Big Names Lead Capitals in Win Over Boston

Feb 1, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) is congratulated by left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) after scoring a goal against the Boston Bruins during the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) is congratulated by left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) after scoring a goal against the Boston Bruins during the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Capitals were lead by some of their best players Wednesday night. 

With the Washington Capitals getting so much secondary scoring lately, it seemed that some of the big names on the team had taken a backseat. Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Alexander Ovechkin have seemingly taken a backseat to some of the other skaters on the team.

However, those big stars reminded everyone on Wednesday that they are still very much a part of what Washington does on offense. The Capitals had some big names put up fantastic numbers during the 5-3 home win over the Boston Bruins.

T.J. Oshie got things started with a goal just three minutes into the game. Nicklas Backstrom picked up an assist on the goal. Backstrom picked up his own goal about 10 minutes later on a pass from Matt Niskanen and Oshie.

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Brad Marchand scored a power-play goal late in the period for the Bruins to cut the lead in half. Marchand wasn’t done, and added a second power-play tally at the beginning of the second period.

Washington’s penalty kill unit has been very strong, but has started to struggle as of late.

The game remained tied until Ovechkin struck on the power-play with just 15 seconds remaining. It was his tam-leading 25th goal of the season.

Brett Connolly scored the eventual game-winner at the start of the third period. Washington added a fifth goal for insurance, while Boston made the score look closer on a late David Krejci strike.

Washington got three total points from Backstrom and two from Oshie. Backstrom finished with a goal and two assists, while Oshie had a goal and an assist. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was named the NHL’s First Star for January, picked up both a goal and a helper.

After suffering a loss on Tuesday fresh off the All-Star break, it was encouraging to see the Capitals come out and play a solid hockey game without a day of rest in between.

It was also nice to see guys like Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Oshie come up huge for the Cappitals.