The Capitals register an easygoing 6 to 3 win over Montreal the night before Thanksgiving.
Game Summary – Event Summary – Shot Summary – Face-off Summary – Play By Play – Home TOI – Visitor TOI – HockeyViz – Money Puck – Natural Stat Trick
Back at home in the District on Thanksgiving Eve the Capitals stuffed the visiting Montreal Canadiens in a 6 to 3 home ice victory. Pass the gravy.
Here’s Wednesday night’s Plus/Minus:
Plus: Michael Sgarbossa tallied his first goal with the Capitals and first NHL goal in over four years.
Minus: The NHL should standardize goal review announcements (and the entire process) with their referees.
Nine more notes on the game:
- Less than four minutes into the contest Nic Dowd took the puck around Montreal’s defense and the net before slipping a backhanded wrap into the net. The Capitals would never relinquish the lead.
- Before the first’s midway point John Carlson extended Washington’s lead to two with a bomb on the power play. Extended possession time and quick puck movement immediately led to Carlson’s goal from forty five feet out.
- Luck then bounced the Capitals’ way right in front of Jake Allen. Cedric Paquette’s clearing attempt hit Sgarbossa in his lower body, then Alexander Romanov, and only then found its way into the net.
- Before the first intermission could arrive Jake Evans got the Canadiens on the scoreboard. Two broken clearing attempts gave Evans a chance from in close and his shot somehow bounced up and over Ilya Samsonov.
- The Capitals outshot Montreal by more than three times in the first period (16 to 5).
- Evgeny Kuznetsov added to Washington’s lead again midway through the game. A fantastic fake shot from Carlson froze everyone and allowed Kuznetsov time to calmly stash the puck into Allen’s net.
- Cole Caufield drew Montreal back within one before the second intermission. Samsonov gloved Caufield’s shot before it hit the goal netting so play continued until the next whistle. Only upon video review was the correct call determined.
- Tom Wilson, Dmitry Orlov, and Artturi Lehkonen added third period goals to provide the margin of victory.
- Justin Schultz left the game early and did not return. His night was finished before he could register seven minutes of ice time.