Jordan Kyrou breaks out and Alex Tuch continues to score in Capitals’ tight win over Canadiens

The Washington Capitals returned from Raleigh overnight to host the Montreal Canadiens at Capital One Arena on Wednesday. The Caps were looking for a big bounce-back win after losing two games in a row.

Josh Anderson received the first goal of the game on a turnover from Jordan Kyrou, but Kyrou made up for it with a goal of his own shortly after. Lane Hutson then gave the Habs the lead again by beating Charlie Lindgren. Ivan Miroshnichenko scored on a power play late in the first period to send the game into its first intermission tied at two goals apiece.

Alex Tuch gave the Capitals their first lead with a short-handed shot. Anderson had another great chance to tie the game again. Justin Holl scored his second goal in as many games to put the Caps back in front. Tuch put in another to extend the advantage. Nick Suzuki scored a power play goal late in the game to bring the Habs within one point.

The Capitals beat the Canadiens 5-4!

• The Capitals weren’t good in the first period, but they took advantage of the few chances they had. I don’t think going for completely new line combinations was a decision, as the whole team looked very out of sync to start the evening. Washington didn’t create a single high-danger chance at five-on-five in the first 20 minutes and gave up four to Montreal.
• The Hutson Bowl started with a bang, as Cole Hutson recorded the first assist on Washington’s first goal, then on his brother, Lane Hutsonscored to give the Canadians a 2-1 lead. Good watch for their parents, Rob and Julie, who were in town to watch their sons fight. What a set of players these two are.
• Ivan Miroshnichenko scored his first goal of the season in his first match. Although a major chance was involved, he probably would have had the first assist on the goal anyway, as Alex Tuch was lined up at the far post waiting for his pass. Instead, Miro put the puck over a defender in front after an excellent pass from Ilya Protas. I would love to see Miro get hot and stay hot at the NHL level.

• The second period was more of the same from the Capitals at five on five. It was a real disaster. According to NaturalStatTrick, they didn’t register a single high-danger chance at five-on-five through 40 minutes and were outscored 24-5 in scoring chances. A simple mutilation on the part of the Habs according to which the Caps were lucky was not ugly on the scoreboard.
• Alex Tuch However, it was once again a positive, hitting shorthanded to give the Capitals some life in the second and later to seal their victory in the third. He now has five goals this season and is tied with Seth Jarvis (12) for the second-most shorthanded goals in the NHL since the start of the 2022-23 season. Sam Reinhart is first with 13.
• What a strange mess Miroshnichenko found himself in Juraj Slavkovsky turned out to be. Officials eventually answered all calls correctly. It seemed Slafkovsky recovered very quickly once he realized no penalty was going to be called.
• The power play is definitely a work in progress. I think the “first unit” is struggling to find chemistry or momentum. It feels like they come on the ice and only Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome fumble with the puck for 80 seconds before the “second unit” comes in and creates something resembling an attack.

• The Capitals finally recorded a five-on-five high-danger chance in the third period. However, overall, the final regulatory framework was a very weak event for a long time, with neither team wanting to advance too far in a draw. But even that can’t stop a known elite scorer Justin Holl.
• Jordan Kyrou was for me the best player on the ice for the Capitals, finally showing what a force he can be when he has the puck on his stick more. Really great stuff from him and Tuch.
• I have nothing bad to say Charlie Lindgren in net. Maybe a save on Hutson’s goal, but he was also flashed on that shot.

The Capitals are off Thursday, then back for their next home game against the New Jersey Devils Saturday afternoon.