Plus: It’s one thing to say that “goals will come” after “playing the right way” for a while; it’s another thing to actually see the rewards of that work come through.
Minus: Too many defensive breakdowns in the second period.
Turning Point: Dylan Strome’s second goal of the game, a power play tally 18 seconds into the third period, was a goal the Caps desperately needed after the Devils’ onslaught in the second. Kept a game that seemed to be getting away from them back in their hands, and they rolled with it.
Caps Player of the Game: For that tally, as well as his first period goal that put the Caps up 2-0, I’ll give this to Dylan Strome, who has had the hot hand for Washington thus far.
Final Thoughts: This was a game the Capitals needed, in (blowing a 3-0 lead aside) just the fashion they needed it in: their strong offensive play at 5 on 5 finally translated onto the score sheet. Now, they won’t always be getting a 0.76 save percentage from the other team, but they’re playing a brand of hockey right now that is sustainable for much more success than their record heading into this game would suggest.