No lead is safe from the Washington Capitals.
The Caps bounced back from a 4-2 deficit against the New York Islanders Friday, scoring twice in the third period before completing the 5-4 win in overtime. The team’s never-say-die attitude has shone throughout the season, showcased by their nine come-from-behind wins, which lead the NHL.
Dylan Strome, the team’s leading scorer, sparked the comeback effort against New York, sniping home his eighth goal of the season with the club on a power play. Connor McMichael grabbed an assist on the goal, his second of three points in the game, helping give him his first-ever three-point outing.
“Just shows that we’re a really good hockey team,” McMichael said postgame. “There’s an old saying that good teams always find a way to win, and I think it just proves that we’re a really good hockey team. We’ve got guys with high character that never give up on pucks, never give up on plays or games. I thought we did a really good job.”
McMichael also factored in on the game-tying goal in the third period, scored by Tom Wilson. Wilson potted two markers in the win, giving him nine goals this season.
Washington’s goals-for percentage this year when trailing is the best in the league (66.7%), almost three total percentage points better than the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning (63.9%). However, Wilson admits that in a perfect world, they wouldn’t need to come back in the first place.
“It’s probably not ideal,” Wilson said. “Usually easier to play with the lead in this league, but says a lot about the group that you can be down but never out of it. Don’t want to make it a habit, but when you do come together in the third like that, it’s always fun.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery echoed a similar sentiment in his postgame remarks.
“I look at it two ways,” Carbery said. “I appreciate the resiliency and the character of our group. I don’t like that we’re putting ourselves in those situations, but we have a lot of fight and a lot of character in that room that isn’t just going to lay down.
“So even though second period and even a little bit of the first — first was pretty solid for the most part, we were just a little bit off with our puck play, but the second period dug ourselves a hole. So we could have let that determine the game, and we didn’t, and that’s what you appreciate about the group.”
After tying the game with 12:36 remaining in the third period, the Capitals rode out the rest of regulation into overtime. Jakob Chychrun finished the job in the three-on-three extra frame, carrying the puck up the ice and sniping past Semyon Varlamov to earn his team two standings points.
The goal was Chychrun’s seventh of the season, tying him for second among all NHL defensemen. He has two game-winning goals, tied for first among all rearguards.
“I think we got such a great group in this room,” Chychrun said after the win. “I think it’s just a big credit to the maturity in here. I think a lot of teams in this league have bad games, and I find this team, when we have a bad period, we really take a lot of pride in turning it around the next period. So, you don’t see many back-to-back periods where we don’t have it. I think we have a lot of grit in here, and we find ways to overcome some adversity when we need to, and it was another great effort tonight.”
Washington improved to 16-6-1 with the win. They are one point behind the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division and have three games in hand.
