Seattle rookie Matt Beniers scored the game-winner for the Kraken (15-5-3), which prolonged its profitable streak to seven video games. Beniers bought a breakaway off the opening faceoff within the further body and beat goaltender Darcy Kuemper (22 saves) with ease.
“There’s nothing I’m comfortable about tonight,” Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette mentioned after the sport.
After Washington (10-11-4) went forward 2-0, Kraken middle Jayden Schwartz lower the Capitals’ result in 2-1 with 6:32 left within the center body. His eighth purpose of the season was a rebound purpose in entrance of the crease.
Washington couldn’t get something going offensively within the third interval and was caught in its defensive zone for portion of the body.
The Kraken stored pushing and cashed in on Yanni Gourde’s equalizer from in entrance with 2:27 left in regulation. Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who spent the primary six years of his profession with Washington, completed with 21 saves.
“We simply decelerate all the things and turned pucks quite a bit and I don’t assume we deserved to win in the present day,” Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary mentioned. “We have been getting worse and so they performed fairly exhausting and we simply didn’t do our job.”
The Capitals at the moment are 1-1-1 on the halfway level of their season-high six-game highway journey. Washington’s highway journey continues Saturday in Calgary.
Fehervary gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 7:36 of the primary interval along with his left level drive off a feed from Alex Ovechkin, who completed the competition with two assists. It was Fehervary’s second purpose in as many video games after the defenseman went the primary 23 video games of the season with out a purpose.
Conor Sheary doubled Washington’s lead at 14:04 of the primary along with his power-play purpose in entrance. Sheary’s tally capped an beautiful passing sequence that began with Ovechkin’s cross-ice feed to Marcus Johansson, who dished it to Sheary in entrance for the rating. Washington went 1 for 4 on the ability play.
In a stark distinction to the opening two video games of its highway journey, Washington produced simply 11 photographs on purpose by the primary two intervals and completed with 23 total.
“Our recreation has undoubtedly been trending upwards,” Kuemper mentioned. “Tonight we would not have had our greatest stuff or all our legs however we bought out to a lead and sadly couldn’t hold on for the 2, however we bought some extent and we bought to maintain on gathering as many as we will.”
Here’s what else to know concerning the Capitals’ loss:
Thursday marked the primary time T.J. Oshie, who grew up in Everett, Wash., performed an NHL recreation in his dwelling state. Oshie missed final 12 months’s go to to Seattle due to an damage.
Oshie performed 10 years within the Seattle Junior Hockey Affiliation, which counts OlympicView Enviornment as its dwelling ice. Lots of Oshie’s household and buddies have been in attendance, together with SJHA President Mike Murphy. Murphy, who coached Oshie on the squirt, pewee and bantam ranges, stays shut with Oshie.
Oshie was energetic early towards the Kraken, dropping the gloves with Yanni Gourde within the first interval after Oshie delivered a excessive hit on Brandon Tanev. It was Oshie’s seventh combat with the Capitals. Paradoxically, Oshie’s final non-preseason combat got here towards Gourde within the postseason bubble in August 2020 when Gourde was with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Dmitry Orlov took a optimistic step Thursday in his restoration from damage, becoming a member of the Capitals in Seattle whereas the crew continues its highway journey. Orlov, who has been coping with a lower-body damage, didn’t journey with the Capitals for his or her first two video games in New Jersey and Vancouver.
The defenseman final performed in Washington’s 3-2 loss to Arizona on Nov. 5. Orlov’s damage was designated as day-to-day for almost every week earlier than the crew positioned him on injured reserve. Orlov was a full participant in Washington’s morning skate forward of its recreation in Seattle, however he didn’t play.