The Detroit Red Wings fell 4–1 to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena Tuesday night. The final score was not an entirely accurate reflection of the run of play, with the Caps surging late to pull clear in what had been a competitive game. The third period began at 1–1, before Washington took full advantage of its chances when the Red Wings couldn't for three unanswered goals.
In the end, it's a setback for Detroit's wild card aspirations. Between the loss in Washington and the other results on the out-of-town scoreboard, the Red Wings now sit three points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, with Detroit having played an extra game and with three teams (the Rangers, Islanders, and Blue Jackets) separating the Wings and Habs.
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Here are five observations from the performances:
I. Capitals Exert Heavy Presence Around Mrazek's Crease
At the 6:36 mark of the first period, Capitals center Dylan Strome opened the scoring. He did so by throwing a puck to the net—at a harmless pace, from a harmless position along the point—through heavy traffic, which Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek never saw. Connor McMichael battled with Ben Chiarot at top of the crease, and two other Caps flashed across Mrazek's sight line as Strome fired with enough precision to strike the net. It was the type of shot that had hit Mrazek Sunday afternoon against the Vegas Golden Knights, even when he didn't see it on the way, but it snuck through for Strome Tuesday night.
On the ensuing shift, Washington's fourth line got right back to the same game plan, crowding Mrazek and throwing pucks toward him from the point: hardly a revolutionary strategy, but one to which the Capitals committed all night.
This trend took on a slightly different flavor for Washington's third and fourth goals: establishing a heavy presence around the crease, then having someone else drive the net once a lane opened.
For the third goal, Pierre-Luc Dubois cleared out a lane for Tom Wilson to skate into, affording Wilson an open re-direct on an Aliaksei Protas centering pass from just beyond the crease. On the fourth, the gravitational pull of Alex Ovechkin opened up room at the net front for Connor McMichael to wack a loose puck home through Simon Edvinsson.
Over the last two seasons, Detroit has struggled at times with teams that play a heavy game low in the offensive zone. Part of this can be explained simply because that tendency applies to a number of the best teams in the league (e.g. Florida, Edmonton, Dallas, and, in its own way, Carolina), and it's certainly a strength for Washington. That presence was a driving factor in the Caps forcing their way to the right side of the result Tuesday night.
II. Rush Chances Missed and Made
About three and a half minutes into the third with the game still tied at one, Patrick Kane hit the offensive blue line with speed, descending in from the right wing for a two-on-one chance and firing a short-side shot that just missed its target. It was a moment and an opportunity you're accustomed to seeing Kane seize, and he didn't miss by much.
Some three minutes after that, Alex DeBrincat skated in for a similar look, also down the right flank (though he hadn't built up quite as much speed). DeBrincat targeted Washington goaltender Logan Thompson's glove side (the far side, because Thompson catches with his right hand), but Thompson knocked down, then covered the shot.
Then, roughly a minute and a half later, Dubois accelerated as he slashed from right to left across the neutral zone to rush wide on Justin Holl. He didn't have a tremendous angle, but Dubois got the shot off quickly, and it deflected off Holl's stick and through Mrazek.
Tuesday's game swung on thin margins. The trouble for Detroit came when the Red Wings failed to recover their rhythm following the wobble of Dubois' goal, instead conceding twice more in the ensuing seven minutes and change.
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III. Penalty-Free Game Lets Five-on-Five Prevail
There were zero penalties in either direction Tuesday night, allowing five-on-five play to prevail and theoretically affording both sides a chance to settle into a simple, rolling rhythm. For Detroit, that mean not having the chance to build momentum on the sizzling power play, but it also meant not having to worry about any bleeding on the struggling penalty kill. The Red Wings were competitive at even strength for most of the night, but there can ultimately be no real denying that the better team prevailed.
IV. Red Wings Third Line Creates, Can't Convert
Building off a positive performance Sunday against Vegas (which helped produce the highlight reel goal for Albert Johansson), the Detroit third line of J.T. Compher with Jonatan Berggren and Vladimir Tarasenko on his wings played a strong game. However, that trio failed to take advantage of the chances it created.
Compher had two excellent looks in the first period, but he couldn't quite get off the shot he wanted in either case. Meanwhile, for the second game in a row, Tarasenko got himself into good positions—arriving at the right time to dangerous areas—but he's missed the net too often on the ensuing shots.
If any of those chances had come good, it could have wound up a much different night for the Red Wings in the end. Detroit's been starved for depth scoring all season. In theory, it's a positive sign to see the third line at least creating quality chances, but the next step of converting those chances is obviously pivotal.
V. Caps as Measuring Stick: an Extra Gear
To reiterate, if you're looking at this game (against the Eastern Conference leaders) as a measuring stick for Detroit, there were positives to take. At the very least, the Red Wings showed themselves to be competitive, but of course, Detroit is at a point of the season where results are king, and the Wings didn't get the right one Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in considering the gap in the East table from Washington at first to Detroit at 12th, the Capitals certainly showed a gear the Red Wings couldn't match. It's not as though Washington caved in its guests for 60 minutes by any means, but the Caps showed flashes of that type of control. There was a quickness and sharpness to Washington's puck movement, especially in transition, that stood out Tuesday night.
One such spell came in the immediate aftermath of Strome's opening goal. The Capitals defense corps made incisive vertical passes, which sprung their forwards into advantageous offensive positions. That space empowered the forwards to switch sides in the offensive zone and create high quality looks.
When you supplement that puck movement and transition game with Washington's heavy game around the net, it's not hard to see why Spencer Carbery's team has been so successful this season.
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