Plus/Minus:
- Plus: Justin Peters, making his second start of the season, was fairly solid. He stopped all 14 shots he faced in the first to bail out the guys in front of him, and added sparkling saves on Kevin Bieksa, Nick Bonino, and Zack Kassian in the second. Although he let in three goals in quick succession, we’ll cut him a little slack considering how he played the rest of the game.
- Minus: The Capitals were up 1 late in the second, but found themselves down 3 after Vancouver tallied on three consecutive shots in a 1:47 span late in the second. It’s not quite last year’s two-minute rule…hopefully, it doesn’t become a pattern of its own.
Our “Moment of Zen” First Star: Congrats to Liam O’Brien, who tallied his first career NHL goal late in the second.
(h/t @myregularface)
Game highlights: