Andre Burakovsky (Caps Outsider)
Following an eight-day hiatus, the Washington Capitals fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime at Verizon Center.
Takeaways:
Lackluster Start – The Caps came out flat following the long break from action. They were just flat out bad. The team was lethargic in the opening frame and certainly needed time to shake off the rust. Little to no offensive chances coupled with an abundance of turnovers accounted for the early two-goal deficit.
Check out Evgeny Kuznetsov’s costly turnover that led to Ryan White’s goal.
Ryan White Goal pic.twitter.com/AWdmTZfG1K
— Philly Sports (@PhillyAlertNews) January 28, 2016
Still Resilient – Despite falling behind in an uninspiring first period, they battled back to tie the game in both the second and third periods. The top two lines dominated the puck in the second period. Kuznetsov was skating like a man amongst boys at times, and T.J. Oshie’s brilliant pass to Nicklas Backstrom led to the first of two game-tying goals.
Oshie to Backstrom for the tied goal
2-2 #CapsFlyers pic.twitter.com/6z7j8EU43w
— meh Caps (@CapitalsHill) January 28, 2016
Andre Burakovsky – Part of that dominating second line was Andre Burakovsky. The Caps got a big boost from the young winger. He beat Flyers goaltender Michael Neuvirth twice – opening the scoring for the Caps and tying the game early in the third period. Burakovsky now has nine points in his last six games. Tonight was his first multi-goal performance since Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Rangers last May.
Kuzy to Bura 3-3 #CapsFlyers pic.twitter.com/ngern157Cg
— meh Caps (@CapitalsHill) January 28, 2016
Snowzilla – I will simply credit tonight’s loss to the blizzard and move on. Fans expect so much from this team that tonight was a bit of a stunner. The Caps were in such a groove and then suddenly had to hit the pause button. With eight days off with limited practice in between, it’s understandable to start out a bit sluggish. The Caps still got a point out of it. Time for another long break!