With the offense struggling (again), the Caps have needed their defense and goaltending to step up – and last night, against the visiting Ducks, they did just that, at both ends of the ice. With Darcy Kuemper getting a much-needed shutout (which included him standing tall during a late-game onslaught by Anaheim) and Ethan Bear’s first of the season proving to be the game-winner, it was a big night for the back end.
Three Takeaways:
- They didn’t end up scoring, but the recently formed trio of Max Pacioretty, Dylan Strome, and T.J. Oshie continues to be both extremely (and unsurprisingly) fun to watch and very effective at generating offensive chances. In their admittedly small sample size of just under 34 minutes, the scrappy line has out-attempted opponents 44-29, outshot them 22-8, and outscored them 2-0. Not bad.
- After a rough stretch that saw the Caps give up seven power-play goals in five games, the penalty kill has gotten back on a roll, killing off all 11 of their times shorthanded in the last four games.
- Not particularly related to the outcome of the game itself, but the Strome Family Reunion at Cap One last night (or, as Ben Raby termed it, Strome Bowl X) was very cute in general, and made more adorable by the fact that Dylan’s little one was wearing a Ducks jersey and Ryan’s kids were in Caps jerseys:
They Said It:
“You forget how that feeling feels. It’s definitely nice to get that out of the way, have fun and not think about it.” – Ethan Bear, on his first goal since January 15, 2023