The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins have been on the same path for basically the better part of two decades (with slightly different results, of course, but that’s a different topic). That continues this year, where they have been neck and neck in the standings but both fairly likely to miss out on the postseason for a second-consecutive year. That will tend to dull the sheen of a rivalry, as will the impending trade deadline and the departure of players from both sides – so it wouldn’t have been surprising to see the two teams phone it in last night.
Turns out, only one did. The other team? The good guys? They showed up big time, and showed up the home team big time, with contributions all up and down the lineup. They also proved that, even when it’s likely pretty meaningless, a lopsided win over the Pittsburgh Penguins is still super fun.
Three Takeaways:
- This hasn’t been the most offensively powered Caps team we’ve ever seen, but lately the offense has been clicking at a surprising level. Last night’s victory was the fifth time in the last nine games that the Caps scored at least five goals in a game; to put that into context, they’d only hit the five-goal mark three times the entire rest of the season (53 games). So uh…this is better.
- While the veterans got things started last night, it was once again the kids picking up the ball – or puck, such as it was – and running with it. 10 of the 16 points picked up by Caps’ players last night, and their last three goals, were scored by players under the age of 28.
- If you didn’t see Coach Carbery’s postgame press conference last night, highly recommend checking it out below. There’s a lot to love about how he talks about his guys, especially the joy and pride when talking about Ivan Miroshnichenko’s first-career goal. He’s a good one.
They Said It: Sending all the love to Tom Wilson and his family.