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The Washington Capitals started the second half of the season with what was an uneventful and low-scoring affair with the Anaheim Ducks. Both teams played solid games defensively, but Washington ultimately outplayed Anaheim and ended up getting a huge two points with a 2-0 win.
“A well-executed win in a situation where we needed two points tonight. And so we needed to find a way by whatever means possible to accomplish that,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said following Tuesday’s victory. “So you could tell our offensive polish was not at its peak tonight, but credit to our guys because you can easily let a night like that [get away], now you lose a game and now you’re in some trouble. We needed two points tonight, so I give our guys a lot of credit for getting the job done.”
The biggest difference in the game was Darcy Kuemper, who stopped all 24 shots to earn his 31st career shutout. Kuemper did not have a lot to work with, but he came up large in the dying stages of the third period.
Here is what stood out.
Defensive Masterclass; Darcy Kuemper outstanding
The Capitals were outstanding defensively all night long, which made Kuemper’s job easy. Washington kept the Ducks to just three shots on goal in the first period and only one of those were of the high-danger area. While the Ducks are struggling this season, they put up a strong fight at the end of the game.
“They’re a dangerous team off the rush. But with our track we were able to break up a lot of plays and not let them get dangerous how they want to,” Kuemper said. “It was just a great team effort, and it took the whole 60 to get it done.”
Darcy Kuemper picks up his first @pepsi shutout of the season! 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/RGt7sPqsHA
— NHL (@NHL) January 17, 2024
Washington started to take its foot off the pedal midway through the third period and the Ducks started to take advantage. However, Kuemper stood his ground and came up with a lot of key saves when there was a quality scoring chance for the opposition. His best save of the night came with the goalie pulled.
Ducks forward Alex Killorn was found all alone in front of the net and found a juicy rebound in front of the net, but Kuemper reacted quickly to deny him with the pad. That pretty much sealed it for the Caps.
“There were some situations where he needed to be really strong. I thought he was excellent tonight and exactly what we needed because we weren’t executing with the puck at a real high-level offense,” Carbery said.
Bear Down
Ethan Bear was flying all night long. Along with getting his first goal as a Capital, he generated a lot of offense from the backend and was solid defensively. He had terrific gap control, was moving his feet really well and was making plays.
Bear was second among Caps defenseman with three shots on goal and had three individual scoring chances. He has looked great since he signed with Washington and has been as advertised despite having significant time off from shoulder surgery.
“I mean every day you’re just trying to build and build. Last game I didn’t really feel that great. Today I felt like a little bit more clear even before the goal,” Bear said. “Just kind of take it day by day. Don’t don’t get too stressed, don’t get ahead of yourself, be patient and just kind of work.”
Strong Sustained Pressure; Excellent on Transition
The Capitals had a lot of extended shifts in the offensive zone. They had this because of the puck battles they were winning along the boards. Meanwhile, the Capitals had one of their best games in terms of transition offense all season long.
Countless times Washington was trying to catch Anaheim on a line change and that was how it got into the offensive zone to set up formation. However, the same story once again applied. Lots of zone time, little finishing.
“Some of those o-zone sequences where we’ve got some sustained pressure, you’d like to find maybe two or three of those pucks to end up in the back of the net,” Carbery said.
Other Notable Numbers and Observations
- The Pacioretty-Strome-Oshie line continues to turn heads as they were once again Washington’s most productive line offensively. They ended the game with six scoring chances and four high-danger opportunities.
- The Capitals penalty kill is now 10-for-10 over the last three games.
- The fourth line for the Capitals was also terrific. They were very physical and ran the Ducks out of the building. Nicolas Aube-Kubel in particular stood out.
The Capitals will take on another Western Conference opponent in the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Jan. 18 at Capital One Arena.
By Jacob Cheris
