Capitals: 5 Under-Appreciated Goals in the Ovechkin Era

Jakub Vrana’s Go-Ahead Goal in Game 5

We here at Stars and Sticks know how important this goal is.

This goal does not get talked about nearly as much as I think it should. Maybe it’s because this was a series full of big goals, including the aforementioned Kuzy goal, but also the Ovechkin game-winner in game 3. That Ovechkin goal almost made this list, however I believe it has received a lot of praise for being a huge goal for the Caps.

This goal, on the other hand, has rarely been talked about since it was scored. This was the game-winner in game 5 of the second round against the Penguins in 2018. Just to give a little context as to why it was important, the Penguins had won the previous game to make it a 2-2 series. In addition to that, the Penguins had come back from a 2-1 deficit in the second period of this game to have a 3-2 lead in the third period.

Up to this point, the Capitals have had a bit of a reputation for coughing up leads to the Penguins. It happened in game 1 of the series when the Penguins won 3-2 after scoring two quick ones on the Capitals to take the first lead of the series. Tack on the fact that Tom Wilson had been suspended in Game 3, and it seemed like this was the beginning of another heartbreak for the Capitals and their fans.

This third period showed that this was a different Capitals team. After allowing Pittsburgh to come back, the Capitals would go on to score four unanswered in the third period to win 6-3 and take a 3-2 series lead. Kuznetsov started things off with a sweet goal earlier in the period to tie things up, which Vrana assisted. Then Vrana scored this game-winning tally next. This goal was so big because the Capitals hadn’t only tied the game, but they had now stormed back with two goals of their own to match the Penguins’ two unanswered goals from the second period.

Jakub Vrana was a rookie at the time who had just been moved up to Kuznetsov and Ovechkin’s line in the third period to try and shake things up, and did it ever work. It showed the Capitals were not the same team as before and that they would not allow themselves to be intimidated by the Penguins. They were going to be confident and resilient, and this goal helped to showcase that. It also helped showcase that getting support from depth players and rookies would be the difference between the Caps losing to Pittsburgh in the second round and hoisting the Cup above their heads in June.

Also, it was just an unreal play all around. Starting with Braden Holtby’s clutch save, then Ovi charging to the net and slickly feeding it out front and Vrana cutting in to bury it. Plus, there is an awesome overhead photo of after he scored the goal

Joel Ward’s Game 1 Stunner vs. Rangers

Although this goal isn’t as fun to look back on when you remember how the series panned out for the Caps, this was a very large goal that helped the Capitals gain the 3-1 series lead they would eventually end up blowing. I vividly remember watching Wardo score this goal in my living room. I assumed the Caps were going to overtime, so I was prepping my nerves for the intensity that is playoff overtime. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Ovechkin throws a pretty filthy pass from a near-impossible angle, and Ward is there to bury the puck with one second remaining to grab a 1-0 series lead.

This was one of the coolest goals I remember seeing live on TV for the reasons I mentioned previously. Everyone figured this game was destined for overtime, and with almost no time remaining, the Caps squeaked out a win; Flipping the emotions of Caps fans from nervous and anxious to excited and stunned.

In the grand scheme of things, this goal doesn’t really mean all that much, but any buzzer-beating game-winner in the playoffs holds some sort of value to the team who pots that goal. I don’t know if I have ever seen or heard anyone talk about this goal since, and that is a crying shame because it is one of my favorite Caps’ goals of all time.

T.J. Oshie’s Redemption Dagger

This goal is probably under-appreciated because it was scored during a regular-season game in November. However, this is one of those goals I discussed in the opening of this article where context is everything.

The Capitals and Penguins had only played one game prior to this one during the 2018-2019 season. It was a heartbreaking, 7-6 overtime loss for the Capitals. So, naturally, the Caps wanted revenge in their second matchup of the campaign.

In this game, T.J. Oshie was knocked out of the game for the majority of the first period after receiving a stick to the face. After returning to the game, Oshie was again taken out of the game as a result of a high hit from Evgeni Malkin early in the third period. Oshie returned yet again in that third period to offer his help in downing the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was able to do just that.

With only a minute and change remaining in the game, Oshie received a clean pass from John Carlson to give the Capitals the lead. This would, of course, be the game-winning goal in what has to be the craziest game of T.J. Oshie’s career.

I have to admit that this is probably my favorite regular-season goal the Capitals have ever scored. It is also a goal that didn’t matter all that much when compared to some others in recent years. It’s just a regular-season game-winner. But again, given the context and the fact that it was against the Penguins, I think it’s a goal that should be shown a lot more than it is. The fact that Osh had left the game not once, but twice. The fact that the pass from Carlson was one of the slickest darts of a pass you’ll see. Also, just how Oshie buried the puck: receiving it while skating away from Carlson and burying it as top-shelf as you can go. Just two American heroes doing what they were put on this planet to do – play hockey.

Marcus Johansson’s Series-Winning Rebound

I almost chose Justin Williams’ OT winner from Game 5 of this series, but my gut told me I had to go with Johansson’s series winner.

Everything about this goal is under-appreciated, starting with the guy who scored it. Marcus Johansson, or “Mojo” as many have taken to calling him, was an underrated Capital and one of my favorites. He was very smooth with the puck, had a magnificent vision, and was notoriously good at powerplay zone entries while he was with the Capitals. He didn’t put up crazy numbers, but was a unique player in that he was a great second-liner, and an exceptional third-liner. His skill set was excellent enough that he could play in the middle of the lineup on either line and excel. He was a great Capital who is forgotten about since they won the Cup after he exited the team.

This goal is under-appreciated because it was just a first-round series-winner in a postseason where they didn’t make it past the second round. But it’s easy to forget how intense this series was. The President’s Trophy winning Capitals were playing the surprise Toronto Maple Leafs who stunned the hockey world and made the playoffs in their first year with rookie phenom, Auston Matthews. People expected the Caps to walk all over the Leafs, but 5 of the 6 games in this series went to overtime. The Leafs even had a 2-1 series lead at one point. So Williams’ OT winner in Game 5 was crucial because it gave the Caps the series lead, but this Johansson finisher signified a collective exhale from all D.C. fans.

I remember watching this game alone in my living room, yelling when that puck crossed the line so loud that my brother laughed from the other room. I’m generally a pretty quiet hockey fan so that should exemplify just how relieving and exciting this goal actually was.

Ovi and Orlov’s Between-The-Legs Goals

Starting off with Ovechkin’s: I think this is under-appreciated because he pulls off this move about 8 times a season and has scored with this move three or four times. However, I remember watching this one live and just sort of laughing because this was his first goal of the 2015-2016 season. It is just typical Ovi to not score a generic first goal of the season. Instead, he has to make a highlight-reel goal that most players will never score, and if they do, it is the nicest goal of their career. This will probably be the case for Dmitry Orlov’s goal.

Dmitry Orlov’s goal feels like it was a big deal when he scored it, but then everybody just forgot about it. He will probably never score a nicer goal than this in his career. Dmitry Orlov scored a goal this nice; A top-4 defenceman who is rarely ever talked about and he is going on a rush and undressing one of the best defenseman in the league in John Klingberg. I think that deserves a bit more recognition considering he isn’t even the best offensive defenceman on his team and he is showcasing handles like these.

These are both just regular season goals, but they are the pure-skill goals I was referring to in the intro. Regardless of the importance of the goal itself, you have to acknowledge the raw skill on display within both goals and that’s what this entire list is about; Bringing these goals back into the spotlight.

The Washington Capitals have scored plenty of important goals that deserve all the credit in the world. But that doesn’t mean that these goals should be forgotten. They need to be appreciated all-the-same because, at the time they were scored, these were huge goals to both the Capitals, and their fans.