Capitals and Flames Look to Bounce Back After Streak-Ending Losses

The Capitals visit the Flames in a key matchup as both teams rebound from snapped winning streaks. Washington leads the East, while Calgary fights for a wild-card spot.

Capitals Seek a Fresh Start After Narrow Loss

The Washington Capitals, leaders of the Eastern Conference, head into Tuesday’s clash with the Calgary Flames after their longest winning streak of the season ended with a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the defeat, the Capitals played a strong game, outshooting Vancouver 33-25 and dominating the latter half of the matchup, only to be stopped by an exceptional performance from Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.

“We played well enough to win,” forward Dylan Strome said. “It’s one of those games, and we’ve just got to move on.”

The loss marked the end of a 12-game point streak (9-0-3), the NHL’s longest this season. Coach Spencer Carbery emphasized the need for his team to battle harder in front of the net, saying, “We didn’t do a good enough job getting to the inside. They did on two plays, and that was the difference.”

In brighter news, the Capitals announced Monday that goaltender Logan Thompson, a Calgary native, signed a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension. Thompson, who has a stellar 22-2-3 record and a 2.09 goals-against average, could get the start in his hometown after Charlie Lindgren played the last two games.

Flames Aim to Hold Wild-Card Position

The Calgary Flames are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, snapping a three-game winning streak. The Flames battled against the Western Conference leaders but couldn’t recover from late-period goals and two power-play tallies in the third.

“I don’t think it was as bad as what the score said,” defenseman MacKenzie Weegar noted. “The breakdowns at key moments hurt us, but five-on-five, we played a patient game.”

With a seven-of-eight stretch at home looming, the Flames view this as an opportunity to solidify their wild-card position. Currently holding the second wild-card spot in the West, Calgary knows every game counts in the competitive race.

Coach Ryan Huska remains optimistic despite the recent loss. “Our effort was where it needed to be,” he said. “We just weren’t able to keep them out of our net when we needed to.”

The Flames will rely on their hard-working identity, a trait Weegar highlighted: “We work hard for each other, no matter the score.”

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What to Watch

• Capitals Goaltending: Logan Thompson, fresh off his new contract extension, could start in his hometown. He’s been a key part of Washington’s success this season.
• Flames at Home: Calgary begins a crucial home-heavy stretch, offering a chance to strengthen their playoff positioning.
• Key Players: Washington’s Dylan Strome leads their offensive push, while Calgary will count on MacKenzie Weegar and others to step up defensively.

With both teams brushing off recent losses, Tuesday’s matchup is set to be a key test for the Capitals and Flames as they pursue their postseason goals.