Despite being outshot 31-18, the Washington Capitals (27-10-4) defeated the Vancouver Canucks (18-12-10) 2-1 in overtime. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored two goals and the overtime game-winner. Logan Thompson stood on his head and made 30 saves in the win. Tonight also marked a special game for Capitals defenseman Matt Roy as it was the 400th of his career and he also recorded an assist.
Quinn Hughes notched his 37th assist of the season, which moves him into fifth in the NHL in the stat. Kevin Lankinen made 16 saves in the loss.
Game Recap
This game felt like a matchup between division rivals because, within the first five minutes, both teams were brawling. The high intensity continued throughout the first period and slowly fizzled out allowing both teams to get back to their original game plan of scoring more goals than their opponent.
The goaltenders were the stars of the first period as both Thompson for the Capitals and Lankinen for the Canucks made huge stops to keep the game scoreless early. Both teams had opportunities on the man advantage that were unsuccessful as well. Heading into the final minute of the first period, the Capitals were maintaining pressure in the offensive zone.
Dubois put his team in front with 0:33 remaining in the opening frame after a crafty play in the crease. Roy rifled a shot on net that deflected into the air, Dubois caught it and tossed it to his stick, then backhanded it in for the 1-0 lead. Shots were 6-3 in favor of the Capitals to end the period.
A Pierre-Luc DuBeauty pic.twitter.com/ndAqQGaJei
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 9, 2025
The pace of play drastically slowed down in the second period, but the theme was the same as the goaltenders stole the show. Open ice was hard to come by during this period as neither team would get many chances with the tough physical play.
With two minutes left in the period, Thompson stood on his head making three consecutive stops, two without a stick, to keep the shutout alive. However, the Capitals would be shorthanded for almost the remainder of the period after the spectacular sequence by their netminder. With 0:36 to go, Conor Garland capitalized on a rebound right to him to tie it for his 11th goal of the season. Despite trailing until the final minute of the second period, the Canucks led in the shot department 24-10, with 21 of them coming in the middle frame.
Thompson and Lankinen continued their impressive play and were perfect in the third period to bring it to overtime.
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With 40 seconds remaining in overtime, Dubois scored the game-winner. Aliaksei Protas went racing into the offensive zone, but couldn’t get a clear shot and found Dubois entering the zone all alone. He then faked a shot, forcing Lankinen to drop into the butterfly position and shot it, top shelf, off of the back bar to secure the 2-1 overtime win and the extra point.
Up Next
The Capitals are back in action Friday night, as they will host the Montreal Canadians (19-18-3) in their third and final meeting of the season. The Capitals won the first two games against the Canadians, outscoring them 10-5. The Canucks will play the third game of a five-game road trip, having lost the first two in OT, against the Carolina Hurricanes (24-15-2).
