📸: Tyler Smith from #crashers
The Washington Capitals had a late one against the Seattle Kraken on tap for us on Thursday night. The winner of the matchup would go up 4-3 in the two teams’ all-time matchup.
Aliaksei Protas batted the Capitals into the lead in the second period. Ethen Frank doubled that lead, finishing his own rebound on a breakaway. Alex Ovechkin put away the empty-netter to seal the deal.
Capitals beat Kraken 3-0!
- The Capitals came out really hot in the first period, playing some of their best hockey I’ve seen in a few weeks. They jumped all over Seattle in the first 5-8 minutes but then really slowed down for the middle portion of the opening frame. They then picked it right back up for another few minutes and then slowed down again to end the period. However, they still locked their own zone down even in those poorer stages of the period. Good to see.
- Martin Fehervary had a goal taken off the board because Nic Dowd was offside on a zone entry. Not only was I annoyed by Dowd needlessly straying into the zone early but Seattle just feels right for a Marty Party. The guy loves fishing. He might be the most “Seattle” of the current Capitals.
- Speaking of the Capitals and Seattle, it’s good to see Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson, and Philipp Grubauer. Their contributions to the 2018 Stanley Cup are forever etched in the lore of DC sports.
Seven dudes from the 2023 Calder Cup Finals on the ice tonight.
SEA: Hayden, Wright, Evans, Daccord
WSH: McMichael, Protas, Frank
(McIlrath and Kartye healthy scratches)
— RMNB (@rmnb.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 10:43 PM
- Absolutely phenomenal second period as the Capitals dominated all facets of the play at five-on-five. Seattle didn’t have a shot on goal in the frame until over 15 minutes of it had already elapsed. All four lines and all three defensive pairs got into the action.
- Aliaksei Protas scored his 20th goal of the season to put Washington up 1-0. Protas is a 20-goal scorer for the first time in his NHL career and also hit the 40-point plateau. If Pierre-Luc Dubois doesn’t exist this season, I think big Pro is the team’s MVP up front.
- Tough to see Fehervary go down after taking that puck to the face. He was leaking pretty badly on the ice and went straight down the tunnel. The Slovakian blueliner returned for the third period, though.
- Ethen Frank used those rockets in his skates again to create a breakaway chance and his third NHL goal. Per Tarik El-Bashir, since Frank made his NHL debut, he’s been the Capitals’ leading goal scorer with three goals in seven games.
Faltam só 15 minutos pra Capitals x Kraken começar. Aguentem firme, babes!
— Capitals Brasil 🇧🇷 (@wcapitalsbrasil.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 9:48 PM
- Charlie Lindgren returned to Washington’s crease and was spectacular. The team in front of him was excellent but he still had to make his fair share of great stops. The shutout is Chuckie’s first since a 16-save performance against the Boston Bruins on April 15 last season.
- Alex Ovechkin potted his 22nd goal of the season into an empty cage. He is just 19 goals shy of tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record.
- How about those moves behind the net from Jakob Chychrun late in regulation? Dipsy doo, how do you do.
- Climate Pledge Arena is at the top of my list to visit. Seems like a really cool spot to take in a game.
Stylish dudes out on the road #JoeBSuitOfTheNight
— RMNB (@rmnb.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The Capitals will continue their road trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Will JT Miller still be a Canuck by then? We shall see.
