Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are having a good end to your week and that you are ready for the weekend ahead.

The Caps pulled off a big win in the midweek, beating Minnesota United 3-1 to rocket up the Western Conference standings and earn a much-needed three points over their rivals for a home playoff spot.

Was this a convincing win? Certainly not. Vancouver gave up way too many chances, with the Loons bailing them out by missing effectively all of them. The spacing of the midfield and defense gave some of the Minnesota attackers space to work and create mismatches — right up until the finish.

But you don’t ultimately determine results by expected goals and this was a very efficient performance from the Caps, who scored their three goals on seven shots. And two of those goals came in a hot start, where the Caps came out and simply overwhelmed their opposition in the first 20 minutes or so.

When things started to get dicey, Sebastian Berhalter saved the day with a goal that might top Brian White’s rainbow flick and Ryan Gauld’s long-distance banger against New England. That moment took the wind out of Minnesota’s sails and you never again got the impression that they were going to mount a comeback.

This is one of those matches where it seems hard to come away with a #take. Yeah, the Caps weren’t at their best. But in a period in which they haven’t been able to get results, take chances and finish games, they did all three on Wednesday night. That has to count for something.

The standout was, of course, Ryan Gauld, who followed up his selection to the All Star team with a three-assist performance. It is the first time a Caps player has been named as an All Star since Alphonso Davies and I think it is a difficult pick to quibble with, even though there are a number of high quality players at Gauld’s position league wide.

Simply put, the Caps would be sunk without Gauld and their recent run of form has brought that into even sharper relief. Zooming out of his offensive contributions, Gauld is the only attacker in the top ten in the league in the amount of goals he adds by “interrupting,” or putting in tackles, clearances or other defensive actions (the next closest attacker is actually Brian White).

Often, Vancouver doesn’t get much respect when it comes to the All Star Game and I’m generally fine with that (it gives everyone time off in the middle of summer). But it is shameful that Gauld has never been recognized in this way and it will be fun seeing him get a bit of attention — which he richly deserves.

Shameless Self Promotion

Miss the Minnesota match? Our post-match recap and three thoughts piece runs down the action from St. Paul on Wednesday night.

Best of the Rest

Not to be lost in the shuffle from the Minnesota match was Brian White becoming the team’s MLS leading goalscorer

Fafa Picault and the front office have tamped down rumors that the winger might be leaving in the summer

Tajon Buchanan underwent surgery after breaking his tibia in training — an unfortunate injury at a bad time

As Canada prepares for Venezuela in the Copa America, a look at the rise of Jacob Shaffelburg