Takeaways: Capitals Lose Key Pieces, Let Game Slip Away vs. Flames

It wasn’t a good night in Calgary for the Washington Capitals, as they lost on multiple levels against the Flames on Saturday.

Washington lost both Darcy Kuemper and Martin Fehervary to injury as Conor Sheary scored the lone goal in a rough 5-2 loss to Calgary.

The Capitals are now 10-12-3 and remain three points out of a Wild Card spot.

Here are all the takeaways from the defeat:

Washington Capitals Lose More Key Players To Injury Minutes Apart, See Others Step Up

The second period was something of a nightmare for Washington, who lost both Fehervary and Kuemper just minutes apart to upper-body injuries.

Fehervary went down first roughly eight minutes into the frame. No. 42 was battling for the puck along the boards and took a huge hit from Milan Lucic. He immediately went to the bench in visible discomfort and headed straight down the tunnel. The 23-year-old skated

Injury to Martin Fehervary. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/VvxwglWDzx

— #ALLCAPS (@JonItBe) December 4, 2022

Later in the period, Kuemper took an elbow from Tyler Toffoli in the crease. The two exchanged slashes. After that, the 32-year-old pulled himself from the game. He didn’t feel right following the incident. Kuemper stopped 24 of 26 shots (Blake Coleman opened the scoring in the first and Andrew Mangiapane struck early in the second to make it 2-1) before exiting.

the elbow here pic.twitter.com/tm4woYIpYl

— Mike (@mikeFAIL) December 4, 2022

During the second intermission, the Capitals announced that both would not return to play and would be re-evaluated on Sunday.

With a top-4 defenseman and starter out, Washington saw others step up. Alex Alexeyev, who got back in the lineup with Matt Irwin a healthy scratch, took on more minutes and even played on the penalty kill.

Meanwhile, Charlie Lindgren took over for Kuemper in the second and did everything he could to keep the Capitals in it until the end. However, late turnovers and quick goals would lead to the loss. He stopped seven of nine shots.

The going has already been tough, as Dmitry Orlov missed his 12th straight game on Sunday as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury. And, of course, Nicklas Backstrom (hip resurfacing surgery), Tom Wilson (ACL surgery), Connor Brown (ACL surgery), Carl Hagelin (hip surgery) and Beck Malenstyn (finger surgery) still remain sidelined.

T.J. Oshie & More Battle Hard In Loss, Lines Change Later On As Team Loses Spark

If there was one player who was incredibly noticeable throughout the night, it was T.J. Oshie. The 35-year-old was physical, throwing the body around and making the most of his chances. He also led the charge with three shots while also managing four hits.

Meanwhile, with the team trailing 2-1 in the third, head coach Peter Laviolette changed up the lines up. Alex Ovechkin got time with Sonny Milano and Evgeny Kuznetsov in the third as the team looked to ignite a spark. Meanwhile, Oshie got to work with Dylan Strome and Sheary.

It wasn’t enough, though, as the game slipped away at the end. Adam Ruzicka and Andrew Mangiapane (his second of the night) made it a 4-1 game with back-to-back third-period tallies.

John Carlson would score with roughly a minute left, but Washington also failed to get a lot of high-danger chances and spent too much time trying to set up plays that weren’t necessarily there. The team tried to rally with an empty net, but it didn’t go to plan as Elias Lindholm put the nail in the coffin with an ENG.

Additional Washington Capitals Ice Chips

• Sheary picked up another power-play goal and now has PPGs and three points in his last two games.

READ MORE ON WHN: After Getting Lost In Mix Due To COVID, Conor Sheary Finds Identity With Washington Capitals

• Sheary, Strome, Oshie, Aliaksei Protas and Marcus Johansson all led with three shots apiece.
• Strome and Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up assists and are tied for the team lead in helpers this season (14).
• Sonny Milano picked up an assist and now has eight points in 14 games this season. However, he was a minus-3.
• Garnet Hathaway led with five hits and now has 99 on the season, which ranks third in the league.
• Lars Eller has assists in two of his last three games.