Somewhat inexplicably, the Capitals and Flyers find themselves locked in a battle for that third spot in the Metro Division, and last night’s first meeting of the season was exactly the kind of grudge match you’d expect from these longtime rivals.
The Caps did a good job of responding a couple of times when the Flyers got on the board, first with a quick response less than a minute after the Flyers’ opening goal, then again with Dylan Strome’s go-ahead goal in the third period. Alas, some defensive miscues cost them and the coin-flip of a shootout didn’t go their way, costing them the extra point.
Three Takeaways:
- Charlie Lindgren was solid again last night, but not perfect (which is fine, because he’s allowed a slightly imperfect night here and there). The first pokecheck in the shootout? Delightful. The second? Well, um…
- Tough to see Alex Ovechkin’s goalless streak stretch to 11 games, the longest of his career. He’s getting his chances, and led the team with 11 shot attempts tonight (eight of which were high-danger). It’s not like his ability to finish a shot just suddenly fell off a cliff over the summer, so eventually the pick is going to start finding the back of the net…right?
- After a solid run of five-straight outings with the first goal of the game, the Caps are back to that annoying thing where they fall behind first instead. Last night was the ninth time in the last 12 in which the opponent has gotten the jump on the Caps, and the 17th time this season overall. The good (?) news is that they’ve gotten a little better at coming back when this happens, their 7-8-2 record putting them at a win percentage of .412 on the year, which is just above the middle of the pack in the league. But they are much, much better in those rare games where they score first with a 7-0-2 record – joining the Panthers as the only two teams without a regulation loss when getting the game’s first goal.
They Said It:
“We’re battling. Thought we played pretty well, to be honest. […] We play like that, you know, a lot of the time, I think it’s going to go in our favor, so lots of positives to take away from it. Each line contributed well.” – Dylan Strome