Thursday night’s game in Pittsburgh was an absolute gong show, with teams trading goals before Kris Letang ended it in overtime.
One of the goals that might’ve gotten lost in that fray was Brooks Orpik’s first regular-season goal since the William Howard Taft administration.
Video
To start the play, Alex Ovechkin fans on a shot on the left circle. Ovi then bumps the loose puck off the boards to the center of the ice, right to the blue line, and Orpik unleashes a vicious slap shot that trickles through Matt Murray.
Here’s another look.
When Orpik was asked about the goal after the game, he came with some important statistics.
Asked Orpik if he was at all surprised he scored.
“Nope, were you?”
“I mean, yeah, a little bit.”
He mentioned that it’s technically two in six games. The man makes a good point.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) October 5, 2018
That goal in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights proved critical, helping the Caps win their first ever Cup Final game.
Orpik’s last regular-season goal was a game-winner against the New Jersey Devils in February 2016.
Orpik also had some important post-game analysis about whether or not the Caps and Pens would face each other again in the second round. Spoiler alert: it’s a hard yes.
Orpik: "The last three years, you could argue we’re the two best teams in the league if you really wanted to. We just happen to meet each other in the second round. I don’t really see that changing much this year." #Pens #Caps
— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby) October 5, 2018
