13Feb

Wizards unable to maintain fast start, lose to Pacers in overtime

Obi Toppin scored 31 points and 10 grabbed rebounds, both season highs, to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 134-130 overtime win against the Washington Wizards.

The Pacers trailed by 19 points during the third quarter but mounted a comeback by outscoring the Wizards 36-23 during the fourth quarter. Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points — including 11 in the fourth quarter — and Tyrese Haliburton added 20 points to complete the Pacers’ rally.

Jordan Poole led the way for Washington with 42 points, and nearly won the game for the home team, but his buzzer-beating attempt at the end of regulation missed the mark. Corey Kispert chipped in with 21 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Wizards’ 11-game home losing streak.

Indiana seized control of the game on a Toppin three-pointer with 1:26 left in overtime that increased their lead to nine points, which was too much for the Wizards to overcome. The Pacers head into the All-Star break in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-23 record. The Wizards, meanwhile, having lost four games in a row and are now a league-worst 9-45 on the season.

In injury news, Pacers center Myles Turner missed his third straight game with a cervical strain, while Wizards rookie Alex Sarr returned from an eight-game absence due to a left ankle sprain to score nine points on 3-of-13 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Although Sarr returned to action, Washington finished the game without two of his teammates, after Malcolm Brogdon (left ankle sprain) and Justin Champagnie (post-traumatic headache) exited the game due to injury.

Veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, who were acquired at the trade deadline from Milwaukee and Memphis, respectfully, have yet to make their debut for Washington.

10Feb

Capitals can’t overcome sluggish start, fall to Utah Hockey Club

The Utah Hockey Club pulled off an electrifying 5-4 shootout win against the Washington Capitals, thanks to Nick Schmaltz’s clutch shootout goal. Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther each scored a goal and notched an assist, with Michael Carcone and Jack McBain rounding out the scoring for the visitors.

Utah, which has now won three of their last four games, came out swinging, with Doan scoring just over a minute into the game, followed by Carcone’s goal 32 seconds later. While that was a picture-perfect start for the Hockey Club, it was a nightmare scenario for the Caps, who trailed 2-0 barely 90 seconds into the contest.

Goalie Connor Ingram, who earned the start for Utah, stopped nine of 11 shots before exiting the game with an upper-body injury. Ingram appeared to suffer an injury when he was hit high by an Alex Ovechkin blast. Netminder Karel Vejmelka stepped in and saved the day, stopping 30 of 32 shots as well as all three of Washington’s shootout attempts.

Capitals forward Tom Wilson scored twice, and Ovechkin dished out three assists in the loss. Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois rounded out the scoring for the home team. Logan Thompson, who’s been having an incredible season, allowed goals on the first two shots he faced, but rebounded with 23 saves and still sports an impressive 24-2-5 record this season.

After a late rally by Washington forced overtime and a shootout, Schmaltz’s slick move sealed the deal for Utah. He deked Thompson and beat him high stick side, giving Utah skills competition win. Caps defenseman John Carlson, who assisted Wilson’s second goal, was honored before the game for reaching 700 career points. Ovechkin extended his point streak to five games and moved past Phil Esposito for 11th on the NHL’s all-time point list.

05Feb

Capitals thump Panthers as Ovechkin drains buzzer beater

As the final seconds of regulation ticked away, Alex Ovechkin rifled a shot from center ice. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers had already pulled their goalie, so the only obstacle standing between The Great 8 and the back of the net was the clock. Once Ovechkin sank the shot and the game officials reviewed the play, it was determined Washington’s captain had scored his 878th career goal with 0.1 seconds left on the clock as the Capitals defeated the Panthers, 6-3.

Ovechkin is now just 17 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record of 894. With 29 regular games remaining on Washington’s schedule, the 39-year-old has a chance to claim a record that once appeared to be untouchable this season.

In a battle between the two division leaders in the Eastern Conference, Andrew Mangiapane, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd scored on two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Aliaksei Protas and Ovechkin each scored an empty netter to clinch the victory. Capitals netminder Logan Thompson, who should be considered a Vezina Trophy contender this season, stopped 31 of the 34 shots to keep Washington from losing a third consecutive game.

Two moments stood out for Washington. Although they started slowly, the Caps sprung to life courtesy of a shorthanded goal by Wilson, which he converted on a two-on-one breakaway setup by Protas. Early in the third period, Eller outmaneuvered defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and roofed a backhand shot over Bobrovsky for his ninth goal of the season which snapped a 10-game scoring drought.

While the Caps failed to score on their three powerplay opportunities, Dowd’s eventual game winner came on a delayed penalty call against Florida. The Panthers snapped a three-game winning streak despite goals from Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Bobrovsky recorded 21 saves in the loss.

27Jan

Commanders’ magical season ends in disappointing loss to Eagles

The league’s hottest team, riding a seven-game winning streak and boasting the only two road wins of the NFL’s postseason, rolled into the hostile confines of Lincoln Financial Field with a chance to punch an improbable ticket to the Super Bowl. To get there though, they had to upset their division rivals, who arguably possess the deepest collection of talent on either side of the ball in the league.

With the entire football loving world tuned in, the Washington Commanders suffered from a series of self-inflicted errors that killed any hope of victory against a talented and aggressive opponent. Four turnovers and a porous run defense were too much to overcome, as Jayden Daniels and friends lost 55-23 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

The game started with some promise for the underdogs. An 18-play, 54-yard opening drive — Washington’s longest of the season — took more than seven minutes off the board … but only resulted in three points. The Eagles responded by scoring a touchdown on one play — a 60-yard run by Saquon Barkley that clearly signaled trouble for a Commanders defense incapable of stopping the run all season long.

When one team requires 18 plays to produce a field goal and the other scores a touchdown in a single play, that’s a pretty strong indication of which squad held an advantage in explosiveness. Earlier in the season, Washington had little trouble producing these sorts of high-impact moments, but down the stretch they occurred far less frequently.

During two regular season encounters, Barkley amassed 296 rushing yards and four touchdowns. On this day, the league’s best back amassed 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries. Compounding matters, quarterback Jalen Hurts also rushed for three touchdowns. And Philly’s third-string running back Will Shipley gained 77 yards and a touchdown on just four carries. In short, anyone remotely interested in scoring a rushing touchdown against Washington’s defense did so on this day.

Coming into the NFC Championship Game, Daniels led 11 scoring drives on 16 postseason possessions, excluding kneel downs. Punter Tress Way was called into action just once and the Commanders didn’t commit a turnover against either Tampa or Detroit. After successfully converting 20-of-23 fourth downs during the regular season, the Commanders went 10-of-15 during the playoffs. But none of that matters when your defense is unable to stop whoever carries the ball.

As the Commanders head into the offseason (significantly later than anyone reasonably expected), let’s take a moment to acknowledge this incredible ride. Washington’s offense scored touchdowns in the last 30 seconds or overtime of six different games this season. The franchise posted its first winning season since 2016, earned its first playoff win since the 2005 season and competed in its first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 campaign. All of this, of course, became possibly thanks to Daniels, who put together the best rookie season the NFL has ever witnessed.

The 24-year-old amassed the most total touchdowns by a rookie in NFL history, as well as the most total touchdowns in a season by any quarterback in franchise history. Daniels had 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter or overtime, which tied the NFL rookie record. He also became just the fourth rookie quarterback in league history to win multiple playoff games.

The Commanders’ dream season might be over, but it’s safe to say this is just the beginning of a new era for the burgundy and gold. After decades of despair, words like “poise” and “clutch” are now often associated with the burgundy and gold. After becoming all but irrelevant, they’re now capable of defeating anybody, anywhere, anytime. Who saw that coming a year ago?

13Jan

Doink of destiny keeps Commanders alive in postseason

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Washington Commanders have won a playoff game. In a sentence that seemed completely impossible just 12 months ago, the franchise is moving on to the second round of the postseason, after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via a last-second field goal, 23-20.

Tampa Bay blitzed quarterback Jayden Daniels early and often during the Heisman Trophy winner’s debut. As a result, Washington’s offense struggled to find any sort of rhythm in their season opener. But here’s the thing about Daniels — he rarely plays like a rookie. 

Case in point: Washington went 1-3 against Tampa, Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Giants the first time they faced them. But in the rematch, the Commanders went 4-0. Daniels, with the help of Washington’s stellar coaching staff, learns and adapts to what defenses throw at him.

On a day when Commanders running backs were a non-factor and the defense struggled to create impact plays, the fate of the franchise rested on the shoulders of a 24-year-old quarterback making his first postseason appearance. As odd as it might sound, Washington’s best defense was keeping the defense off the field. To win, Daniels and the offense needed to consistently stay on the field for lengthy, time-consuming drives.

Terry McLaurin’s magical season continued, who secured his first career postseason touchdown came on the same play the Commanders ran in the final seconds against Philadelphia, when Jamison Crowder caught the game-winning touchdown. Same play, different target. And now McLaurin has 11 red zone touchdowns this season, which matches his production during his first five years in the league.

Against Tampa, Daniels accounted for a ridiculous 87 percent of Washington’s total offense. Just as impressively, the 24-year-old has now led the team to five game-winning drives this season. And for the third time this season, Washington didn’t punt or turn the ball over in a game, a feat which no other rookie quarterback has ever accomplished.

During the deciding drive, Daniels once again rose to the occasion — making defensive tackle Calijah Kancey miss on third-and-2 from Tampa’s 19-yard line with less than a minute remaining. When the play ended, Kancey was left standing there, holding Daniels’ towel, wondering how the elusive rookie had evaded him on what looked like a certain tackle for a loss in the backfield.

With three seconds remaining, kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a 37-yard field goal to secure Washington its first playoff victory in 6,945 days. That 17-10 win over the Buccaneers seems like a lifetime ago, especially consider Daniels was only 6 when Sean Taylor, Lavar Arrington and friends stole the win in Tampa back in January of 2006.

Since 1991, 35 different quarterbacks started a game for the franchise. After completing arguably the best season ever by a rookie quarterback, it’s safe to say Washington has finally found the answer at the game’s most vital position.

09Jan

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Logan Thompson lead Caps over Canucks

The Washington Capitals pulled off a thrilling 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, thanks to forward Pierre-Luc Dubois’ overtime heroics. Dubois scored his second goal of the game with just 40.3 seconds left in overtime, sending the Capitals’ bench into a frenzy.

That said, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Caps. Despite goalie Logan Thompson’s stellar 30-save performance, the home team struggled to find its rhythm, managing just 18 shots on goal. Thompson was particularly impressive in the second period, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced.

The Canucks, meanwhile, are stuck in a rut, having lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games. Conor Garland scored their lone goal, while goalie Anton Lankinen made 16 saves in the defeat.

As for the subplot of all subplots: Alex Ovechkin remains 23 goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record after being held scoreless for the second straight game. Despite his impressive start to the season, Ovechkin remains at 872 career goals for another night.

The Capitals have now earned points in five consecutive games and sit atop the Eastern Conference. That said, Caps coach Spencer Carbery will likely have plenty to focus on after watching his team sleepwalk through large chunks of the first and third periods. But for now, he’ll take the two points on a night when clearly the home team was not at its best and hope Washington can build on this momentum.

06Jan

Commanders down Dallas courtesy of Marcus Mariota’s last-second heroics

With a postseason berth already secured, the Washington Commanders still had something to play for against Dallas during their regular season finale. After an uneven first half and with playoff seeding on the line, head coach Dan Quinn made the surprising decision to bench rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at halftime due to leg soreness. Enter veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, who turned out to be the hero of the day.

Receiver Terry McLaurin’s franchise record 13th touchdown reception, which came from Mariota with just three seconds remaining in the game, propelled the Commanders to a thrilling 23-19 comeback victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

While Daniels said he would have fought to stay in the game if it were an elimination game, he was ultimately okay with his coach’s surprising decision. Fortunately for the Commanders, Quinn’s move paid off as Mariota threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, sparking an offense that was stagnant in the first half. The 31-year-old Oregon product completed 15 of 18 attempts for 161 yards and rushed for 56 yards on five carries to go with those three touchdowns.

McLaurin broke a tie with Ricky Sanders, Charley Taylor, Jerry Smith and Hugh Taylor for the most touchdown catches in a single season in Commanders history. He also became the only player in franchise history to record at least 75 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches in a single season.

Ultimately, Washington didn’t need the win to secure the sixth seed, thanks to Green Bay’s loss to Chicago. But the victory gave the burgundy and gold a four-game win streak, all of which have come on the final play from scrimmage.

The Commanders will now face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round next Sunday night. This is a rematch of Tampa’s 37-20 win over Washington in Daniels’ debut.

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