While the Washington Capitals finally earned their first victory of the season, the search continues for the Vancouver Canucks as they visit the nation’s capital on Monday night.
Though superstar Alex Ovechkin is without a goal through the first three games for just the second time during his illustrious 18-year career (it also happened in 2012-13), Washington won 3-1 over Montreal on Saturday after losing to Boston and Toronto earlier in the week.
T.J. Oshie had a goal with an assist and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of 22 shots as all the game’s scoring came in the second period.
“We have a certain standard that we need to play up to, live up to here, that we weren’t doing those first two games,” said Oshie, who has three points on the young season.
“We need to keep pushing that standard as the season goes and roll those things over.”
Washington made strides by going 1-for-2 on the power play Saturday after failing on all nine such chances in the first two contests. Meanwhile, Kuemper was much better after allowing four goals on 29 shots faced during a 5-2 opening loss to the Bruins.
While playing for Arizona and Colorado, Kuemper had a 1.86 goals-against average in winning seven of his last eight starts versus Vancouver. Backup Charlie Lindgren, who stopped 36 of 39 shots during the Capitals’ 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday, has never faced Vancouver.
The Canucks are playing the third of an opening five-game road stretch. After falling 5-3 at Edmonton on Wednesday, they blew a two-goal lead during Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Philadelphia. Vancouver, 1-for-13 on the power play while its penalty kill unit has allowed four goals already, last dropped its first three games of a season in 2009-10.
Though Vancouver stars Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller each have two points already, they are a combined minus-3. Meanwhile, Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes each have one assist and Elias Pettersson has one goal, but all three are minus-1.
Teammate Thatcher Demko, who set personal bests with 33 wins and a 2.72 goals-against average last season, has allowed seven goals on 55 shots through two games.
“It’s a straight bottom line, when your best players aren’t your best players, you’re in trouble any night,” Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “And I don’t think they’ve been our best players yet.”
Vancouver is 2-0-2 in its last four games against the Capitals, with both wins at Washington. Meanwhile, the Canucks’ stars have fared well against the Caps of late.
Horvat has five goals and seven assists in 12 career games versus Washington, while Pettersson has five goals with an assist in five contests against Caps. Miller posted two goals with seven assists in his last six when facing them.
Ovechkin, meanwhile, has two goals with three assists in his last five home games versus Vancouver. Oshie has recorded two of each in his last five overall games against the Canucks.
–Field Level Media
