The Capitals weren’t able to earn both points in Monday’s round-robin opener, but Alex Ovechkin and company did feel like their 3-2 shootout loss to the Lightning was something they can build on.
Here are five things we learned from the Caps’ defeat:
John Carlson’s status remains murky
Washington’s No. 1 defenseman did not suit up after being labeled a game-time decision by coach Todd Reirden earlier in the day.
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What does that mean for his availability Thursday against the Flyers? Reirden wouldn’t say when asked after the game. But we do know this: The Norris Trophy finalist has practiced a couple of times since suffering an apparent left-leg injury against Carolina, and the team is being particularly careful with him for a couple of reasons. His health is critical to the Caps’ chances of making a deep run. The round robin, while it does count for something, isn’t the playoffs.
“All I can say is he was unable to participate tonight,” Reirden said when asked about Carlson’s absence. “We will have tomorrow off, and we will re-evaluate from there.”
The Capitals will take their day off Tuesday and return to practice Wednesday, after which more should be known about Carlson’s status.
T.J. Oshie gets the ‘A’ and provides a needed spark
With Carlson out, Oshie sported the other alternate captain’s “A,” joining Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom as captains for the afternoon.
And while Oshie did not record a point, Reirden credited the second-line winger with dragging the Caps into the fight by dropping the gloves with Yanni Gourde late in the second period.
Oshie vs Gourde makes it 6 fights in the bubble (4 in qualifiers)
Full video: https://t.co/36vQM7y5zN pic.twitter.com/T7OBa501BS
— hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) August 3, 2020
It wasn’t obvious what pushed Oshie over the edge (it could have been just frustration), but he followed Gourde up the ice and initiated the scrap, which ended with players on both benches standing and banging their sticks on the boards.
After the fight, the Caps recorded the period’s final six shots — two of which beat Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, making the score 2-2 as the game entered the third period.
“In this situation with what T.J. did, tonight he has an ‘A’ on his jersey without Carlson, and clearly that’s a leadership move right there and the results speak for themselves,” Reirden said. “He does a tremendous job with our leadership group, and that was another signal of the type of person he is, the character he has.”
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It was Oshie’s first fight since May 2018, according to Hockey Fights.
Evgeny Kuznetsov has gained ‘half a step’
Kuznetsov scored in last week’s exhibition, and he struck on the power play against the Bolts, jamming a rebound that Vasilevskiy failed to corral between the goalie and the post. He also recorded three shots on goal, tied for the most among the Caps.
It’s (really) early, but Kuznetsov has been productive and, just as important, has looked engaged in the restart.
To his coach, though, the first-line center also looks faster.
“He’s been skating really well,” Reirden said of Kuznetsov, who stayed in Washington during the stoppage and skated daily during Phase 2 at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. “He seems to have picked up a half a step, at least. Over the pause, he trained quite a bit, and he was one of the first guys on the ice for us. He’s been able to use that skating ability to create a lot for him and his linemates, and then you see where he gets that goal today going to the net.”
Reirden added: “As we saw a couple years ago, certainly his best hockey was during the playoffs. I’m anxious to see him continue to play this way and ramp up as we get closer to Round 1.”
Reirden, of course, was referring to Kuznetsov’s 32-point performance in the Caps’ run to the Cup in 2018.
As for Kuznetsov’s effort in the shootout, that’s a story for another day.
Braden Holtby ‘good’ again
Holtby’s game wasn’t perfect; he was off his angle on Nikita Kucherov’s first-period snipe. But his 26-save effort was solid enough to give the Caps a chance to beat the Bolts.
In fact, after Mitchell Stephens scored on a redirection in the second period, Holtby turned aside the next nine shots he faced in regulation and all three attempts he saw in overtime, including a key shoulder save on Tyler Johnson late in the extra session.
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“We’ve seen the play that he can put together in the playoffs,” Reirden said of Holtby, who last week made 25 stops to beat the Hurricanes 3-2 in a tuneup game. “We know what his playoff numbers are.”
Reirden again praised the time Holtby spent on the ice with goaltending coach Scott Murray during Phase 2.
“We felt strong about his preparation to get ready for playoff hockey with this pause,” Reirden said. “He really spent some time, I’d say, getting back to some basics and the details of his game. Some of his technique stuff, he really was able to solidify during the extra time he got prior to training camp starting. He looked good in there, and that’s a huge bonus for our team.”
Holtby credited the Caps’ discipline with helping him shut down the Lightning during the final 30 minutes of regulation. In the regular season, Washington was assessed more minor penalties than any other team, while the Lightning had the league’s fifth-ranked power play.
“They’re always a tough team to play because of the amount of skill they have, not only up front but on the back end, too,” Holtby said. “Big thing was we stayed out of the penalty box today. That’s a huge key against that team and going forward. I mean, maybe we wanted to take a couple and get some practice in but, no, I think our guys did a great job of staying disciplined and playing them five-on-five. We feel extremely confident in that game against anyone.”
Richard Panik stays hot despite lengthy layoff
Panik’s second-period goal not only jump-started the Caps’ comeback but also marked the first postseason goal of the 29-year-old winger’s career in 13 games.
It also extended Panik’s offensive breakout. Dating to March, in fact, Panik has three goals (and seven points) in his past six games.
“I feel good out there,” Panik said. “I’m trying to play simple hockey, play my game, create some offensive chances. (The fourth) line had some success in the season. We’re trying to build on that. I think we’re on our way.”
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Interestingly, Panik scored his goal while skating on the third line with Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin, his linemates to start the season. He ended up there because Oshie’s lengthy stint in the penalty box temporarily forced Reirden to scramble his lines.
“I think he’s playing the best he’s played this year, all throughout camp and right now, the last game as well,” Reirden said of Panik. “He has the ability to be physical, too, and be able to create offensively. It’s great to see him get rewarded today, and when he is going to do that I’ll put him back out there. I know his minutes were up today.”
Indeed, Panik’s 14:49 of ice time was his third-highest total of the season and the most ice time he had seen since Jan. 7.
(Photo: Andre Ringuette / Freestyle Photo / Getty Images)
