If Jason Chimera was scratched a few weeks ago for a bad penalty in OT against the Blue Jackets in the game prior, I can't imagine how Barry Trotz is going to handle what happened in the waning minutes of the third period in tonights loss against the New York Rangers.
After a busy first two periods by the Rangers in which they were in complete control of the play, the Capitals found themselves down by two. Rick Nash sniped a third goal for New York in the third, after a flurry of Capitals shots that were all blocked by Henrik Lundqvist. Evgeny Kuznetsov decided to play tonight and he quickly answered Nash's goal on a very similar play.
Kuznetsov came down the right side and snapped a shot passed Lundqvist for his 4th goal of the year. It gave the Caps a little extra 'umph' and they bore down on the Rangers as they had just minutes prior.
Alex Ovechkin then scored his 16th goal of the season on the power play to pull the Caps within one goal.
Then, when it looked liked the Caps were on the verge of a comeback, Nick Backstrom takes a 4-min double minor for high sticking. On the ensuing penalty kill, Jason Chimera takes another penalty, this time a faceoff violation.
Martin St. Louis scored his second goal of the game on a 5-3 that gave the Rangers all they needed to end the night with a 4-2 victory.
Braden Holtby, who has been marvelous lately, looked good, but tired. It was his 11 straight start and 17th consecutive appearance. He stopped 38-39 shots against the Senators last night, including a beauty of a glove save against good friend, Clarke MacArthur.
Washington, altogether, looked tired tonight. Holtby did what he had to do and made some wonderful saves early on, but the pressure of the Rangers was just too much. Bad penalties and sloppy plays plagued the Caps, and they were never able to regain the momentum lost in the third.
With the win, the Rangers now tie Washington in the standings with 40 points, however they have one more win at 18.
It was the Capitals first loss in 10 games - 7-1-2 in that stretch - and it finally looks like they are buying in to what Trotz is selling.
The transition has been a lot smoother going from defense to offense, and the chances that Ovechkin has been getting are more plentiful than earlier in the season. The secondary scoring has also been coming through, and that is something the Caps have been sorely lacking (and still are in the grand scheme of things).
Tom Wilson was scratched tonight for the first time in his young career. Trotz was unhappy with his overall play lately, most notably his decision-making. With Wilson out, Andre Burakovsky was re-inserted into the lineup, but on the 4th line with Michael Latta and Jason Chimera. Burakovsky was virtually invisible tonight, and it may have been a good idea to either leave him in Hershey for a little longer or send him over to the World Juniors to get some better ice time and some confidence.
Wilson will no doubt be back Saturday. He hasn't been playing poorly, but it does seem that he's forcing the puck too much in order to create highlight reel plays with Ovechkin and Backstrom. The Caps did miss his physical presence tonight, and that is something they can't replace very easily.
The Caps, and the rest of the league, is off for the next three days for the Christmas break, and that should hopefully give Washington a well needed rest before they face the Penguins on Saturday night.
I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.
Thanks for reading...
More to come...
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