The Minnesota Wild and the Washington Capitals both have secured playoff spots. So, why was this such a chippy game? Who the hell knows, but it had all the drama we could ever dream.
The first period started off with some hard play followed by TJ Oshie’s 31st goal of the season. The period ended with only the Oshie goal on the board. 1-0 Caps.
Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last long when the Minnesota Wild’s Jason Pominville immediately answered to tie the game. A few minutes later, during a power play, Ovechkin scored a beauty to bring the Caps up 2-1. Ovechkin would tie Oshie at 31 goals for the season. The Oshie and Ovechkin goal competition is not only fun to watch, but also good for the team. Ovechkin would push ahead of Oshie and nail another goal to the back of Dubnyk’s net. A rebound goal from Martin Hanzal would bring the Wild back to life and end the period with the Caps on top at 3-2.
The third period got off to a sleepy start, until Alex Ovechkin scored another goal to seal a hat trick. Hats flew and the Caps Road Crew rejoiced, but the goal was quickly answered by a terrible puck bounce from the Wild to bring the score 4-3. With 26.6 seconds remaining, the Wild tied the game up with a goal (*cough* that was very offsides *cough*) and would lead the game to overtime.
Overtime happened and Oshie top-shelfed the heck out of it to end the game.
Caps beat Wild, 5-4 in overtime!
- TJ Oshie continued to build his career high for goals in a single-season. Oshie currently sits at 31 and his previous record was 26.
- Some blood was spilled during the first period, courtesy of Tom Wilson and Chris Stewart.
- After an accidental high stick to the face, Zach Parise was taken to the locker room and did not return for the game.
- Alex Ovechkin is pure magic and scored a beautiful hat trick.
- In Ovechkin’s six career games against Devan Dubnyk, he has had 11 goals, 18 points, and 36 shots.
- Fun fact after the second:
During the #Caps‘ 5-0-1 streak, they averaged 36 shots on net per game. The #Caps have 14 thru 40 minutes tonight. #CapsWild
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) March 29, 2017
- The only two good things to come out of Minnesota (with the exception of our players) are Prince and the Milky Way bar.
- Another fun stat:
Caps PP/Ovechkin: 3-for-4
Wild PP: 0-for-5— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) March 29, 2017
- There was some drama about the goal that tied up the game. Was it offsides, was it onsides, the debate will continue.
- Braden Holtby became the 3rd goaltender in NHL history to have 3 consecutive 40-win seasons.
Joe B suit of the night
Rest up, there’s a 10 PM game tomorrow against the atrocious Colorado Avalanche.
Featured image: Bruce Kluckhohn
