As disappointing as it was to lose in regulation time for the first time since the calendar flipped to 2025, the Washington Capitals are not fretting as they continue their road trip Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.
The East-leading Capitals arrive in Calgary after a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, which snapped a six-game winning streak.
It was a loss, but hardly one to hang their heads over.
“We played well enough to win,” forward Dylan Strome said. “One of those games and we’ve just got to move on.”
The defeat snapped a 12-game run of earning at least one point (9-0-3), the league’s longest point streak this season. It came despite Washington outshooting the Canucks 33-25 and controlling the final two periods, only to be denied by a standout performance by Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen.
That said, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery believes the loss reinforced an element key to his team’s success.
“When you’re playing against a goaltender like that, you’re going to have to work your way to the inside for screens, tips,” Carbery said. “It was one of those games where we didn’t do a good enough job getting to the inside, and they did on two plays, and that’s the difference.”
On Monday, the Capitals announced that goaltender Logan Thompson, who hails from Calgary, signed a six-year contract extension worth $35.1 million.
“Logan has demonstrated that he is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL this season and since he joined the league,” general manager Chris Patrick said via statement. “With his size and exceptional athleticism, we are confident that this signing will enhance one of the most critical positions on our team, especially as he enters the prime years of his career.”
The Capitals could turn back to Thompson (22-2-3, 2.09 goals-against average) in his hometown after Charlie Lindgren started the past two games.
The Flames are back in action on the heels of a 5-2 road loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Winnipeg, which sits atop the Western Conference, led the contest 2-1 heading into the final minute of the second period, and pulled away from the Flames thanks to a late tally in the middle frame and a pair of third-period power-play goals.
“I don’t think it was as bad as what the score said,” Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. “Obviously there were some breakdowns at key moments. The one with a minute left in the second period was tough, and then the penalty kill was a bit of a dagger in the third period, but five-on-five, I thought we played a patient game.”
With consecutive games against the league’s top two clubs, the Flames certainly have a chance to see how they stack up. The Winnipeg clash provided a good lesson.
“When we made a few mistakes they were able to capitalize,” coach Ryan Huska said. “For our team, I thought our effort was where it needed to be, and there were stretches of the game where I thought we did a lot of good things. We just weren’t able to keep them out of our net when we needed to.”
Calgary will play seven of the next eight games at home, and the Flames — who sit in the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot — believe this is a golden chance to solidify their position.
“Our team, it’s got a lot of character, and we’ve had that identity all year where we work hard, we work hard for each other no matter what the score is,” Weegar said.
–Field Level Media
