The Washington Capitals found a late goal post instead of the tying goal in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night. After the game, Washington’s head coach Spencer Carbery indicated his team was “just average all the way around” as the Capitals adjust to life without Alex Ovechkin.
Washington can still take away a few positives from last night’s game despite the bench boss feeling his team was just average. Tom Wilson put in a strong effort against a good Western Conference team without his captain while starting goalie Logan Thompson encountered some bad puck luck in the narrow defeat.
Capitals Steady Without Ovechkin
Ovechkin missed his first game for Washington after sustaining a broken left fibula in the third period against the Utah Hockey Club earlier this week. The injury is expected to keep the Capitals star out of action for four to six weeks. The 2004 first-overall pick could return to Washington’s lineup before the calendar flips to 2025.
RT @CapitalsPR: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin underwent further evaluation with team doctors. It was confirmed that Ovechkin has a fracture to his left fibula and is anticipated to miss 4-6 weeks.
— The Hockey Writers (@thehockeywriters.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 5:43 PM
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“Yeah, it’s an unfortunate injury,” Carbery said postgame. “Anytime you lose your captain, any time you lose a player that is having the year he is having … He’s such a big part of our team. He’ll be back at some point for us, but now we just need other guys to do more. We need everybody, coaches included, to do a little bit more.”
Related: Alexandar Georgiev Leads Avalanche to 2-1 Win over Capitals
Washington did not look out of sorts without their leader, but the Capitals were denied by Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who stopped 28 of 29 shots in the win. Ovechkin’s absence was most noticeable on the power play. Washington was 0-for-2 with the extra man as the special teams unit adapts to a new normal on the power play for the foreseeable future.
Logan Thompson Strong in Loss
Washington’s starter between the pipes continued his strong play this season despite picking up his first loss. Thompson stopped 25 of the Avalanche’s 27 shots, including a notable save midway through the second period with the Capitals leading 1-0. Nathan MacKinnon sent a cross-ice pass from the left corner boards to a wide-open Cale Makar in a high-danger scoring area in the slot. Makar, the leader in scoring by NHL defenseman with eight goals, ripped a shot to the top left corner that was batted away by Thompson’s glove before landing in the netting above the plexiglass to keep Washington in front.
Thompson encountered some tough luck on Wednesday as both Avalanche goals changed direction on the way to the goalie. Colorado’s second-period goal deflected off the skate of a Capitals defenseman (Matt Roy) and through the five-hole of the 27-year-old netminder. In the third period, Miles Wood redirected a Makar shot past Thompson for the game-winning goal.
Washington’s goalie combination of Thompson and Charlie Lindgren has been excellent this season. The Capitals rank ninth in the NHL with 2.74 goals allowed per game. Thompson has posted an 8-1-1 record, a 2.58 goals-against average (GAA), and a .910 save percentage (SV%) in 10 games, while Lindgren has received nine starts with a 5-4-0 record, 2.59 GAA, and .900 SV%.
Tom Wilson Leads Forwards in Ice Time
While he could not push the tying goal across the thin red line at Capital One Arena, Wilson drove the puck toward the Avalanche net several times in the third period, only to be stopped by Colorado’s 28-year-old goalie. He skated 22 shifts with nearly 22 minutes of ice time to lead Washington forwards and assisted on Pierre-Luc Dubois’ opening score in the first period for the Capitals. Wilson was extremely noticeable in the third period, creating chances for his team to tie the game, but was ultimately unable to do so.
Wilson has six goals this season but has not yet scored in November after opening the season with five goals over the first four games for Washington. The 30-year-old forward has six assists in 10 games this month. His next chance to light the goal lamp for the Capitals (13-5-1) comes tomorrow when the New Jersey Devils (13-7-2) arrive in Washington, D.C., for a Saturday night hockey fight in America’s capital city. It will be the season’s third meeting between the teams, with the four-game season series wrapping up on Nov. 30 in Newark, New Jersey.
