The Washington Capitals (28-23-7) were riding high on a three-game winning streak. Unfortunately, that ended with a 4-2 road loss […]
The Washington Capitals (28-23-7) were riding high on a three-game winning streak. Unfortunately, that ended with a 4-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers (25-20-10) on Tuesday night.
This was surprisingly the first meeting between the Capitals and Flyers this late into the season. They will have three more matchups the rest of the way.
Philadelphia went up 2-0 in the second period, but then the Capitals responded on the penalty kill. Aliaksei Protas, who was playing in his 300th career game, scored a shorthanded goal to cut the deficit to 2-1.
After recording a shorthanded assist, Anthony Beauvillier tied the game up at 2-2 in the third. He proved to be the team’s MVP on the night.
However, a late Capitals penalty proved costly, as Jamie Drysdale scored on the power play to give Philadelphia a 3-2 lead.
The Capitals looked to rally late in regulation, but an empty-netter from the home team sealed it.
Next up, the Capitals return home to host Nashville in the last game before the Olympic break on Thursday.
Capitals Analysis
Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the middle frame with goals from Owen Tippett and Carl Grundstrom. The Capitals also weren’t able to slip goals past Dan Vladar.
That’s when Beauvillier came in. Down 2-0, the Capitals went on the penalty kill, as Beauvillier went on a 2-on-1 with Protas. Beauvillier set up a perfect pass to Protas, who beat Vladar for his first shorthanded goal of the season.
“I think overall we did a good job, but time to reset and get it back against Nashville,” said Protas.
This also marked the first career shorthanded assist for the 28-year-old Beauvillier, but he wasn’t done yet.
In the third, Beauvillier was in front and buried a rebound to tie the game up at 2-2. He now has goals in back-to-back games and three goals in his last six overall.
However, Philadelphia got a late power-play chance, as Drysdale’s point shot beat Clay Stevenson for the go-ahead goal. The Capitals attempted to even the score again late, but Rasmus Ristolainen’s empty-netter ended those chances.
“I felt like we battled hard, came back in the game,” said Beauvillier. “Just frustrating to walk out of here without points.”
Meanwhile, Stevenson became the rare goalie to start back-to-back nights in place of injured teammates Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. The 26-year-old was solid with 18 saves on 21 shots, but couldn’t get the win this time.
Capitals Report Card
Team: C+
Not the strongest game for the Capitals after a three-game winning streak. They did manage to keep it close but weren’t able to score much on Vladar as he stopped 26 of 28 shots.
Anthony Beauvillier: A
Beauvillier did his best to keep his team in the fight with a goal and his first career shorthanded assist. He now has a goal in back-to-back games.
Capitals Special Teams: C
The Capitals’ penalty kill was a mixed bag as Protas scored a shorthanded goal in the middle frame. Unfortunately, that late penalty really cost them. On the flip side, the team went 0-for-1 on the man advantage.
Clay Stevenson: B-
Stevenson made a rare start on back-to-back nights with both Thompson and Lindgren still out. He did the best he could with 18 saves.
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