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Capitals Takeaways

Takeaways: Capitals Lose Alexeyev But Top Kraken To Finally Win 3 Straight

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1 year ago

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Washington Capitals

WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals did something that they haven’t done in a while on Friday: win three straight games and get over .500.

Alex Ovechkin and Anthony Mantha had a goal and assist, and Charlie Lindgren stood tall as the Capitals topped the Seattle Kraken, 4-1.

Here are all the takeaways from the victory:

Washington Capitals Give Up First Goal Again

For the 18th time in 29 games this season, the Capitals surrendered the first goal of the game.

Late in the opening frame, the Kraken struck when an Adam Larsson point shot through traffic beat Charlie Lindgren. It marked Larsson’s first goal in 20 games.

Despite trailing after 20, Washington still got off to a decent start. The team dominated 12-6 in shots on goal and had quite a few high-danger chances, including a point-blank chance for Conor Sheary in front.

Hard Work Pays Off As Anthony Mantha Finally Finds Twine

The 2022-23 campaign hasn’t been easy for Mantha, but after four games without a goal, hard work paid off and he finally broke through to even the score.

Early in the second, Mantha and Lars Eller crashed the net as Mantha went for a shot from in tight. It went off a defender’s skate and past Grubauer to make it a 1-1 hockey game.

Matt Irwin and Alex Alexeyev got the assists. It marked Irwin’s first point of the season and his first in 19 games, while Alexeyev got his first NHL assist and point on the play.

Capitals Lose Alexeyev To Injury But See Power Play Stay Hot After Major

Shortly after Alexeyev contributed on Mantha’s goal, he took an elbow to the head from Jamie Oleksiak and went down in a heap. The 22-year-old was leaking blood from his face and stayed down, and was ultimately helped off the ice. Oleksiak received a match penalty, and Washington got a five-minute power play. Alexeyev did not return.

It wasn’t the best start to the man advantage, as there were some missed passes and not a lot of urgency. However, toward the end, Sonny Milano got things going, getting the puck to Marcus Johansson in front, who fired a quick shot past Grubauer to make it a 2-1 game.

The Capitals power play now has goals in five straight games. Ovechkin also logged 4:57 minutes on that chance after Oleksiak’s major penalty.

Ovechkin All Over The Place & Scores 796, Lindgren Stands Tall

Alex Ovechkin was a force to be reckoned with all night long, and led the team with nine shots. And his empty-netter sealed the deal on Friday and marked his 796th career goal and 500th career even-strength goal.

Meanwhile, Charlie Lindgren won his third straight start with Darcy Kuemper still. He was outstanding and came in clutch with several big saves, and held off Seattle’s furious rally in the third for the win.

Additional Ice Chips

  • Washington went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. The Kraken’s power play was ranked 10th going into Friday.
  • Conor Sheary had seven shots and several grade-A chances.
  • Lars Eller scored an empty-netter and now has points in three of his last four games.
  • Milano now has assists in three of his last four games.
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