If the Caps had lost this game, it was an easy choice to pick The Moment it happened – how a disallowed goal 20 seconds in tanked the Caps. Thankfully the boys fashioned a third-period comeback, ripping off four straight goals after falling behind 2-0 for a 4-2 win. It wasn’t the prettiest win, as Logan Thompson had to come up big a few too many times, but the Caps showed heart to fight back from down two (and shake off that early disallowed goal to start the game).
There are two plays that could be looked at as to why the Caps won: the tying goal and the go-ahead goal. We’ll go with the former, because while the Caps were only down by one, it felt like one of those games where it didn’t matter how well the Caps were playing, even that small deficit was too much to overcome. Instead, the first line (who had been having a rough game) came up big.
With seven minutes left in regulation, Matt Roy sent a pass to Dylan Strome streaking through the neutral zone. The puck was deflected, but Strome was able to corral it with his hand and throw it to his stick, taking a shot from the top of the circle that was deflected into the corner. Strome followed the puck and was able to stick-lift the defensemen, do a nice curl-and-drag move around him, and settle the puck into the corner. With a player jetting towards him he made a nice backhand pass to Alexander Ovechkin at the bottom of the circle…and then this happened:
Alex Ovechkin being Alex Ovechkin, he of course went to the net with the puck. The goalie, assuming he was going to shoot (because why wouldn’t Ovechkin shoot?), committed to that scenario – and Ovechkin did not, slipping it over to Anthony Beauvillier, who was parked next to the net battling a Leaf defender. He won the battle and was able to slam the puck into the back of a wide-open net.
It was a great shift showcasing the whole line’s ability and skillset. Strome with the slick hands, Ovechkin with the elite offensive mind, and Beauvillier doing the hard work around the net. Soon after, the Caps were able to take the lead after Ryan Leonard made a beautiful pass for the Jakob Chychrun one-timer, his sixth goal in five games and 13th point in his last 10 games.
Overall, it was a good game with great plays throughout and a big win to wrap up the homestand. Next up, the Caps head to New York to take on the Islanders in a Sunday matinee and hopefully get some revenge from their last meeting.
Like this:
Like Loading…
Related