First home success: Caps beat Sabers 4-3

First home success: Caps beat Sabers 4-3

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Washington Capitals opened their 2021 home campaign against Buffalo Sabers and did it for the first time without Alex Ovechkin since 2003. I repeat … 2003. Could they enter the bizarre world and leave with two points?

Eric Staal sent home a tray up front after Victor Olofsson took Zdeno Chara behind the net to open the scoring. Nicklas Backstrom converted a rebound from a Tom Wilson entry to try to tie things up.

Nic Dowd gave the Caps a chance in their first lead of the night out of a big cycle of Caps and Jakub Vrana’s smart feed. Dylan Cozens scored his first NHL goal home to tie the game once again. Vrana did it just before Riley Sheahan ended the game again.

No goals in overtime, so we had the old boring skill contest.

  • Oshie did not put the cookie in the basket.
  • Eichel did not put the cookie in the basket.
  • Backstrom did not put the cookie in the basket.
  • Hall did not put the cookie in the basket.
  • Vrana did not put the cookie in the basket.
  • Cozens did not put the cookie in the basket.
  • Carlson put the cookie in the basket.
  • Reinhart did not put the cookie in the basket.

Caps beat the Sabers 4-3!

  • In the first period, the Caps certainly had the advantage of quantity in terms of sending discs to the Sabers’ network, but they were incredibly porous in defense and basically gave all quality to Buffalo. I could see that the Chara-Jensen duo was fighting at the beginning (that would continue the whole game) and that the prediction was true when Zdeno gave up the disc behind the net and Eric Staal punished him by finishing the tray. They were then burned again and this led to Conor Sheary having to serve the only penalty of the period. It wasn’t a great start, but it drew after twenty minutes.
  • Tom Wilson is the best player in Caps in his first five games and that’s pretty obvious. Fantastic screen and tip that led to Nicklas BackstromThe rebound goal and some clutch, timely stickwork on the penalty spot.
  • During the first break, news emerged that Columbus is closing trade Pierre-Luc Dubois tomorrow morning. Ian informed us that the Caps have a valid interest in acquiring the youth center. However, it seems that the Winnipeg Jets may be the favorites to land it.
  • Would you believe me if I said that Caps are even worse in the second? Something tells me that you would. They lost the battle for quantity and quality … for a long time. People this team is fighting defensively. There is no other way to put it.
  • AN Brian Pine turnover led to Connor McMichaelWJC teammate, Dylan Cozens shooting his first NHL goal of his career at home. Tip, suggestion.
  • Chara won his first point as Washington Capital in the second and then stood out over all his teammates at the celebration.
  • I thought Vitek Vanecek probably should have scored the Sabers’ third goal, but it was still a backhand shot with the net open. Vitek saved Caps’ bacon on about three or four other occasions, just the second. He was also absolutely fantastic in the penalty shootout to earn the extra point for the Caps.
  • To make matters worse, Tom Wilson headed to the locker room early for the second break. He returned at the beginning of the third for a shift and then immediately left for the room again. Caps announced that he would not be returning due to an injury to his lower body and will be reassessed tomorrow. This is bad, bad, bad.
  • The third was much better for the Caps. You can say that this team will fight offensively without numbers 8 and 92, however. This period is how they should play without them. Silence the other team defensively and make a strong forecheck, in addition to decelerating offensively.
  • Rasmus Dahlin, in my honest opinion, cut Lars Eller on a mini-break on the third. The referees disagreed and did not give the Sabers a penalty against the Caps for 179 consecutive minutes. What they did was 10 seconds from the end of the game and gave the Caps a four to three lead in the OT.
  • I want to see Trevor van Riemsdyk had his debut at Caps on Sunday and perhaps another debut on the central ice should happen with McMichael.

Well, the Caps didn’t look great again. They have a second chance against the Sabers on Sunday, in the second match of this series of games without Russians.

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