Ovechkin scores twice to help Caps erase 2-goal deficit, beat Canucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — Fans who were late arriving to Capital One Arena or spent too long in the bathroom between periods missed a lot of the action Monday as the Capitals beat the Canucks 6-4 in a high-scoring affair.
Alex Ovechkin put the home team on the board with a power-play score 56 seconds into the game, setting the tone for a contest that saw several pucks find the back of the net in a timely fashion. After Vancouver scored its first goal with eight seconds left in the first period, the Capitals came right back with another eight seconds into the second.
Later in the period, the Canucks scored two more in a span of 11 seconds to grab a 4-2 lead. The Capitals then stormed back with four unanswered goals in the third to erase their deficit and clinch their second win in a row.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Capitals’ victory over the Canucks.
Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson lead strong night of offense
After being held without a goal over his first three games for just the second time in his NHL career, Alex Ovechkin wasted no time getting on the board Monday. Washington went to the power play within the first 30 seconds and Ovechkin took a feed from Dylan Strome that Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko couldn’t get enough of to keep it out of the net.
Washington’s stars had a quiet start to the year over their first three games, but that wasn’t the case Monday as veteran defenseman John Carlson notched his first score of the 2022-23 campaign with a game-tying shot midway through the third period. He finished with two points on the night.
The Capitals then took the lead later in the third when Ovechkin made a strong pass to winger Conor Sheary right in front of the crease. Sheary beat Demko to give the Capitals the lead and help Ovechkin rack up his third assist of the game.
Ovechkin then iced the game with 2:58 to play, taking a pass off the corner from Evgeny Kuznetsov and beating Demko again to notch his 159th multi-goal game of his career to pass Brett Hull for sole possession of second place all-time.
The goals were Ovechkin’s first and second of the year and the 781st and 782nd of his career, putting him 19 goals back of Gordie Howe for the second most goals in NHL history and 112 behind Wayne Gretzky for the top mark.
Darcy Kuemper has a rollercoaster evening
Though he ended up with the victory, it was a night to forget for Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper. He allowed four goals on 30 shots — the most shots he has seen in a game so far this season.
Kuemper was on his way to a quiet first period with just six shots against until he misplayed a puck off the boards. Trying to cut off a pass by defenseman Quinn Hughes, the veteran goalie got caught on an in-between hop and the puck skipped past him to give Elias Pettersson an easy score.
The Canucks kept up the intensity in the second, firing off 19 shots on goal and generating four high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. They used that pressure to score two goals in a span of just 11 seconds of game time, giving Vancouver a sudden 3-2 lead and flipping the momentum in their favor.
Vancouver had to wait until late in the second period for its first power play opportunity, getting two minutes with the man advantage on a Kuznetsov high stick that caught defenseman Kyle Burroughs in the face. The Canucks cashed in on a J.T. Miller shot that beat Kuemper to his glove side.
He didn’t let those struggles carry over into the third period, however, facing only four shots but stopping all of them to help Washington erase a 4-2 deficit and win the game in regulation.
Connor Brown exits with lower-body injury
Capitals winger Connor Brown, an offseason trade acquisition and skater on Washington’s top line, left the game early in the third period and didn’t return after taking a hit along the boards by Canucks defenseman Noah Juulsen.
Brown’s leg appeared to get caught awkwardly on the ice as he slid into the boards in front of the Capitals’ bench. He didn’t put any weight on his right leg and immediately made his way to the locker room. Washington announced he was ruled out with a lower-body injury a few minutes later.
With the victory, the Capitals moved to 2-2 on the year. They will be back in action Thursday when they face the Ottawa Senators on the road.
