Two nights after dueling with their conference-leading counterparts in Winnipeg and falling in overtime, the Caps headed to St. Paul for a date with the Minnesota Wild, looking to even the season series. Despite controlling much of the play through the first half of the game, however, the Capitals found themselves in a 2-2 tie and it seemed like they would head into the third even.
Minnesota’s Matt Boldy had other ideas.
After some offensive zone pressure by the Caps, the Wild regained control of the puck and Vinnie Hinostroza headed up ice with it before dumping it into the corner. Rasmus Sandin and Tom Wilson decided that Hinostroza needed double the attention behind the net, leaving Boldy open to Charlie Lindgren’s left.
When the puck squirted free from the battle, Boldy snagged it and brought it around to the front of the net where he was able to flip it past Lindgren uncontested.
It was another unlucky bounce that went against the Caps in a game where none of the bounces seemed to be going the good guys’ way, and unfortunately it stood up as the ultimate game-winner, as the Caps were unable to get anything else by Gustavsson. An empty-netter by Gaudreau late in the third sealed the win for Minnesota, and the Caps dropped their second-straight in the Central.
Certainly not their worst loss of the season; it even featured a rare goalie interference review that went in the Caps’ favor. But special teams were anything but special, the top six was silenced, and that was that.
A busy final stretch continues back in DC this weekend, where the Caps will host the Sabres for a Sunday afternoon matinee.