The Bulldogs came out off a 28 day wait between home games, and spent a full minute to open the game in the attacking zone, however they were unable to get any pucks on net. The Capitals answered with a solid shift of their own in the Bulldogs end. Jackson Glassford would suddenly become very busy as the Capitals started to carry the play. He made three great saves in succession to keep it scoreless, on a bouncing puck from the left point that resulted in two rebound chances in tight for Luc Wilson that he got his right toe on before making a glove save. The Capitals continued to control the Bulldog zone, and went up 1-0 on a shot from the deep slot that hit something and changed direction drastically to sneak inside the far post, with Cole Broadhurst getting credit for it at 7:01 of the first. Four minutes later, it was 2-0 when the Capitals made good on the power play as Will Arquiett walked into the top of the right circle and snapped a wrist shot high far-side past the blocker of Glassford. Assists on the play went to Primo Self and Olivier Gauthier at 11:08. The following five minutes saw the Capitals continue to have the edge in play, but the Bulldogs started to tilt the ice later in the period. Despite several good opportunities and extended shifts in the attacking zone, they were unable to beat Zach Borgeil to to trim the deficit. Shots in the first were 18-8 Capitals.
The Bulldogs came out a new team to start the second, with an obvious jump that they carried through the opening minutes of the period. It led to them halving the deficit just short of four minutes into the period as Caige Sterzer fought a puck from the left wing behind the net and out the right side before putting a perfect pass into the hashmarks for Isaac Pascoal to beat Zach Borgeil with a quick release far-side past his blocker to make it 2-1 at 3:56 of the second. Less than three minutes later, it was a tied game as Jackson Doucet kept the puck in at the left point to continue the attack. Josh Zary would find the puck behind the net before feeding Doucet in the slot. He would walk to the middle before setting up Tim Gould in the right circle, where he put a perfectly placed shot top corner, over the glove of Borgeil to make it 2-2 at 6:41 of the second. The pace would slow through the following ten minutes, but the Capitals took the lead back late in the frame on a crazy play that saw a wide-open Zach Brooks hit the bar behind Glassford, only to have the puck bounce to the far circle where Will Arquiett snap it home short-side before he could recover to make it 3-2 at 16:37 of the second, with Primo Self also earning an assist. Just over a minute later, the Bulldogs tied it as Caige Sterzer won a battle in the right corner to walk to the side of the net before putting a perfect pass onto the tape of Tommy Bannister in the slot, where he beat Borgeil with a quick release five-hole to make it 3-3 at 17:50 of the second, with Olivier Fizet also assisting. Shots in the period were 16-14 Bulldogs, for a 32-24 Capitals advantage after 40 minutes.
The first few seconds of the third period were a bit bizarre, as a Bulldog dump in hit a stanchion in the glass went on net where it was stopped by Borgeil. A Capital defender then accidentally put it off the post on his own net, but it stayed out. The Capitals would take the lead back just over eight minutes into the period after a failed Bulldog power play with a gorgeous goal by Primo Self, who walked down the left wing and put a pretty spin move to avoid a defender to skate in alone where he went high short-side over the blocker of Glassford to make it 4-3 at 8:27 of the third. The Capitals pushed hard over the following minutes to not let the Bulldogs mount a response, before getting a critical insurance marker as Cullen Ferguson put a shot on net from the left circle that resulted in a rebound that Primo Self got to first where he slid it home past the right pad of Glassford to make it 5-3 at 15:40 of the third. The Bulldogs had a couple fantastic chances to make it a one-goal game in the following minutes, as Ryan Doolin was stopped in alone by Borgeil, before a long 2 on 1 rush never ended up on net. Seconds later, it was 6-3 as the Capitals made good on an odd-man rush of their own as Brady Lynn walked in deep and snapped it past the blocker of Glassford at 17:42 of the third, with Dimitri Mikrogiannakis drawing the lone assist. The Bulldogs didn't quit, and made it a 6-4 score late in the period as Caige Sterzer fought the puck to the top of the point where Moe Acee beat Borgeil with a quick release blocker side at 18:32 of the third. Before the Bulldogs could attempt a further comeback, they ended up in the penalty box and the Capitals killed the rest of the clock.
Third period shots were 12-11 Capitals, for a game total of 44-35 in their favour as Zach Borgeil and Jackson Glassford were the goalies of record. The Bulldogs went 0 for 3 on the power play, while the Capitals went 1 for 2.
The Bulldogs are next in action tomorrow afternoon in Victoria as they visit the Grizzlies for a 2:00pm puck drop.
Hammer
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