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Capitals: Top 3 heroes against the Islanders

By Michael Marzzacco

Jakub Vrana, Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Jakub Vrana, Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – JANUARY 18: Jakub Vrana #13 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his game winning goal at 17:30 of the third period against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum on January 18, 2020 in Uniondale, New York. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 6-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – JANUARY 18: Jakub Vrana #13 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his game winning goal at 17:30 of the third period against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum on January 18, 2020 in Uniondale, New York. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 6-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Jakub Vrana

Jakub Vrana makes this list for scoring what turned out to be the game-winning goal. It came late in the third period at 17:40 and it was brilliant.

In an intense battle for the puck in the neutral zone and a tussle that involved T.J. Oshie, Vrana joined the party by stealing the puck, skating down a few steps and firing it past New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov.

Per WashingtonCaps.com’s Mike Vogel in his Postgame Notebook, it was Vrana’s fifth game-winning goal of the season. He trails John Carlson by one for the team lead in that category.

Vogel expanded more on Vrana’s recent play:

"Washington’s No. 13 now has 13 game-winners for his NHL career, and he is in the midst of a hot run of his own, one that is being overshadowed some by Ovechkin’s exploits. Vrana has seven goals in his last eight games. With 22 goals on the season, Vrana is only two shy of matching his single-season career high of 24, established last season."

Vrana is on pace for 36 goals on the season and there’s already talk around town that he could reach 40. That would be significant for a young player loaded with potential that hasn’t found his ceiling yet.

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