First Period
It was a low-event first period, with just 25 combined shot attempts at 5v5.
Late in the period, David Jiricek was called for interference (a soft call, but legit). The first PK unit did a great job, even after Erik Gudbranson’s stick broke. He had to use Sean Kuraly’s, which is for the opposite hand, but still managed to get a clear. Against the next unit, however, Alex Ovechkin got a shot off which was deflected at net-front by Anthony Mantha. Andrew Peeke played Ovi and let Mantha get between him and the goal.
The Jackets ended the period with a slight edge in possession, but just barely trailed the expected goals 0.47-0.48 at 5v5. I was worried about Jiricek being stuck on the third pair with Jake Bean, but in the first period they didn’t allow any shot attempts against.
Second Period
Down by one goal, the Jackets responded in a big way in the second period. They remembered the lessons from Tuesday’s win and kept up the pressure.
The push was briefly interrupted by another penalty kill, but this time they allowed just two shots on goal. Again, Gudbranson lost his stick and did his job with a teammate’s left-handed stick.
After the kill, the Jackets continued to build momentum. They got an extra long offensive zone shift, which allowed parts of the Fantilli line to change for the Sillinger line. Emil Bemstrom got off a shot from the circle which Sillinger deflected in from in front of the goalie.
Unfortunately the Capitals responded quickly. Zach Werenski made a bad pass attempt out of the defensive zone that was intercepted. Dr. Mantha Toboggan scored his second, with Bean being unable to block and Alexandre Texier letting Mantha get behind him.
It’s a shame that the Jackets were still trailing after this period, given how much they tilted the ice.
Third Period
We’ve talked a lot about how Pascal Vincent uses Sean Kuraly and the fourth line too much late in games. This time, that line got just one shift in the third period. The top three lines were red hot, and Vincent let them cook. They spent most of the first 10 minutes of the third period in the Washington zone.
The tying goal came from — who else? — The Troika. Dmitri Voronkov made an impossibly good pass while falling, which found Yegor Chinakhov in the slot. That extends Chinny’s point streak to 6 games (6/4/10)
The Capitals pushed back late in the period, but even Andrew Peeke made some nice plays to clear the puck.
Overtime
Again, Vincent trusted his top players:
11/13/8
59/86/9
4/91/55
The Sillinger unit appeared to have a chance for a 3-on-2 breakaway after an Elvis save, but play was blown dead as Elvis began pummeling Tom Wilson inside of the net. Kent Johnson had knocked Wilson in, then Wilson grabbed Johnson’s stick briefly, then Elvis saw his own stick in the back of the net under Wilson (it got knocked out as Johnson pushed Wilson). Elvis took offense at that, and the constant pestering Wilson had done all night. Despite Wilson punching back, only Elvis took a penalty, for roughing.
Two things can be true here: Yes, Wilson should have been penalized too, whether for sitting on Elvis’s stick or for a punch that knocked off Elvis’s helmet. On the other hand, Elvis needs to remain composed there. His teammates had the puck and numbers, and their chance was blown dead. Sure, we all want to punch Tom Wilson, but you have to pick your moment.
Predictably, that penalty proved costly. The ice cold Ovi broke a month long scoring drought with the game-winner.
Final Thoughts
The Fantilli/Gaudreau/Danforth line was outstanding. They led in ice time and had a 73.08 CF%.
The way the Jackets overwhelmed the Capitals for the last 40 minutes of regulation is very encouraging. Play like that every game and the wins will come more often.
Defensemen ranked by ice time (with CF% in parentheses):
Werenski 21:48 (72.92)
Gudbranson 18:45 (73.68)
Peeke 17:42 (29.73)
Jiricek 17:30 (88.46)
Provorov 17:18 (34.15)
Bean 16:18 (80.77)
Is it just me or does something stand out there? Hopefully Nick Blankenburg or Damon Severson are healthy enough to play in the next game, because Peeke simply ain’t it.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets host the Maple Leafs on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.