Caps Finish November in Florida
A slew of rookies helped fuel Caps' 9-1-1 run through a busy month
Washington concludes a two-game road trip, its season's series against the Panthers, and the November portion of its 2021-22 schedule on Tuesday night in South Florida. The Caps are facing the Cats for the third time this month and for the final time this season.
The Caps started their quick trip south on Sunday afternoon in Raleigh, earning their third straight win in a 4-2 decision over the Hurricanes. Dmitry Orlov's power-play goal broke a 2-2 tie late in the third period, giving the Capitals their ninth win in their last 11 games (9-1-1).
After a first period reminiscent of two heavyweight fighters feeling each other out, the game became more intense and more physical, and tempers tended to flare a bit more in the final 40 minutes. Sunday's game was the first between the Caps and the Canes since Jan. 13, 2020.
"It became a real competitive game," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "It was fast; there wasn't a lot of space out there. There was different tales between the periods - the first one was back and forth, the second one I thought was all us, and in the third they pushed really hard. It was a real good game. They're a real good team."
Before Orlov's goal won it for Washington, Alex Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas scored for the Caps. Protas' goal was the first of his NHL career, and he becomes the sixth Capital to score his first NHL goal this season. Washington rookies have now accounted for 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in the team's 22 games this season, helping to fuel the team's hot streak on the ice while several key regulars recover from a variety of ailments.
Only once in franchise history have the Caps had more players score their first NHL goals in the first 22 games of the season, and that was the first-year expansion Caps of 1974-75. The '74-75 Caps won only eight games (8-67-5), but they had nine players score their first NHL goal in the first 22 contests of the campaign. (Like this year's model, the 1981-82 Caps also had six players score for the first time in the first 22 games.)
The Caps' most recent recalls from AHL Hershey are forwards Beck Malenstyn and Mike Sgarbossa, called up just ahead of last Wednesday's game with Montreal. With Brett Leason riding shotgun, the trio has put together three solid games - the first two in particular - all of which were Washington wins. The Sgarbossa line contributed a goal to the cause against the Canadiens, but mainly has given the team 8-10 reliable minutes a night, most of it spent in the offensive zone.
"I feel like we've made the most of it so far," says Malenstyn. "It's great playing with two guys that I know really well, and am comfortable playing with. Just having that familiarity with tendencies and things like that makes it a lot easier.
"I think we're feeling really good, and confident going over the boards right now that we're just going to go out, keep it really simple and play within ourselves. And so far, that's been effective and something we just have to stick to."
October was a rather leisurely month for the Caps, who played eight games in 19 nights to start the season, with six of the eight on home ice. But injuries began to accrue late in October, and the team then faced a daunting November slate of 15 games in 30 nights without some key players in the lineup. Inside of November lurked a stretch of three sets of back-to-back games in 11 days and a stretch of five games in five cities in seven nights, a daunting challenge the Caps hadn't faced in more than 28 years.
Not to worry, kid. With an assist from its youth brigade, Washington has managed to get to the 15th of those November games with a 9-3-2 mark after starting the month 0-1-2. As they head into their final game of the month, the Caps have amassed 33 standings points in 22 games despite also accumulating 68 man-games lost to injury. For just the second time in franchise history - and the second time in three seasons; they were 16-3-4 through 23 games in 2019-20 - the Caps head into their 23rd game of the season with just three regulation losses.
Washington's best players have been its best players to this point of the season. Both goaltenders have had brief strong stretches, and the team's complementary veterans have been consistently good all from the outset. But the contributions from the octet of rookies - plus those of Sgarbossa and Zach Fucale - have also aided the Caps' November surge.
The Panthers edged the Caps in overtime by a 5-4 count here on Nov. 4, a game in which Washington dug out of a three-goal hole to pick up a standings point. Last Friday in the District, the Caps took a 4-3 win in the rematch, defeating the Panthers on the strength of Ovechkin's 28th career hat trick, and his third against Florida.
After falling to the Caps on Friday in the District, the Panthers returned home to host the Seattle Kraken a night later, seeking to make NHL history. Having matched the 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks' NHL record of 11 straight victories from the start of a season, the Panthers sought to erase the Hawks from the record book.
Alas, the Kraken spoiled the party, skating off with a 4-1 win over the Panthers. Florida has dropped consecutive games in regulation for just the second time this season. Back on Nov. 8-9, the Cats suffered setbacks on successive nights in New York (Rangers) and New Jersey, respectively.
