Between Two Posts: Unpacking The Capitals’ Solid 3-0 Win Over The Ducks

This was the medicine that the Washington Capitals so desperately needed.

After struggling to build and sustain momentum at 5-on-5, the Capitals came out last night and put up a solid, complete effort in a 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks, handing them their second shutout loss in three games in the process.

There is a lot to like about this game, and a lot of positives to build on for Washington to build on going forward. Brandon Duhaime deflected (sorta) in his fifth of the year, John Carlson went bar-down and Ethen Frank continues to give D.C. more reason to keep him up in the NHL.

Let's dig more into this big win.

A Solid 60-Minute Effort

Let's kick off this breakdown by saying Tuesday’s Capitals were the team we've been used to seeing all season up until a couple of weeks ago.

This was the solid, well-rounded game that Washington desperately needed recently.

The Capitals came out of the gate looking like a team on a mission. There were several good shots and chances on Ducks' goaltender John Gibson and D.C. kept the pressure in the offensive zone through the period, eventually breaking through thanks to a great effort from Jakob Chychrun and the fourth line.

This pressure continued all through the period and the Capitals put themselves in a solid position to win, going up 2-0 after 20 thanks to a John Carlson goal with Alex Ovechkin setting up the screen in front.

The second period has been majorly concerning for Washington of late, so you'd be forgiven for holding your breath when the puck dropped for the middle frame. Thankfully, the Capitals kept their feet on the gas, and after Logan Thompson took care of the Ducks when they started to gain momentum, Ethen Frank struck on a 2-on-1 with Pierre-Luc Dubois to make it 3-0.

Even when Anaheim pressed again in the third, Washington maintained their momentum all through the period.

In the end, the Capitals outshot Anaheim 25-19, outchanced them 35-20 and kept the Ducks to only five high-danger scoring chances. It marked the first time in three games that the team managed at least 20 shots on goal.

On both sides of the puck, this was the best and most complete game D.C. has put up in a couple of weeks now, and a great stepping stone for them to build off of.

Ethen Frank Has Solved The Third Line, Defense Chips In

The depth scoring that the Capitals have relied on all season had seemed to all-but dry up a couple weeks back, and no amount of line shuffling by Spencer Carbery was solving the issue, especially on the ever-changing third line.

Enter Ethen Frank.

In his previous season with Washington's AHL affiliate Hershey Bears, the undrafted prospect had certainly impressed, scoring 47 points in 67 games last season for Hershey and being instrumental in both Calder Cup runs in the past two seasons, but he didn’t make the cut in October after a rough training camp.

I'm glad to see Frank is getting his due, and making the most of it. In his third game (first at home), Frank saw over 12 minutes of ice time and registered seven shots, one of which found the back of the net.

Frank's presence on the third line has jump-started the depth scoring that Washington had needed amid issues at 5-on-5.

Logan Thompson Shuts The Door

I recently saw a Twitter post where a hockey pundit (whose name I can't remember) mentioned their top-five picks for the Vezina currently. And nothing against the goalies on that list — they were some solid names — but Logan Thompson was absent from that list and that is a shame.

Look, I understand that several goalies like reigning Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck and Jacob Markstrom are having incredible seasons and staring more games, but Logan Thompson should absolutely be in that conversation with the year he's having.

On Tuesday, Logan Thompson earned his first shutout of the season and his first as a Capital. He is also a big reason that Washington has continued to earn wins while working through their slump.

His 2.23 GAA is good for fifth best in the league, and his .921 Save Percentage is fourth. He also showed he can take on a bigger workload, as he’s been splitting time with Charlie Lindgren, who is currently on the injured reserve.

The Capitals didn't have to rely on LT nearly as much as they have recently, as Tuesday’s game was a fairly solid all-around effort with Dylan Strome and more shutting down Anaheim’s top threats.

Still, Thompson has been having himself a season and should get the respect he's earning through his play this season.

The Road Ahead

Washington hits the road for a game against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Ottawa is a team looking to take the next steps in their rebuild and are in the hunt for a wildcard spot. Players like Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux and Tim Stutzle are certain major threats. All the while, the Senators’ defense is bolstered by players like Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub, with Linus Ullmark holding down the crease. They are a solid group looking to get into a groove of their own and push for a playoff berth.

This is another game that Washington can fall into a trap if they're not careful. Still, after winning back-to-back games for the first time since late December, the team has a lot of positive momentum to take into Ottawa and will hopefully be able to put up another solid outing on Thursday.