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With their ‘backs against the wall,’ Capitals seize the moment in Seattle

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2 years ago

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With their ‘backs against the wall,’ Capitals seize the moment in Seattle


SEATTLE — After being on the wrong side of two games that turned into track meets to begin their five-game road trip, the Washington Capitals were looking to play a tight, close-checking game against the Seattle Kraken.

Following Wednesday’s drubbing in Edmonton, Washington Coach Spencer Carbery just wanted his team to give itself a chance in the second leg of a back-to-back Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena. While the Capitals needed a win to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive, in Carbery’s view, the first step toward that goal was simply finding a way to keep a game close.

Washington did just that, and it worked as Carbery had hoped. Buoyed by a breakaway goal from center Connor McMichael with just over eight minutes left in the third period, the Capitals emerged with a 2-1 win over the Kraken to halt a two-game skid.

“You could feel it today in the meetings and in the meal room pregame that guys knew what was at stake tonight, with our backs against the wall as we’re running out of runway,” Carbery said. “We knew we needed to have a massive from our entire group, and that’s what they delivered.”

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Goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves for Washington. Joey Daccord stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced for Seattle.

The Kraken were idle Wednesday while the Capitals played the Oilers, but the plodding, low-energy nature of the first period left the impression that both teams were playing on short rest. That worked in Washington’s favor, as it was able to settle into the game through the opening 20 minutes — without getting put into an early hole by a rested team.

In the second period, though, the Capitals found their footing. They outshot the Kraken, 11-4, in the middle frame and, according to advanced statistics website Natural Stat Trick, recorded six high-danger scoring chances while allowing none to Seattle.

“Inspiring effort by our guys tonight,” Lindgren said. “I thought we played extremely hard and did all the right things, especially in that second period. Second period might’ve been our best period of the year, I thought. I mean, we were all over them, and then we found a way to gut it out.”

But the only time Washington was able to beat Daccord in the period, despite their dominance in puck possession and scoring chances, came via a gift by the netminder. While aiming to clear the puck up the ice on the power play, Daccord instead banked the puck back toward the net, off the leg of winger T.J. Oshie — and then poked it across his own goal line as he made a desperate attempt to salvage his gaffe.

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Only scoring once while being in such firm control of the flow of play left Washington vulnerable in the third period, and the Kraken took advantage with a power-play goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand to knot the game with 16:28 left to play.

The Capitals’ coaching staff studied the goal on the monitors behind the bench as though they were considering possible goaltender interference, but a failed challenge would have put Seattle back on the power play, and Washington elected to stand pat.

McMichael was sprung on a breakaway by a turnover from former Capital Andre Burakovsky with just over eight minutes left, and he made no mistake as he fired a backhander through Daccord’s pads to put the Capitals back in front. While it was McMichael’s first goal against the Kraken, it was not his first goal against Daccord; he scored in Games 6 and 7 of the Calder Cup final with the Hershey Bears against Daccord and the Coachella Valley Firebirds last summer.

“I’m pretty familiar with him, obviously, from last year,” McMichael said. “I know he plays pretty aggressive to the shooter and he likes to challenge, so I just wanted to throw a little fake shot in and beat him to that post.”

Washington had to hang on tight after McMichael’s tally, including a goal-line clearance by defenseman Martin Fehervary with under a minute remaining, but the Capitals were able to do just enough to take the win.

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“Really proud of the entire group,” Carbery said. “As difficult of circumstances as you’ll find in this league from a back-to-back standpoint. … For us to play the game that we did in Seattle’s building against a good hockey team that was rested, just full commitment. Every single guy doing the exact things that we talked about from a details standpoint and competitiveness standpoint. It was impressive to watch.”

Daccord’s gift to Oshie wasn’t the only gift Washington got Thursday night. After the Detroit Red Wings, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres all lost, the Capitals are now just one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. As ever, the path remains difficult, and the math is unfavorable.

But after a much-needed win in Seattle, the Capitals still have a chance, and they’ll take it — just like they took the bounce on Oshie’s goal.

“It’s going to be a grind. We’ve got to keep battling,” Oshie said. “For these teams around this bubble right now, this is our playoff time, just to get a chance to go to the postseason. Big two points tonight, feel good about it, but we’ve got to regroup. We’ve got a monster in [Vancouver on Saturday]. We’ve got to find another way to get two points.”



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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

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8 hours ago

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June 23, 2026

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up to date on all your favorite teams.

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Washington Commanders announce 2026 training camp schedule

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19 hours ago

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June 23, 2026

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Washington Commanders announce 2026 training camp schedule


ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Commanders have released their 2026 Training Camp schedule, with eleven open practices between August 1 and August 19, including five open to all fans and six reserved for season ticket members.

For the fifth straight year, training camp will take place at the team’s football operations headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia. 

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Open practices for all fans are scheduled for August 1, August 7, August 8, August 18 and August 19.

 Season ticket member practices will be held August 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12. 

All sessions begin at 8:30 a.m., with gates opening at 7:30 a.m.

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Fans can claim free tickets beginning June 23 at 10 a.m. General admission fans may request up to six tickets and one parking pass for a single day of camp. Season ticket members can claim tickets for two member‑exclusive days in addition to one general admission day. All parking will be on site at the BigBear.ai Performance Center and requires a parking pass.

The team plans several themed events throughout camp, including Back Together Weekend on August 1, Military Appreciation Day on August 7 and Kids Day on August 8. Local youth football and community groups will also be hosted throughout the summer.

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For more information visit the Washington Commanders online.

The Source: Information in this article comes from the Washington Commanders.

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Algae-filled Washington pool to be drained for repairs after US$14.7 million renovation

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1 day ago

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June 23, 2026

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Algae-filled Washington pool to be drained for repairs after US.7 million renovation


The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall is set to be drained again for repairs after algae and peeling paint appeared just weeks after a US$14.7 million renovation, while President Donald Trump threatened prison time for anyone caught ‌damaging the pool.

The DC Water authority issued a permit to drain the 609-metre rectangular pool, it said on Monday, while the repair company said it would fix the pool as part of its warranty.

Peeling paint and algae growth have been visible in the pool since soon after Trump declared the renovation project complete on June 6. Critics have raised concerns about the no-bid contract to recoat the pool before the ⁠nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations next month, as well as for the ducks that use its water. Workers from the National Park Service earlier this ‌week poured hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the algae.

Trump, without evidence, has blamed vandals for the state of the landmark. On Monday, he echoed a weekend threat ‌by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro to prosecute people accused of attempting to destroy the pool.

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“Please remember that there is ⁠a 10-year prison sentence for the ⁠destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things – Which will be fully enforced!” Trump earlier wrote in a social media post. Destruction of federal property can ‌carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

It was not immediately apparent what criminal or civil violation someone might commit reaching into the pool.



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