After a long but successful slog through Western Canada, the Caps have returned home to DC. Joining them at Verizon Center on Thursday was the recently defeated Winnipeg Jets, eager for another defeat. The Caps, gracious hosts they are, obliged, but not without drama.
We began with Nick Backstrom’s first goal of the season, a backhand off a rebound. Following that, in the second period came T.J. Oshie with a backhand off a rebound. Then Alex Ovechkim scored, utilizing a backhand off a rebound.
The third period found the Capitals disintegrating. Toby Enstrom scored a shorthanded goal early, then Adam Lowry exploited some bad defense to bring Winnipeg close. Marko Dano tied the game during with 8 minutes to go, finally erasing a three-goal lead.
Rego gave us no winner. The Jets tried to ice five players in three-man overtime just so Alex Ovechkin could win it.
Caps beat Jets 4-3 in overtime!
- Aside from being the The One True Top Line (this is my hot take), Backstrom, Oshie, and Ovechkin have something else in common: their goals were all rebounds scored on the backhand. Check the play-by-play if you don’t believe me. While the Caps didn’t look their best, especially in the first, their offensive pressure was sustained and focused. Greasy goals were the result.
- Chris “don’t call me From The Comments” Cerullo called those goals “Penguins-style goals.” I can see that, but I prefer to think of them as 2008-2010 Caps-style goals. The kind of goals that makes you wanna say CRASH THE NET a lot.
- The first period was sleepy, but the second period was a rollercoaster that only went up.
- The first 40 minutes were fun, but Washington’s underlying process wasn’t without fault. The final 20 saw Winnipeg finally poking holes. First, starting with this mild disaster of a collision between John Carlson and Braden Holtby.
- Tom Wilson started the second and third periods on the top line, but no Caps player was so thoroughly dominated in the possession game as Wilson. He did have a couple great hits, so there’s that. There’s always that.
https://twitter.com/ianoland/status/794338824851779584
- That last tweet isn’t related to anything, but it’s not like I was gonna not include it. [UPDATE: The tweet is gone. Removed, apparently, as part of the May-Oland peace negotiations.]
- Alex Ovechkin‘s 8 shots on goal is a season high, and he had thirty or forty attempts in overtime. Man, he was a freight train.
- In the last two games, Jets winger Adam Lowry has scored two goals against Washington. Lowry is just 23 and looks to be a solid player in his third year after a rough sophomore season.
Joe B suit of the night
Obviously the Caps are tired. They’ve been travelling through northwest frozen hell for a week (CSN said it was nearly 5,000 miles), and they were all up late rooting for Bill Murray’s team and against Charlie Sheen’s team. And while you certaintly saw some teaching moments, how about we forget this happened, be grateful for two standings points and two Ovi goals, and get some sleep?
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