Caps Face Pens in Homestand Finale
Washington seeks better start, more time in attack zone in rematch vs. Penguins
Two nights after dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to the Penguins, the Caps will conclude a five-game homestand on Thursday night against Pittsburgh, facing the Pens the sixth time in their first 19 games overall this season.
Three of the five previous meetings between these longtime rivals this season have been tied after 40 minutes of play, and all three went to overtime following scoreless third periods, Tuesday's game included. Pittsburgh has prevailed in all three games, taking two in overtime and one in the shootout.
Kasperi Kapanen's goal at 1:43 of the extra session provided the winning margin for the Penguins, who have won eight straight overtime/shootout decisions over Washington during the regular season, dating back to Oct. 13, 2011.
The Caps started slowly for the third straight game, spotting the Pens an Evgeni Malkin power-play goal in the first. Washington pulled even and took a 2-1 lead in the second on goals by Richard Panik and Conor Sheary respectively, but the Caps lead lasted less than 30 seconds before Jake Guentzel tied it up. That was all the scoring until Kapanen settled it.
The game was entertaining and engaging, and although somewhat bereft of scoring chances as it wore on, was still compelling for the constant and ongoing battles in the trenches - in front of the nets and along the walls.
"I think you expect it's going to be physical," said Washington winger Tom Wilson afterwards. "Not necessarily the big hits or anything, but just puck battles in the gritty areas of the ice. I think we can be better in that area. It's never nice to lose to those guys. We got one point but obviously wanted two."
From a Washington standpoint, there wasn't enough time spent in the attack zone in Tuesday's game, and the start was troublesome once again. The Pens had a number of good looks early in the game before the Caps were fully engaged, and Washington dodged some bullets in the first. The Pens missed 13 shots on the night, with a dozen of those coming in the first period.
"They play fast, they have skill, they use each other well, they make plays," says Wilson. "And when we have the puck, they close quickly and they make you feel like you don't have a lot of room. But we know that. We're a good hockey team, too. I think we've got to make our plays when they're there, play with confidence and start to dictate the pace a little bit."
Washington was lackluster on two first-period power play chances, the only extra-man opportunities it would have in the game. Pittsburgh has won the special teams battles in the first five games between the two teams; the Caps are 2-for-17 (11.8%) with the extra man and are 10-for-14 (71.4%) on the penalty kill against the Pens.
"We knew it was going to be like that," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette of Tuesday's tight-checking affair. "I actually thought that the last two games in Pittsburgh were like that. [Tuesday], they played the same game. And I thought that we weren't [with them]. Even though we tried to prepare for it - we talked about it - they were better than us at the beginning. And they get the power play goal, and we don't take advantage on the power play.
"I do think that that is oftentimes a reflection of your game and where you're at. And we've got to be sharp. We had those opportunities in the first [period] and we didn't capitalize. But like I said, it kind of matched the game and matched our 5-on-5 game."
Washington has won only one of five (1-1-3) games against the Penguins, despite owning a lead at some point in all five games.
"The games that we played in Pittsburgh - whether we won it or lost it - they were low-event games with regard to quality chances," says Laviolette. "[Tuesday] they got them a little bit more than I would have liked, so we'll try to flip the script on them Thursday."
Flipping the script has to involve spending more time in Pittsburgh's end of the ice. Finding a way to author a better start would also be useful, as the Caps have managed only one first-period goal in their last five games.
"I think maybe we're not as direct," says Caps winger Carl Hagelin when queried as to the Caps' diminishing offensive output. "When we get in the zone, maybe we're not getting pucks to the net as much and overall we just don't spend enough time in the offensive zone to get those good looks. It's something we need to look at and we definitely need to do a better job.
"We didn't have enough shots [Tuesday] to score the amount of goals we want to score. They obviously outshot us, and we want to be the team that has more shots than the other team. And it starts with us spending more time in the [offensive] zone. If you're not there, you're obviously not going to get the shots."
