The Washington Capitals found a late goal post instead of the tying goal in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night. After the game, Washington’s head coach Spencer Carbery indicated his team was “just average all the way around” as the Capitals adjust to life without Alex Ovechkin.
Washington can still take away a few positives from last night’s game despite the bench boss feeling his team was just average. Tom Wilson put in a strong effort against a good Western Conference team without his captain while starting goalie Logan Thompson encountered some bad puck luck in the narrow defeat.
Capitals Steady Without Ovechkin
Ovechkin missed his first game for Washington after sustaining a broken left fibula in the third period against the Utah Hockey Club earlier this week. The injury is expected to keep the Capitals star out of action for four to six weeks. The 2004 first-overall pick could return to Washington’s lineup before the calendar flips to 2025.
RT @CapitalsPR: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin underwent further evaluation with team doctors. It was confirmed that Ovechkin has a fracture to his left fibula and is anticipated to miss 4-6 weeks.
— The Hockey Writers (@thehockeywriters.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 5:43 PM
“Yeah, it’s an unfortunate injury,” Carbery said postgame. “Anytime you lose your captain, any time you lose a player that is having the year he is having … He’s such a big part of our team. He’ll be back at some point for us, but now we just need other guys to do more. We need everybody, coaches included, to do a little bit more.”
Related: Alexandar Georgiev Leads Avalanche to 2-1 Win over Capitals
Washington did not look out of sorts without their leader, but the Capitals were denied by Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who stopped 28 of 29 shots in the win. Ovechkin’s absence was most noticeable on the power play. Washington was 0-for-2 with the extra man as the special teams unit adapts to a new normal on the power play for the foreseeable future.
Logan Thompson Strong in Loss
Washington’s starter between the pipes continued his strong play this season despite picking up his first loss. Thompson stopped 25 of the Avalanche’s 27 shots, including a notable save midway through the second period with the Capitals leading 1-0. Nathan MacKinnon sent a cross-ice pass…
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