Penguins 2, Capitals 1
They could reasonably call it progress. The Caps looked more dangerous offensively in Dale Hunter’s second NHL game than they did in the first. They absolutely were more physical. Buy or sell on the 43 hits credited to Washington, but they took the body more than maybe any game this season, I thought.
Unfortunately, they had a defensive breakdown that led to a Craig Adams goal. Someone left him alone at the left post for a tap-in goal in the first period. And in the second, Chris Kunitz stripped the puck from Marcus Johansson and knocked down defenseman John Erskine – who otherwise had a strong night – and his shot on goal found a way to beat goalie Tomas Vokoun. That was all they needed in a 2-1 win. Read the details in our game story here.
Tough one on that second goal for Vokoun, who tried to shrug the shot away only to see it slip through his seven hole. He looked as surprised as anyone when he heard the crowd groan and the saw the Penguins celebrating. That came 2:36 into the third period and allowed Pittsburgh to play simple road hockey the rest of the way. Blame Johansson for getting stripped by Kunitz and Erskine for tripping to the ice. Blame Vokoun for not seeing a relatively soft shot from open ice. Not what Washington needed in a tie game.
“You play the game. You’re not thinking about mistakes,” Vokoun said. “You’re in the game and you worry about stopping the puck. It’s tough to win with one goal. It’s definitely not easy when things are not going well and obviously we’re not getting the pressure in their zone and we’re not scoring.”
He has a point there. The Caps just can’t seem to get the lead in these tight games late. Blame the new system. Blame a lack of confidence. Blame scorers like Alex Ovechkin or Alex Semin or Nick Backstrom, each of whom failed to finish some quality chances tonight. Backstrom apparently did not hit Marc-Andre Fleury’s stick nob, just the crossbar on a shot at 2:01 of the second period with an open net yawning. But even so – two goals allowed should be enough for this team on most nights. This is a pair of 2-1 losses in a row.
The last time Pittsburgh beat the Caps in regulation? A 4-2 win on March 9, 2008. Otherwise, Washington was on an 11-0-2 run. That’s regular season only, folks. Obviously, the 2009 Stanley Cup playoff series had a different tone.
Washington defenseman John Carlson may be hearing from NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan later this week. He caught Penguins forward Matt Cooke with an elbow or a shoulder late. Cooke’s head was down, but it was also the principle point of contact. That’s a no-no. Don’t think it’s a suspension, but Carlson may be short $2,500 or so after a fine. More on that Friday.
“The players competed and we had some chances,” Hunter said. “They’re a good team over there. But it’s a 1-1 game and they get a chance and they bury it. That’s the way the game goes. We had a few chances around the net and we’re getting better at it. It just takes time.”
Hunter also agreed with an earlier assessment by defenseman Karl Alzner, which made my game story. The players should remain confident they’re making progress with the new 1-2-2 system through these first two games. Make no mistake – they need a positive result against Ottawa at home on Saturday night. But these losses are a far cry from 7-1 to Toronto and 5-1 to Buffalo last month.
“It’s tight games now,” Hunter said. “If you’re getting blown out you start to doubt. But 2-1 and 2-1 we were right in it. That’s the game of hockey.”
A little retribution from Erskine on Pittsburgh forward Arron Asham, who admitted he went over the line after whipping Caps forward Jay Beagle in a fight on Oct. 13 in Pittsburgh. Beagle is still experiencing concussion-related symptoms and has already had one aborted comeback attempt. Asham’s over-the-top reaction to his win didn’t sit well with Washington. And although he apologized, it appears the Caps still wanted to send a message. Asham was ready and acquitted himself well – though the bigger Erskine eventually got the best of him.
“There’s a lot of pride in the room there and he was sticking up for his teammate,” Hunter said. “He did a great job.”
Nice job by an especially aggressive Caps penalty kill tonight. Hunter has left assistant coach Dean Evason in charge of the PK after this week’s coaching changes. They allowed five shots on three Pittsburgh power plays and kept the Penguins off the board.
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