Jakub Vrana’s third-period goal was euphoric and gave Caps fans hope. Three minutes and seven seconds later, TJ Oshie’s empty-net goal put an emphatic bow on Game Five, suggesting the vanquishing of the Penguins could be on the horizon.
An already lively Capital One Arena crowd went wild celebrating.
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THE OSHIE ENG! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/jMdW4eJLMI
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 6, 2018
Oshie scored due to a fantastic defensive play in the defensive zone. The Caps forward, who has not missed a playoff game due to a myriad of nagging injuries, stripped Phil Kessel of the puck as the Penguins forward tried to deke into his backhand.
Oshie raced out to center ice before launching a shot just from outside the red line. The puck found just enough room to squeeze inside the bar.
Caps fans in the endzone seats didn’t cheer; they jumped for joy with their arms raised towards the heavens.
Lars Eller would add a second empty-net goal with six seconds remaining to close the scoring and give the Caps a 6-3 victory in Game Four.
LARS EMPTY NETTER! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/jpcavBQPJ7
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 6, 2018
The celebrations from Vrana and Oshie’s goals were about as loud as Capital One Arena has been during the Ovechkin Era in DC.
Only a few other moments in recent Caps history compare. On April 11, 2008, Alex Ovechkin scored his first career playoff goal late in the third period that gave the Caps a huge Game One victory against the Flyers.
On April 28, 2009, Sergei Fedorov scored the game-winning goal in Game Seven against the New York Rangers.
Mike Green’s Game Two overtime-winner against the Rags was also very loud. This happened on May 4, 2013.
For those of you who were at the game, how did Vrana and Oshie’s goals compare? Let us know in the comments.
Headline photo: Patrick McDermott
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