For the second time in as many games on this two-game journey to the Midwest portion of the continent, the Caps had a strong second-period performance marred by a go-ahead goal against in the final dozen seconds of the frame. On Tuesday in Winnipeg, the Caps got a late tying tally from Alex Ovechkin that allowed them to force overtime and scrape out a point in 3-2 overtime loss.
Against Wild on Thursday at Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center, the Caps couldn’t stick to the Tuesday script. After Matt Boldy scored to give the Wild a 3-2 lead with 8.5 seconds left in the second, the Caps couldn’t muster an equalizer, and they suffered a 4-2 setback.
The Caps’ offensive zone process was mostly good; they nearly doubled up the Wild in offensive zone puck possession. But Washington's top six – held off the scoresheet on what's been a rare occasion this season – managed to get only seven of its 23 shot attempts on net. The Caps' bottom six generated both goals, and the bottom six forward group got eight of its 14 shot tries through.
“We did a lot of good things, so I'm not disappointed with the way that we played,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “We knew we were going to get more [offensive] zone time than them. We knew how they defend and how they will let you stay on the perimeter. It's one area where we just have to continue to work on and continue to grow.
“[Brandon Duhaime] scores a goal exactly the way that our entire lineup is going to have to start scoring goals. That is where it is going to be difficult. Where Matt Boldy scored is where goals are scored this time of year. And you have to get inside there, and you’ve got to win a 1-on-1 situation, and you’re going to get slashed, hooked, held, and there's going to be someone draped all over you. The puck might even go in off of your leg, but that's the way that you score this time of year, we just have to do a better job – our entire lineup – of getting inside there, because we knew we were going to get enough time in there. It was just a matter of who was going to be able to get on the inside and score a goal where you need to get to score.”
Minnesota drew first blood, grabbing a 1-0 lead at the six-minute mark of the first on Jon Merrill’s shot from just above the left circle with Devin Shore effectively screening Caps goalie Charlie Lindgren.
As they’ve done on many occasions this season, the Capitals were quick to respond. Just 68 seconds after Merrill’s goal, Washington squared the score on Matt Roy’s third goal of the season, a shot the right point off a nice setup from Taylor Raddysh.
“When things don't go your way, you’ve got to respond,” says Roy. “Raddy made a great play to me, and [Andrew Mangiapane] had a great screen in front. We have to just keep chipping away and doing the things that we do, and the goals will take care of themselves.”
And less than two minutes after the Roy goal, the Caps jumped in front when Duhaime bit the hand that once fed him to make it a 2-1 contest at 8:49. The Wild unsuccessfully challenged the goal, alleging that Nic Dowd interfered with Filip Gustavsson, but the powers that be did not agree.
Unfortunately, the Caps couldn’t do anything with the ensuing power play; their extra-man drought reached 10 games (0-for-18) on Thursday.
“I thought we had some better looks today, at least,” says Caps center Dylan Strome. “It’s just one of those things where sometimes you go through some dry spells. We didn't start out [the season] good, obviously. And then the middle part of the year we were great, and now it's just dipped again. We’ve got to get back to basics, guys at the net, completing passes, making them flat passes, and getting our shots through.”
Despite a strong second period in terms of possession and generation of scoring chances, the Caps lost hold of their lead in excruciating fashion in the middle frame.
First, the Wild struck on its second power play of the evening, needing just 23 seconds and one shot on net to get the game evened up. From the slot, Frederick Gaudreau deflected a Boldy right point drive past Lindgren to knot the contest at 2-2 at 12:25.
The Caps were able to create a couple of goalmouth scramble situations in the second period, and they also had a second power play opportunity, but they couldn’t light the lamp in the middle frame.
On Tuesday night in Winnipeg, Mason Appleton’s goal with 10.4 seconds remaining in the middle frame gave the Jets a 2-1 lead at second intermission. On Thursday in St. Paul, Boldy sent his team to the room with a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes of play when he chipped one home from the top of the paint with 8.5 seconds remaining in the period.
“Same as the other night, frustrating,” says Carbery. “We need to do a better job in that situation, just managing. We had numbers back, we just did a poor job of covering any around our net, and we just got lost a little bit; we lost focus with the puck.”
Washington was able to pump nine shots on Gustavsson in the third, but in recording his 29th victory of the season, he stopped everything he faced after the midpoint of the first frame. Gaudreau added a late empty-net goal to account for the 4-2 final.
“I thought we had a good second period,” says Lindgren. “It's just they get a tip on the power play goal, and then seven seconds left they get – I don't know if the guy made a nice pass or if it just kind of kicked to Boldy there – but obviously he made a nice play on it. But I thought we did enough good things to win the hockey game.”
After the game, Ovechkin kept his teammates on the ice for a touching moment, a handshake line to say farewell to one of the greats of the game, Minnesota netminder and future first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, who is playing his final NHL season in 2024-25. Every Washington player and the Caps’ coaching staff lined up to greet the goaltending great.
“Obviously, one heck of a career,” exclaims Lindgren. “He was definitely one of my favorite goalies growing up, the way he competed, the way he battled, and just his personality. So I never had a chance to talk to him, and I just said, ‘Hey, heck of a career. And I loved watching you play.'”
