On Friday evening, the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes performed a high-octane, high-tension, high-scoring recreation of chaos-hockey that everybody loved besides goalies.
Sebastian Aho scored his and the sport’s first purpose of the evening after drawing Darcy Kuemper out from his crease. Sonny Milano returned fireplace with a lightning-fast backhand purpose after a turnover by Brent Burns. Jaccob Slavin gave the Canes the lead heading into the primary intermission when he actually ought to have been coated by a Caps defender.
Alex Ovechkin scored his twenty fourth of the season on a layup throughout a second-period energy play, and Sonny Milano gave the Caps the lead with a next-level juggle purpose. Lower than a minute later, Aho obtained his second of the evening, on a go and shot that ought to not have been allowed to occur. Brady Skjei put the Canes again within the lead, beating Darcy Kuemper’s informal glove hand.
The Caps rallied with Charlie Lindgren approaching in reduction. John Carlson tied it with a monster slapshot on a third-period energy play, after which Sonny Milano made it a hat trick, however Seth Jarvis once more tied the sport with a pointy one-timer on a Canes energy play. With six minutes left, Connor McMichael cleaned up an extended bomb from TVR to present the Caps a late lead, however with their internet empty the Canes tied it but once more, Aho deflecting an extended shot for a hat trick of his personal.
Time beyond regulation was extra mania, however and not using a goalie. So certain, let’s do it but once more. Shootout bullets!
- Kuznetsov didn’t put the biscuit within the basket. (ahahahahahahahahaaahaaahhaa)
- Milano didn’t put the biscuit within the basket. Pokechecked.
- Svechnikov didn’t put the biscuit within the basket.
- McMichael didn’t put the biscuit within the basket. Pockchecked.
- Guentzel didn’t put the biscuit within the basket.
- Ovechkin didn’t put the biscuit within the basket.
- Teravainen didn’t put the biscuit within the basket.
- Carlson didn’t put the biscuit within the basket.
- Aho didn’t put the biscuit within the basket.
- Strome put the biscuit within the basket!
Caps win!
- This recreation was tied with eight minutes left, and the distinction between a regulation loss and a regulation win was a 19-point swing to Washington’s playoff hopes. So Connor McMichael‘s purpose ought to have been an important Caps purpose in years, if solely they’d stored the lead.
- Right here, I annotated tonight’s lineup to point which gamers had been on the 2018 championship workforce.
- Sorry.
- Darcy Kuemper had a foul evening. He was out of place on one purpose, sluggish to react on one other, weak with the glove on a 3rd. He earned a hook after two intervals.
- And with out the video-coach efforts of Emily Engel-Natzke, Kuemper would have been two deeper within the gap. Engel-Natzke was key in difficult two targets – the second, a run-of-the-mill offside name, however the first one was Evgeny Kuznetsov interfering with the goalie. Extra on him in a second.
- However Kuemper shouldn’t be thought of the only purpose for Washington’s early struggles. The protection was unacceptably dangerous, none extra so than on Aho’s second purpose. Fehervary misplaced Guentzel, Carlson and Dowd permitted a crisp royal-road go, and no person was wherever close to the goal-scorer. Horrible.
What a go. What a Finnish. pic.twitter.com/gMTALyyHnZ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 23, 2024
- On the optimistic aspect, Alex Ovechkin now sits at 24 targets, 49 shy of Wayne. And he added a brand new identify to The Listing. Please don’t take this stat to #thebank, however Ovechkin’s tempo for the reason that all-star break would put him at 55 targets in an 82-game season.
- I feel each hockey recreation ought to have ten or extra targets. The NHL ought to change no matter guidelines that have to be modified to make it so. These video games are enjoyable. Everybody has a blast. Everybody aside from these bizarre freaks, the goalies.
- Sonny Milano had three marvelous targets, incomes his first profession hat trick. He was good. I wish to spotlight his second one, which felt extra like a stunt than a hockey play. Like he was bouncing ping pong balls off pots and pans and right into a solo cup on TikTok.
WHAT A GOAL, SONNY MILANO! 😱 pic.twitter.com/jf2QAtgDOZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2024
hey it is going to be a WEIRD evening #joebsuitofthenight pic.twitter.com/DRJEQJ2xMi
— RMNB (@rmnb) March 22, 2024
Criminy! What was that?! That was like three video games in a single. I despised how the Caps performed at first, however by the third they’d the league’s greatest possession workforce (albeit a drained one) on their heels.
Two gigantic standings factors. That was thrilling and provoking. I beloved it. I hope you probably did too.