Takeaways: Wilson, Strome Lead Capitals To Perfect Win Over Yotes

To kick off a three-game road trip out west and with points getting more critical by the game, the Washington Capitals did everything right in Tempe against the Arizona Coyotes.

The Capitals took great care of the puck and got standout showings from Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome and Darcy Kuemper en route to a dominant and picture-perfect 4-0 victory.

Here are all the takeaways from the win, which pulls Washington within one point of third in the Metro Division.

Washington Capitals Do All Right Things, Kuemper Gets Shutout

Besides a couple of penalties, Washington did all the right things. The Capitals took good care of the puck and didn't give Arizona much to work with, and they battled hard on the forecheck, made smart plays, sustained pressure and maintained the zone for extended periods of time.

The power play also found a spark and tested out some different looks, and ended a lengthy 0-for-14 drought. Strome and Wilson got some time on the top unit in the second, while Backstrom and Johansson later reappeared on PP1 in the third. The team went 

In its own end, Washington shut things down and got a strong showing from Darcy Kuemper as well. The only goal he gave up was a kicked-up puck from Barrett Hayton, which was waved off for offsides.

Kuemper finished the night with 26 saves for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season.

'BMW' Line Impresses For Washington Capitals, Tom Wilson Player Of The Game

Head coach Peter Laviolette has found the perfect place for Nickas Backstrom and Wilson as they get back in the mix and continue to get more comfortable, and it's together on the second line with Sonny Milano.

The "BMW" line has been together for a few games now, and that combination led the way as Wilson proved to be the player of the night for D.C. Milano-Backstrom-Wilson was great at both ends, took good care of the puck and pushed well offensively.

Milano ended up giving Washington a 2-0 lead with his eighth of the season that came off great pressure and physicality on the forecheck. Wilson picked up his first assist of the season, and Backstrom also chipped in with his third helper of the year.

While Strome struck twice, Wilson was the player of the game. No. 43 also picked up his second goal of the season and second in three games on a nice tip on a power-play goal that ended an 0-for-14 run on the man advantage for D.C. He now has three points in as many games.

Wilson was also strong without the puck, drawing a penalty, moving the puck out of harm's way and defending well, while also logging time on the PK. He also kept the game in check, as his presence even calmed down Jakob Chychrun, who'd tried to start things with Nick Jensen and Lars Eller in the third.

Dylan Strome Strikes Twice, Has Strong Showing vs. Former Club

After going through a bit of a rough stretch and having sat out a game last week, Strome, whose career began with a third-overall pick by the Coyotes in 2015, has heated up, and he stayed hot with a two-goal game against his former club.

Strome opened the scoring and set the tone just over three minutes in with a great deflection, which marked his 10th goal of the season.

He would add his 11th later out of the box, as he scored on an easy layup after a nice passing play from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson.

It was good to see for No. 17, who also continues to look good on that top line reunited with Alex Ovechkin.

Additional Ice Chips

– Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov each picked up two assists in the win.

– Anthony Mantha was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in six games.

– Marcus Johansson has points in three of his last five games.

– Backstrom's assist was the 750th of his career. He ranks third in the NHL in assists since making his league debut on Oct. 5, 2007.