This Week in the District: 11/08/24 - 11/14/24

 

Capitals vs. Penguins 11/08

 

On November 8th, the Capitals biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, came to D.C. for another rendition of Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby. Between the Capitals hot start to the season, the Penguins poor start, and the game being at home, hopes were high for the Capitals to win this one. The game did not start they way the Capitals wanted, with two early first period goals from the Penguins. However, defensemen Rasmus Sandin would find the top corner short side, with his first goal of the season. This meant the Capitals were down a goal going into the second period. Six minutes into the second period Jakub Vrana and Andrew Mangiapane found themselves on a two on one, which Mangiapane scored to tie the game and get his fourth goal of the season. This would be the only goal of the period, leaving the game up for grabs in the third period. The Penguins would score halfway through the period and then get a late empty-net goal to seal the win. Crosby would win the 95th meeting between him and Alex Ovechkin both on the scoreboard and in the points category. This was a game to forget for the Capitals.

 

Capitals @ Blues 11/09

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The Capitals didn’t have any time to dwell on the previous result as they had to get on a plane and travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues in Enterprise Center the next day. The Capitals were looking to start quick this game and not have to chase it, and they did just that. Connor McMichael would score his ninth goal of the season just under a minute into the game. However, six minutes later the Blues tied the game off a beautiful offensive zone draw set play. The period would end tied, and the Capitals had work to do. Seven minutes into the period Alex Ovechkin would finish off a terrific passing play between the first forward line to give the Capitals the lead. Jakob Chychrun would double the lead a few minutes later with his third goal of the season in his first game back from injury. The period would end 3-1 for the Capitals, and they were looking to see the game out in the last period. The Capitals exploded in the third period with five goals from Alex Ovechkin, Rasmus Sandin, Connor McMichael, Michael Sgarbossa, and Brandon Duihame, ending the game with an astonishing 8-1 victory for them. Two of these goals were on the powerplay, as well, ending a huge skid for the unit. Dylan Strome picked up three more assists on the night, increasing his season totals to 18 assists and 22 points in 14 games. These marks made him sixth in the NHL in points, third in assists, and first in even-strength points. This was a great bounce-back game for the Capitals and gave them a few days to rest for their next game.

 

Capitals vs. Maple Leafs 11/13

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On November 13th, the Capitals would host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs had just played the night before and their star player and captain, Auston Matthews, wasn’t playing due to injury. This made Caps fans hopeful that they could beat a Maple Leafs team that has had their number in recent years. The period started off well, with Taylor Raddysh scoring his third goal of the year off the skate of a defensemen. The Maple Leafs would respond quickly with a spectacular assist from John Tavares. Late in the period, Dylan Strome would regain the lead for the Capitals with his fifth goal of the year, giving the Capitals a 2-1 lead after one period. Late in the second period Aleksai Protas would increase the Capitals lead to two with his sixth goal of the year. The Capitals found themselves up 3-1 after two periods again. They would’ve ideally liked to repeat the result of last game, but realistically were just hoping to come away with a win. The Capitals were playing defensive for the whole period, and doing it well until four minutes remaining when Tom Wilson turned the puck over in his defensive zone. This led to a two on one opportunity for the Maple Leafs, which they converted. The Capitals had their chance to end the game but they just couldn’t hit the empty net. Then, as the Maple Leafs were going up ice, Nic Dowd took a penalty in the neutral zone, giving the Maple Leafs a 6 on 4 powerplay. They scored almost instantly, taking the game to overtime. The Maple Leafs would score on a breakaway in overtime, finishing the comeback, and making what was looking like a great game for the Capitals an embarrassing one. 

 

Next Week​

Next week the Capitals are making their first west coast trip, vising the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and the NHL’s newest addition, the Utah Hockey Club. They also will host the Avalanche late in the week. I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog. Thank you for reading!