The Washington Capitals were looking to pick up a win in their recent matchup with the Montreal Canadiens on Friday (Jan. 10) as they looked to further gain a lead on their lead in the Metropolitan Division. In what was an entertaining matchup between two teams with different visions this season, the Capitals weren’t able to pick up a victory as they lost 3-2 in overtime.
While they were able to pick up a point which will be helpful, it’s unfortunate that they weren’t able to earn the extra point and build some momentum against a team that may not make the playoffs. With that being said, here are four takeaways from the game.
Ovechkin Held Pointless
The race for forward Alex Ovechkin to reach Wayne Gretzky’s record for goals has been fun to watch all season, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find the scoresheet in the matchup against the Habs. He finished the night with three hits and one shot on goal in 16:31 time on ice (TOI). This season, he has scored 19 goals and added 11 assists for 30 points through 26 games.
Throughout his career, he has scored 872 goals and added 708 assists for 1580 points through 1452 games which comes out to a 1.09 points-per-game average. As fans get excited for him to be the first player to reach the 900-goal plateau, he seems to be playing unselfish hockey as he looks to win his second Stanley Cup.
Ethen Frank Nets Assist in NHL Debut
Ethen Frank, who took the hockey world by storm during the 2023 American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star game with his blazing speed, becoming the first player in history to record a lap time under 13 seconds, coming in at 12.915 seconds, made his NHL debut with the Capitals notching an assist on the team’s second goal. In the AHL with the Hershey Bears this season, he has scored 20 goals and added eight assists for 28 points through 35 games.
Charlie Lindgren Suffers Injury
Capitals fans were concerned to see goaltender Charlie Lindgren go down with an apparent upper-body injury, and he was pulled from the game following a collision with Canadiens’ forward Nick Suzuki. Lindgren continued in net until the next media timeout where he was replaced by Logan Thompson, and the Capitals ruled him out for the game in the second period.
Related: NHL Midseason Award Picks
Suzuki was chasing a rebound following a shot when Capitals’ Brandon Duhaime pushed him into Lindgren, causing both of them to fall. More information will likely be revealed soon, but it would be an issue for Lindgren to miss any extended time.
Jakub Dobes Continues Strong Start to NHL Career
Jakub Dobes helped backstop the Habs to a win, and while it’s not exactly a positive for the Capitals, it’s hard not to cheer for him. He has had an incredibly strong start to his NHL career posting a 0.97 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .959 save percentage (SV%) through three games, winning all three of them, and earning a shutout as well. While he picked up a win, it was a bit of an off game for Dobes, who posted a .882 SV% allowing two goals on 17 shots. He seems to have an extremely strong future ahead of him.
The Capitals are back in action on Saturday (Jan. 11) against the Nashville Predators while the Canadiens are also back in action the same day, as they face the Dallas Stars. As the 2024-25 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.
