The Washington Capitals’ odds did not look good on Saturday morning. With a 2-5-1 record in their last eight games and six players — including both of their regular goaltenders — out of the lineup, the Caps went toe-to-toe with the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes. When the Hurricanes racked up a commanding 3-0 lead, the Capitals looked set to tally yet another loss.
Instead, Washington scored three unanswered goals in regulation to push the game to overtime, and rookie Justin Sourdif sealed the comeback win.
Sourdif and John Carlson brought the puck into the offensive zone before Sourdif loosed a shot from the left faceoff circle. Goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped the initial attempt, but got tangled up with Carlson and Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall. With a clear look on the right side of the net, Sourdif nabbed his own rebound to seal the game.
The goal marked Sourdif’s first overtime-winner in the NHL. He now has 25 points (12g, 13a) in 52 games this season.
“It was pretty cool, especially (because) I made a couple mistakes in OT there, not very smart plays, so I’m glad it worked out,” Sourdif said of the goal postgame. “I was actually trying to change, and then we kind of kept getting odd-man rushes, so I stayed out there. You can’t take those for granted, but no, it was pretty cool.”
Though the Capitals immediately began celebrating, the win wasn’t finalized just yet: officials reviewed the play to determine whether Carlson had committed goalie interference. Ultimately, the call on the ice — and Washington’s victory — stood.
Sourdif admitted he was worried the goal might get called back.
“When I saw the refs, I was like, ‘Oh, no,” he said. “But no, happy that they called it a good goal after.”
With Saturday’s game and a win Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, the Capitals have recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since December 3. They’ve also won two straight overtime games after losing seven of their first 10 games to go past regulation.
