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Capitals vs. Avalanche: How the Game Was Won

The Capitals made quite a statement at Ball Arena last night. Here’s how they did it…

Nov 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael (24) celebrates his goal with right wing Tom Wilson (43) in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Washington Capitals desperately needed a bounce-back game after their disappointing OT loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. They got that and more with their 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche last night—this was a statement game. They came into an arena that is notoriously difficult to play in and got their road trip started right with a full 60-minute performance.

The game admittedly did not get off to an ideal start for the Caps—just two minutes in, the Avs got on the board with a goal from Parker Kelly. It wasn’t a great goal for Charlie Lindgren to let in so early, and it had the potential to set a poor tone. He was screened a bit in front, but the puck clearly caught Lindgren by surprise as it beat him short side. Thankfully for the Caps, Jakub Vrana got their scoring started less than three minutes after Parker’s goal with a power play tally. Who drew the penalty that put Washington on the man-advantage, you ask? The one and only Lars Eller. What year is it again? Don’t let the narrative distract you from the absolute snipe that was Vrana’s goal, though, because that was impressive.

After Vrana’s goal, it was time for the Connor McMichael show. He’d come close on the Caps power play earlier, so it felt like only a matter of time before he found the back of the net. His first goal of the night was a quick shot from the top of the slot off a ridiculous pass from Tom Wilson, who looped behind Colordo’s net to find the perfect passing lane. McMichael wasn’t done, however, and his second goal of the night was an absolutely stunning strip-and-score. He stole the puck from Samuel Girard and then deked around Josh Manson, making him look foolish, before snapping a backhand shot past Justus Annunen. Annunen was then pulled from the game.

McMichael now has 12 goals on the season, and his 11 5v5 goals lead the league. Most encouraging, however, is the confidence he seems to have on the ice every night. If Connor McMichael is truly finding his stride, the rest of the league clearly needs to watch out.

The Capitals wrapped up their offense with a second period bomb from Jacob Chychrun off a beautiful feed from Pierre-Luc Dubois, and then an empty netter from Rasmus Sandin. With that ENG, Sandin extended his point streak to four games. Dylan Strome recorded his team-leading 19th assist and 24th point on Sandin’s goal; with 19 assists, Strome set a franchise record for most assists through the first 16 games of the season.

We’ve talked about Washington’s offense, so now let’s talk about their defense. The Caps held the Avs to a season-low 19 shots on goal last night. The defense was particularly stifling for Colorado’s stars—Mikko Rantanen had one shot on goal, Cale Makar had three, Artturi Lehkonen had one, and Devon Toews had two. Most impressively, Nathan MacKinnon came into last night’s game with the second-most shots on goal in the league with 67 and did not record a single one. After a messy defensive outing on Wednesday, this is exactly what the Capitals needed.

Oh, and in case those defensive numbers weren’t enough, Martin Fehervary almost killed a man:

This was a complete performance from a team that really needed it. The Capitals are also now 5-0 after a loss this season and have outscored opponents 25-10 in those games. If they keep playing games like this, the Caps will be a tough team to beat.

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