Jan 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Washington Capitals center Ethen Frank (53) controls the puck ahead of Colorado Avalanche left wing Victor Olofsson (95) in the third period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Monday afternoon’s game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Washington Capitals looked every bit like a contest between a team ripping through the league at a historic rate versus one whose chances of making the playoffs are a coin flip. Colorado, as they have to everyone they’ve played this year, dominated possession. Washington had several stretches where they found themselves hemmed in the Avs zone, needing timely saves from backup goaltender Charlie Lindgren to keep things within reach – and eventually, the dam broke.
Nathan MacKinnon would find the equally superhuman Cale Makar across the ice to bury a goal that would serve as the dagger to the Caps’ hopes:
The celebration would become subdued by a lengthy pause after Spencer Carbery took a timeout. Coaches’ challenges, whether they be initiated by the Capitals or their opponent, haven’t favored DC at all this season. The streak would break as a closer look gave them the lifeline they needed to keep the deficit at one:
A Ball Arena crowd that had already celebrated three goals earlier was as loud as they’d been all day, hurling their displeasure at the officials. Washington seemed to be back in it, still one bounce away from evening things up. A window of opportunity had opened after it appeared to have just been slammed shut. The Capitals had life.
And then it got ripped away less than a minute later:
The Capitals’ roster has been much maligned over the past year for their lack of top-end talent, a deficiency made more glaring as they continue to miss the services of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson. Meanwhile, Colorado has an embarrassment of the riches in that regard, one that they flexed in a third period that saw them outshoot the Caps 17-3. The Avalanche were able to reach another gear and rip the soul out of their opponent, something Washington just doesn’t have the capacity to do right now.
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