Green Line Brawl

GLB's three stars of the game:

⭐️ Logan Thompson (18 SV, .900 SV%)
⭐️⭐️ Tom Wilson (1G, 3 SOG, 5 hits)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jakob Chychrun (1A, 4 SOG, 1 hit)

#ALLCAPS

Next up is a weekend trip to New York, with the Islanders on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday. With two days between games, I expect Carbery to light into everyone and build on what worked while starting to address what didn't. Still 81 more games on the docket.

Logan Thompson looked good, as he should. Two goals got by him (one was an empty-netter), and I don't blame him for either. He saved 18 of 20 and it felt like he did a lot more than the .900 indicates.

The Caps managed to throw 36 shots at Swayman, with another 47 attempted. All that volume is nice when we were frustrated by some low-shooting games last season, but if it doesn't convert into goals, it's not quite as sweet. They should become a package deal in due time.

Only two penalties to Boston's five, which is a good differential. Zero hits on the five power plays, which is both familiar and unacceptable. I was hoping with the new units and Ovechkin not double-shifting, things would change. Five might a big enough sample size to start worrying again.

Lines were being jumbled already, which I feel like usually takes a bit longer to start happening but I'm not mad at it. Even with most of the players on this team being returning ones, there's enough new to warrant trying things out. They didn't get the W, but maybe saw something interesting.

Justin Sourdif got play with a few different groups, including Ovechkin and Strome at one point, and did some good Dowd line type stuff (plus two shots) without any glaring issues. About what I expect out of him.

Ryan Leonard started tonight getting very little playing time, but spent more and more of the game on the ice as it went on. He had some nice plays that didn't result in much. As he gets more reps, along with Carbery's coaching and advice, I think he's gonna do good things this season.

It is important to note that although Boston is a team with no expectations, they've got the right kind of makeup to play that type of game against Washington. They grind, they make things annoying, they hustle. Hopefully that doesn't become the playbook against the Caps going forward.

The Bruins straight up outworked the Capitals on both ends in the third and refused to let them get back into things. It helped that the Caps didn't seem to *want* to get back into things too much, but even if they did it would have been a real struggle.

The third period was a bit hard to watch. The speed the Caps showed was gone, it felt like every possession was surrendered to either a dump-in or a bad turnover or both, the shots kept coming from the same angle that wasn't working. Passing was weak and often directly into heavy traffic.

The effort level was there in the first two periods, even without scoring. The shots were there, the defense was really there most of the time. John Carlson had a few really great defensive plays, which is always nice to see. I think he hasn’t remembered how old he is yet.

Game one is in the books, and for that we are thankful. Washington falls to the Boston Bruins 3-1 in a game where they looked anywhere from decent to bad, depending on when you looked.

#ALLCAPS

Boston gets it right back.

The beautiful thing about a one-goal game: one goal changes everything. Tom Wilson ties it up and Capital One Arena comes alive. #ALLCAPS

So much for the Caps breaking through in the second period. More shots (26-10), more chances (11-2 in the high-danger department), and yet it's 1-0 in favor of the Bruins. It's been a bit of a familiar game, with the frustration building as effort isn't rewarded. We'll see how they respond. #ALLCAPS

These things happen. Just gotta strike back.

Is it too early to give LT the first star? I don't think so

As I hit send it gets updated to 7-4. Whatever.

Woulda been nice to hit on any of those three power plays (one's not done, but we know how split ones tend to go), but it's been a decent first period. 0-0 between DC and Boston, with the Caps up 6-4 in shots. I think we're gonna see the Caps break through Swayman in this second period. #ALLCAPS

It's good to be back. The Washington Capitals are defending home ice tonight at 7:30 against the Boston Bruins.

Game one, clean slate. Who's ready?

#ALLCAPS

Stevenson and Frank both cleared! Hershey gets their men, and Washington doesn't lose anyone. #ALLCAPS

Three more days until the Capitals' season starts!

Aliaksei Protas with power play time might put up some career numbers, right after a career year.

I think the best thing about the Sourdif acquisition is that we shouldn’t have any more "top line Raddysh" type moments this season. Beauvillier and (probably) McMichael being the wingers that can float up and down as needed is a much better proposition.

I like Miroshnichenko and Leonard playing together. Leonard now has a confidence to his pro game that seems to embolden others, and Miro thrives as his confidence builds (which it does with every successive NHL game he plays). I hope they share a line when they’re both full-time.

Guys need to be more selfish in general. It feels like most of the people definitely making the team are looking to make extra passes and trying to set somebody up, at the expense of their own shots. Sometimes you just gotta shoot it. I think Dubois remembered that mid-game and that led to his goal.

The goal posts and crossbars are the real MVPs of the night. It should have been a high-scoring game considering how much the goalies were beaten.

Finally finished up the replay of last night’s game (Redd Kross called, and I answered). Some takeaways from the last game that doesn’t count, and the preseason as a whole:

Apparently they love him, but we'll see what their plan is. Miro's almost certainly going to Hershey, and I suspect McIlrath's going on IR and couldn't be waived yet even if they want to (which I hope they do). Feels like they're going 8D again and Chisholm/Iorio are the ones they *should* keep.