The Washington Capitals have won six games in a row and put together arguably their best performance in those six games against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night. The club’s 3-0 win was their second ever on the road in Seattle and put them up 4-3 in the all-time series against the Kraken.
Now, that was some fun hockey to watch. More, please.
- The Capitals put their foot on the pedal from the outset of this game and rarely let off throughout the 60 minutes of regulation. They combined their recent stout defensive play with more puck possession in the offensive zone and chance creation. They created 17 five-on-five high-danger chances, which is tied for their most in a single game this season. They also recorded 33 shots in the win, which is their most in a game since they had 37 against the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 12.
- Charlie Lindgren recorded his first shutout of the season, stopping all 22 shots he faced. He has stopped 33 shots in a row since allowing a goal to Buffalo’s Tage Thompson on January 6.
- Alex Ovechkin scored his 22nd goal of the season, moving him 19 goals away from a share of the all-time goals record with Wayne Gretzky. The marker was Ovi’s fifth empty-netter of the season and the 62nd of his career.
- Not a ton of special teams in the game but the Capitals did kill off Seattle’s lone power play. They’ve now ousted 12 straight opposing power plays. Their 84.6 percent success rate ranks third in the league.
- Aliaksei Protas scored his 20th goal of the season, joining Ovechkin and Tom Wilson in the 20-goal club for the Capitals. Protas now has 40 points (20g, 20a) in 48 games this season, leaving him on pace for a 68-point (34g, 34a) campaign.
- The third line was very good in the victory. With Lars Eller on the ice at five-on-five, the team saw positive differential in shot attempts (+8), scoring chances (+6), and high-danger chances (+6). Ethen Frank also scored his third career NHL goal.
- Apologies if this post is a bit brief. Had to write this one right after writing last night’s recap. The game was awesome. One of the Capitals’ best of the year.
