Yahoo Sports Takeaways: 20 The Magic Number For Protas & Ovechkin, Frank & Lindgren Shine To Power Capitals Past Kraken
For the first time in nearly four years, the Washington Capitals have won six straight games, as they came together and played one of their most complete games of the year for a big two points against the Seattle Kraken.
Aliaksei Protas, Ethen Frank and Alex Ovechkin scored as 20 proved to be the magic number, and Charlie Lindgren posted his first shutout of the season en route to a 3-0 win over Seattle.
Here are all the takeaways from the win, which makes Washington the first team to hit the 70-point mark this season.
Usual Suspects Step Up Again As Protas Hits 20 Goals & Ovechkin Moves Within 20 Of Record,
The Capitals have seen their second line carry a lot of their offense so far, and that trend continued to open the scoring at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday.
Pierre-Luc Dubois won a battle for the puck and got it to Aliaksei Protas in front, who managed to put it past Joey Daccord. Both Dubois and Protas extended their point streaks to three games.
The goal marked Protas' 20th of the season, marking the first time in his career that he reached that total. He is the third member of the team to manage at least 20 this season. Meanwhile, he also hit 40 points making him the second player to reach that mark this season.
Twenty would also be a special number for the Capitals captain; with over three minutes left in regulation, Alex Ovechkin iced the game with an empty-net goal to make it 3-0.
It marked his 22nd goal of the season and 875th of his career, moving him within 20 of passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history.
Frank Continues Impressive Start To NHL Tenure
Ethen Frank has been working to prove that he can be an impact player to have in the lineup on a nightly basis, and he did just that again on Thursday.
Frank was strong in his own zone, and late in the second, stripped Kaapo Kakko of the puck before breaking away. His initial bid was stopped by Daccord, but he put home his own rebound to make it a 2-0 game for D.C.
Since his call-up earlier in the month, the 26-year-old leads the team in goal-scoring with three goals in seven games.
Lindgren, Defense Shut The Door
The Capitals also played an impressive defensive game, led by Charlie Lindgren.
Lindgren, playing in his first game since being injured back on Jan. 10, was stellar in his return to the crease, tracking the puck well and shutting down Seattle's major threats.
The 31-year-old made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season and had a handful of impressive stops, including a breakaway glove save on Olivier Bjorkstrand and a late kickout save on Jaden Schwartz, en route to his 11th victory of the season for Washington.
Defensively, the Capitals were solid, as Martin Fehervary (who took yet another puck to the face but returned after repairs) and several more stepped up to block shots. D.C. blocked 22 shots, and also did a great job of maintaining possession and keeping the puck out of harm's way.
Offense Takes Big Step Forward
Washington played a solid game on both sides of the puck, but the offense took a major step forward.
After struggles in Edmonton to open the road trip, the Capitals were much stronger on the puck and controlled the play better, keeping possession and making tape-to-tape passes while sustaining pressure in the offensive zone.
It was a good sign to see as all four lines were able to get pucks on goal, and Washington managed 33 shots on goal, marking the second time in 10 games it has managed at least 30 on net.
Overall, there was more chemistry on the forward lines, and it was encouraging to see as the team still trying to reignite the spark at 5-on-5.
