Caps falter in tiebreaker after rallying
Stanley Cup champs inconsistent to begin defense of crown
WASHINGTON — Fans at Capital One Arena were on their feet. This game had delivered a little bit of everything, and now it was on to the shootout.
Each side had scored twice before it went to a fourth round. Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom skated to the Florida net and missed. As Jonathan Huberdeau beat Pheonix Copley on the next turn, the crowd slumped toward the exits.
“We don’t really know that goalie, Copley, so I was waiting to see what he was going to do, and I just saw that he just stood there,” Huberdeau said. “So I saw the hole, five-hole, and I just put it in.”
The Capitals fell behind early, then clawed their way back and then ultimately fell short against Florida in the shootout, 6-5. It was the kind of inconsistent effort that has epitomized Washington’s start to the season. For stretches, the Capitals look like the talented team that won a Stanley Cup less than five months ago, and in other moments, they look disorganized and sloppy. As the defending champions, they’re tested in every game as a measuring stick for opponents.
Friday night, they were scrappy enough to force overtime and ensure they got a standings point. Defenseman Matt Niskanen was called for tripping with 22 seconds left in regulation, and after Washington allowed two power-play goals during the game, it killed off the four-on-three in overtime. Washington’s Dmitry Orlov hit the right post with 46 seconds left in the extra frame, and then it went to a shootout.
Shootout specialist T.J. Oshie predictably scored to start the proceedings. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov followed suit. Then Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov sneaked a puck through goaltender Michael Hutchinson’s legs, and Florida center Nick Bjugstad missed the net on his turn. Alex Ovechkin was then stopped, and Vincent Trocheck scored, forcing the decisive fourth round.
“I didn’t feel we were emotionally invested in the game in the first period,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. “That changed to start the second and moving forward. I’m happy to get a point out of that.”
With the Capitals trailing by a goal to start the third period, Trocheck clipped Orlov with a high stick, putting Washington’s hot power play on the ice for just a second time all game. The Capitals had been frustrated with how many whistles had gone against them — six to that point, including an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Kuznetsov that triggered emphatic booing from the crowd.
Washington’s power play lasted just 51 seconds. After Ovechkin’s wrist shot clanged off the post, Oshie was called for a high stick. At the sight of an official raising his arm for another penalty, Kuznetsov tossed his stick.
But the Capitals made their next opportunity count. Ovechkin drew an interference penalty with 3:08 left in regulation, and center Lars Eller found Backstrom alone backdoor for the tying goal. That marked Eller’s third primary assist of the game.
It was a game of goaltender pulls, of line changes, of three-goal bursts and costly infractions. Entering Friday night, the Panthers were one of the last NHL teams still searching for a win. Florida narrowly missed a playoff berth last season, and with a young, skilled forward corps, expectations are higher this year. Meanwhile, the Capitals, coming off a short summer because of a long run to the Stanley Cup, have been inconsistent to start the season. They flashed their championship form in a season-opening blowout over the Boston Bruins, but their team defense, Washington’s strength in the playoffs, has been suspect since.
It all converged in a wild 60-plus minutes. The Capitals ended the first period by allowing three unanswered goals in a span of less than three minutes, one coming on a Panthers power play and the other two coming off turnovers. Goaltender Braden Holtby had been largely helpless on all of them, but with Washington trailing 4-1 after the first period, Reirden had seen enough, opting for Copley.
“The first period and then the rest of the game after that, we were like two different teams,” Eller said. “There was a lot of good stuff and some bad stuff we’ve got to correct.”
Washington had been struggling with even-strength scoring, with just two five-on-five goals in the past three games. Reirden shuffled his wingers, promoting Devante Smith-Pelly to the top l i n e wi t h O ve c h k i n and Kuznetsov while moving Chandler Stephenson beside Backstrom and right wing Oshie. That left Jakub Vrana on a third line with Eller and Brett Connolly while Andre Burakovsky was demoted to the fourth line.
The Capitals’ bottom two lines hadn’t scored a goal since the first game of the season more than two weeks ago, but that trio was on the ice for Washington’s first three goals.