Zdeno Chara’s first goal as a Capital and Conor Sheary’s two-goal night got most of the headlines last night. But it was Garnet Hathaway’s second-period tally that officially completed the Capitals’ comeback and tied the game 3-3.
After getting sprung by Carl Hagelin, Hathaway sped past three Islanders defenders and fired a wrist shot past a leaky Semyon Varlamov.
In pure fourth-liner form, Hathaway’s goal celebration was an absolute trainwreck as he lost his balance coming together with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. Hathaway crashed into the boards and landed on his back. Looking like a hockey starfish, Hathaway put his arms and legs in the air while laying on the ice.
you know it’s a caps goal when the goal scorer is horizontal 😄 pic.twitter.com/NKauCg2Xvv
— HockeyKot (@hockeykot) January 29, 2021
At the bench, Hathaway got even more ridiculous, nodding his head with his goal song, Haddaway’s What Is Love. The song pick was so good it even got Kovy going last year too!
“I think it’s just a testament to the type of depth we have right now,” Hathaway said after the game about the Capitals comeback. “I thought shift after shift, we used the momentum from the prior shift. If you look at the goals, they weren’t the prettiest. It was just kind of the basis of our offense. Getting it up to the point, get the puck on net, and recoveries. You look at Shears. That’s what started it. It was a great shot. A great rebound. And you get Z firing one home from the point too.
“Obviously, that’s the best second period we’ve had all season,” he added. “We kept the momentum and kept it going to the third.”
Hathaway’s season through eight games has been fascinating. With two goals and an assist, he’s on pace to set a career-high in goals (14) and points (21) despite a pandemic-shortened season. Combining with Nic Dowd, the fourth line has allowed the opposition to score only one five-on-five goal this season. The Capitals’ bottom line has also chipped in with five 5v5 goals of their own, giving them a team-high 83.3 GF%.
The bad news is the process. Hathaway and Dowd have been inundated with shots, posting a 5v5 shot-attempts percentage near 40 percent according to Natural Stat Trick – worst on the team.
But, hey, it’s still early and the Capitals haven’t lost in regulation. Nod ya head, boys.
When your team scores three quick goals to even the score… pic.twitter.com/ieZmctfjOT
— NHL (@NHL) January 29, 2021
RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Isles
Screenshots courtesy of NBC Sports Washington
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