Washington Capitals fall to San Jose Sharks once again
Washington looked for a win come Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks to end their losing streak in the city since 1993. However, they were unable to fend off the Sharks’ spell, losing 3-2 at the sold-out HP Pavilion Arena in San Jose, California.
It was a fierce competition at the start of the event – both teams taking shots after shot but unable to infiltrate the goalies on either side. In the last two minutes, Joe Pavelski shorthanded the puck through Michal Neuvirth, but the Sharks’ jubilation was short lived when Alex Ovechkin took advantage of the power play to score his 23rd of the season, tying the match 1-1 with under a minute remaining.
The game remained tied at the end of the second phase, which is not a new situation for either team, having faced the same situation twice in the past week. It all comes down to strategy and coordination when victory’s at stake in the final.
The Sharks took lead in the first 10 minutes, when Ryane Clowe got one in with a halfway pass from Kyle Wellwood and we saw another power play goal by Dany Heatley who insured the match with a tip off from a Washington player, building their lead to 3-1 with 10:49 showing on the clock. It was desperation time for the Capitals, as Nikolas Backstrom narrowed the lead by one, scoring with two minutes left behind, but was incapable of equalising the game. The team endured defeat at the hands of the Sharks for the 14th time in their past 15 matchups.
This tied San Jose with Nashville at fourth place in the jam-packed Western Conference ahead by only two points that separate them from teams as far as the ninth place.
Washington has only won three of its past eight fixtures this month. Being on the road for most of the games could be a factor but looking at the other team’s performance, Washington’s worries don’t seem to stem from fatigue. San Jose is on a roll and finally returned home after a seven-game road trip and has won seven of their past nine games.
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