POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 5, Kraken 2

Even It Up -Back on Nov. 21, the Seattle Kraken handed the Caps a 5-2 setback in Washington's first-ever trip to the Emerald City to face the newest member of the NHL's Original 32. On Saturday night in the District, the Kraken made its first visit to Capital One Arena, and the Caps returned the favor, sending Seattle off to its next destination with a 5-2 defeat.

Throughout the course of its first season in the NHL, the Kraken has been effective at suppressing shots on its net. Seattle permits an average of 28.7 shots against per game, tied with Los Angeles for the best rate in the League. The Kraken came out strong in the first period of Saturday's game, and it put a fair amount of forechecking heat on Washington early in the game, and in pockets of the contest thereafter as well.
But it was the Caps who broke through first, doing so just after the midpoint of the first. For the sixth time this season, Tom Wilson scored Washington's first goal of the game; he is tied for eighth in the NHL in that department. On the very next shift, Dmitry Orlov netted his second goal in as many games to double Washington's lead.
The plucky Kraken bounced back with a Joonas Donskoi goal late in the first, and it pulled even with the Caps when Colin Blackwell scored off the rush in the first minute of the season. That stalemate stretched into the middle of the middle frame when Conor Sheary scored on a rebound late in a Washington power play.
Playing his first NHL game since Jan. 20, Caps winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby drew a second Washington power play on a breakaway in the waning seconds of the second. The Caps' extra man unit added an insurance marker early in the third on the carryover portion of the man advantage. Alex Ovechkin pounded one home from his left dot office to make it a 4-2 contest.
Vitek Vanecek did the rest, walling off 13 Seattle shots in the third to keep the Kraken from catching up. Sheary sealed the deal with his second of the night, a layup into an empty net with 2:10 left.
Washington has played better games this season, but the Caps were opportunistic on this night, and they won the special teams battle. They'll take a modest two-game winning streak with them on a road run through Western Canada this week.
"It wasn't necessarily the start we were looking for," says Caps defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. "They took it to us a little bit in the first, and it took a heck of an individual effort by [Ovechkin] and Willie on that [first] goal to spark us a little bit.
"Sometimes that's what it takes. Obviously we don't like it coming to that, but sometimes that's what it comes to. After that, I thought we got a little better. Obviously, the first wasn't our best but after that I thought we did a good job and we did a good job of not giving up too much in the third."
Bend Don't Break - Seattle swarmed the Caps in the front half of the first, and the Kraken owned a decided 16-3 advantage in first-period shot attempts at one point. Even at night's end, Seattle held a 50-30 lead over the Caps in that department. But despite spending more time than they would have liked in their own end, the Caps were able to keep the Kraken away from the middle of the ice for the most part. They were also effective at limiting second-chance looks for the Kraken, with the lone exception of Donskoi's goal, which came on a rebound following a strong save from Vanecek.
"They were putting on a lot of pressure," says Caps defenseman Nick Jensen of the Kraken. "The [defensemen] were coming down the walls, and making it tough for our wingers to break the puck out, and they were throwing a lot of pucks at the net. Good goaltending was one of the things that we had, and everyone just stuck with it, kind of with the mentality of 'bend, don't break,' so that's what we did, and we did a pretty good job of it."
Most importantly, the Caps kept the Kraken to just the two goals on the evening. Followiing Thursday's shutout win over Carolina, Washington has now yielded two or fewer goals in consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 22-24, when it eked out a 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa and dropped a 1-0 decision to Vegas, respectively.
Special Delivery - The Caps have had more than their share of ups and downs on both special teams this season, but both units were stellar over the team's just completed three-game homestand. Both units have been much better over longer recent stretches as well.
With two power-play goals in as many opportunities on Saturday against Seattle, Washington went 5-for-11 (45.6 percent) on the power play during the homestand and was a perfect 10-for-10 on the penalty kill.
In their last 13 games, the Caps are 13-for-43 (30.2 percent) with the extra man, tops in the NHL over that stretch. With a pair of power-play goals on Saturday, the Caps have struck for multiple power-play goals in consecutive contests and for the first time since April 17-18, 2021.
On the season, the Caps have climbed to 23rd in the League in power play efficiency with a 17.9 percent extra-man success rate.
"There's just been a lot of turnover on the units," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette of the power play. "So it's nice to get people back and situated in a place, and get them working and in rhythm. It's definitely had an impact. Since maybe halfway through January or towards the end of January, it's been able to make a difference in the game, and tonight certainly was one of them.
"You're looking at a game that's close and the power play makes a difference to get you the lead, and the penalty kill was really good, too."
Washington's penalty kill has been spotless for five straight games now, killing off 14 straight minors over that span. In their last eight games, the Caps are 24-for-25 on the kill for a 96 percent success rate.
On the season, the Caps rank 12th in the NHL with a penalty killing success rate of 80.9 percent.
Century City - Sheary's second goal was the 100th of his career and the 200th point of his career as well; he recorded his 100th career assist in the Capitals' previous game against Carolina on Thursday.
"It's kind of a weird way to get your 100th," says Sheary of the empty-netter, "but I'll take it. Sometimes those milestones can get in your head a little bit, so to get a nice, easy one was the best way to do it and I can put it behind me and move forward."
The Great Eight Update -Ovechkin's goal was his 34th of the season and the 764th of his NHL career, and it puts him two goals behind Jaromir Jagr (766) for third place on the League's all-time goals ledger.
With assists on Wilson's opening salvo and on Sheary's first goal, Ovechkin had a three-point night on Saturday. That's the 123rd three-point game of Ovechkin's career, second only to Sidney Crosby (155) among all active players.
Finally, in scoring against Kraken goaltender Chris Driedger, Ovechkin added yet another unique netminding victim to his list. Driedger is the 154th different netminder to give up a goal to the Caps' captain.
Avenue 45 - In the wake of the eye injury suffered by Caps winger Carl Hagelin at practice earlier in the week, the Capitals recalled Jonsson-Fjallby from AHL Hershey on Friday. Jonsson-Fjally played in nine games with Washington earlier this season, and he was Hershey's leading goal scorer with 16 at the time of his recall.
Laviolette installed Jonsson-Fjallby into Hagelin's usual spot in the lineup, on the left side of a unit with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway. Speed is the primary asset of both Hagelin and Jonsson-Fjallby, so the fit makes sense. Jonsson-Fjallby's speed was noticeable in Saturday's game, and he finished the night with 12:16 in ice time.
"I thought he was really good; you notice his speed out there," says Laviolette. "I thought he did a good job on that line. That line - to me tonight - was still effective, a really effective line for us.
"The first few shifts, he looked like he was finding his way out there. But as the game went on, you noticed his speed. He played good defense and then off the rush he was able to attack and get a couple of looks, a couple of opportunities. I thought they did a good job, and I thought he played well."
Down On The Farm - The AHL Hershey Bears spent Saturday night on the road, in Hartford taking on the Wolf Pack. Hershey ended up on the short end of a 3-1 score.
Following a scoreless first frame, the Wolf Pack drew first blood midway through the second period, and it carried that 1-0 lead into the third.
Fifty-five seconds into the third period, Aliaksei Protas evened it up for Hershey with his fourth goal of the season, getting help from Mike Vecchione and Mason Morelli. But that was as good as it would get for the Bears on this night.
Hartford regained the lead with a pair of quick goals before the midpoint of the third, sending the Bears to a fourth straight defeat (0-3-1-0). Hunter Shepard (5-3-0) made 26 saves in a losing effort in the Hershey nets.
The 26-21-4-3 Bears are back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Giant Center.
By The Numbers - John Carlson led the Caps with 21:47 in ice time … Ovechkin led Washington with four shots on net and nine shot attempts … Wilson led the capitals with eight hits … Hathaway and Martin Fehervary led the Caps with three blocked shots each … Lars Eller won nine of 13 draws (69 percent) and Dowd won 11 of 17 (65 percent).