Feb. 23 vs. Edmonton Oilers at Capital One Arena
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: TNT, TruTV, MAX
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN, Caps Radio 24/7
Edmonton Oilers (34-18-4)
Washington Capitals (37-11-8)
Less than 24 hours after rolling to an 8-3 victory over the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, the Caps come home to host the Edmonton Oilers in a Sunday matinee match at Capital One Arena. Sunday’s game concludes a set of back-to-backs for both the Caps and the Oilers, and it also commences Washington’s longest homestand of the season, a five-game home stay.
Playing their first game in 13 days following the NHL’s midseason break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Caps started strong on Saturday against the Pens, taking a 1-0 lead and dominating possession and territory over the game’s first several minutes. But the Caps spent much of the rest of the first on their heels, killing penalties and weathering a Pens push in their end. When Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang tied the game on a power play late in the first, he did so on Pittsburgh’s 19th consecutive shot attempt; the Caps rarely had the puck in the back half of the opening frame.
Martin Fehervary restored the Washington lead in the second minute of what would prove to be a prosperous second period for the Caps, who scored five times to carry a 6-2 lead into the third. Jakob Chychrun scored twice in the middle of the second period, delivering the game-winner in the process.
By afternoon’s end, 15 different Washington skaters – including all six defensemen, for the sixth time in franchise history and first time since Nov. 21, 2015 – had collected points, as the Caps improved to 13-1-6 in their last 20 games.
Caps defensemen combined for 13 of Washington’s 23 shot blocks in Saturday’s victory, but they were also offensive juggernauts. All seven of Washington’s 5-on-5 goals against Pittsburgh featured a contribution from a Caps defenseman. Chychrun, Fehervary (goal, assist), Matt Roy (two assists) and Rasmus Sandin (two assists) each had multi-point games.
“That’s just a big part of our game,” says Chychrun, of Washington’s offensive contributions from the back end. “I think when we’re breaking out well and getting up the ice, and our forwards, when they’re doing a good job of making plays and finding that second wave, it’s nice to be able to take advantage. We’re trying to get up for them and be available for them, and [Saturday] was a good job on the back end.”
Chychrun’s 16 goals are the most by a Caps defenseman since John Carlson netted a career high of 17 in 2021-22, and Chychrun’s total represents more than half of the 28 goals scored by Washington defensemen this season. That’s eight more than the entire blueline brigade scored last season.
Saturday’s 10-point outburst from the defense pushed the team total to 142 points on the season (28 goals, 114 assists), blowing past the 135 points (20 goals, 115 assists) the Washington defense managed last season.
With Saturday’s win, Washington is now 16-2-1 in games following losses.
Home cooking has been kind to the Caps of late; they’ve not lost in regulation at Capital One Arena since Nov. 23, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Since then, Washington is 10-0-5 on home ice, and it has outscored the opposition by a combined 54-35 in those 15 contests. The Caps’ power play is clicking at a gaudy 32.5 percent rate in those last 15 home games, and the team’s penalty killing outfit has successfully snuffed out 85.3 percent of opposing man advantages over the same span.
Coming out of a 13-day break by playing two games in less than 24 hours isn’t an ideal scenario, but the Oilers are dealing with the same issue.
“We’ll reset here and sort of regroup,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “Get on the road as quickly as we can and get back home. We saw [Edmonton] recently, so that’s a positive, having played them in their building. But we’re well aware of the Edmonton Oilers and the strengths that they have, and what we need to do to try our best to neutralize that, and counterpunch.”
Like the Caps, Edmonton played a Saturday afternoon game in the state of Pennsylvania. The Oilers were in Philadelphia facing the Flyers, and ultimately falling 6-3. The Flyers erupted for four goals in the second period, erasing a 2-1 Edmonton lead and eventually handing the Oilers a second straight setback. Saturday’s loss dropped the Oilers to 12-8-3 against Eastern Conference foes this season, and Edmonton is now 5-5-1 against Metropolitan Division clubs.
On Jan. 21, the Caps started a five-game road trip with a 3-2 victory in Edmonton, handing the Oilers a second straight loss after they had won eight of their previous nine prior to that. For Edmonton, Sunday’s visit to the District is the second game of a five-game journey. The Oilers will also visit Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina before returning to Alberta.
