I had to go to bed early and I had to drink a little to get that tired, so I don't fully remember this one, but I also think I got drunk enough that I didn't notice my stream had paused while I was watching something else at intermission.
I don't want to say "usually" like it happens a lot but usually if I'm watching sports too drunk to remember them the next day the highlights start kicking things back into motion and the later goals/runs/touchdowns start getting familiar before they happen, but not this one.
Good for Phillips to keep it going. It will seem like I've been against him based on some other stuff but nobody's rooting against a Capital to succeed, if he makes it and is a little dynamo I'm glad to be wrong. It's slightly weird to see him hit boxcar success and have such a middling place on the chart, but "treading water" is hardly a bad place to be when you're a waterbug player already, the fact that he's not caved in on game impacts in, say, the defensive zone is a positive. If there has to be a middle of the road player I'm way more comfortable seeing one with skill and pace instead of whatever Laviolette-ready meathead was going to see time.
Team missed Carlson a lot, I think we don't necessarily underrate him but sometimes forget how good he is when he was missing last year. Really glad they made the decision to shelf him last year and just let his body get right, but it's also a potentially different season if he never goes down last year. You take the pick when you get it, no regrets, but Carlson helps make a winning team work.
I don't put a lot against HHA on that 3 on 2 goal, I think he had his man fairly well contained but his stick could be more active, beyond that it was just a neat pass. That they get beat twice by the same play I'm a little annoyed by, but it's preseason. If Pasta fools him and bluffs the pass but HHA is hedging that way he's giving up a clear lane right to the net, so the body has to be where it is. It's a nice rush concept (hardly new, to be fair) and they'll probably convert a good few times this season. Two of those Bruins goals are virtually identical, as long as they have the shots, they'll keep hitting them. Surprised his offensive impact is as high as it is, don't know if that's a zone specific stat or if outlet passes contribute. If they do, keep him, because they need that.
What else... Backstrom looks way closer to his old self than I would have hoped, though I did suspect that getting a real offseason that wasn't dedicated to surgery rehab would help him a lot. The ACL was a death sentence for pro athletes once, maybe hip resurfacing is the new improved thing. Kuznetsov seems engaged and ready to play, loving that, and suddenly the Caps' center depth doesn't suck all the butts in the world.
Thought Sandin looked good, that little cut towards the front of the net was something missing in the team last year. When someone gives you space and a look you take it, strict adherence to the system leaves people with safe reads. Hard to get an understanding of how he worked in the pairing or how his D was on highlights but he seems like a guy who has got relatively similar tools to Orlov (less foot speed, better hands) and just works them different for more offensive impact. Frankly thought Orlov could have nurtured that a little different based on his slapper alone but I'm not in the room and don't know how he's been coached.
also, like others have said, what the nuts was Pasta doing on the OT goal? The most casual two hands high flyby I've seen in some time, probably would have helped the goalie more just by not trying.