Capitals: Top 3 heroes against the Jets

The Washington Capitals squandered a 3-0 lead in regulation but won in the shootout 4-3 over the Winnipeg Jets.

In a game that saw Alex Ovechkin get recognized for his 700th goal and Ilya Kovalchuk making his Washington Capitals debut, the team kept their composure despite blowing a late lead. In the early going, however, it seemed the Caps would skate out with an easy win.

Alex Ovechkin put the Caps up 1:55 into the first period beginning his quest for 800 goals. It was his 43rd of the season and the 701st of his career.

Jakub Vrana doubled the lead at 10:07 for his 25th goal of the season. T.J. Oshie and Dmitry Orlov had the helpers. 2-0 was the lead after one with the Caps outshooting the Jets 10-6.

In the second Garnet Hathaway made it 3-0 at 13:25 with his seventh goal of the season. The Jets came soaring back getting on the board at 18:33 with a goal from Nikolaj Ehlers. 3-1 was the score with the Jets outshooting the Caps 17-12.

In the third the Jets tied it with goals from Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. The Caps outshot the Jets in the third 11-7 as the game headed to overtime. The game would eventually require a shootout.

Braden Holtby

So the first hero should be recognized in the shootout run. First up was T.J. Oshie and he scored. Braden Holtby stopped Connor. Ilya Kovalchuk was stopped on the other end. Patrick Laine was stopped by Holtby. Evgeny Kuznetsov missed.

The Jets would tie it in the shootout with a goal from Mark Scheifele. Nicklas Backstrom put the Caps back in front. Later on Blake Wheeler tied it while Ovechkin gave the Caps the lead.

We’ll give the third hero of the night to Braden Holtby, who stopped Nikolaj Ehlers to seal the win. Overall Holtby stopped 30 of 33 shots for a .909 save percentage in the win.

Ovechkin told the media via NHL.com’s Harvey Valentine:

“When we get that kind of lead, we have to manage the puck right, you know, and we should easily win the game. But, again, a couple of bad bounces, a couple mistakes and it’s in our net. Obviously, [Holtby] today was unbelievable, all four lines were rolling, and it was fun to watch.”

It improved Braden Holtby’s record to 23-13-5 and I’ll say this, no matter what happens this summer enjoy having the Holtbeast in net. He truly is special to watch. Our next hero is…

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin got goal number 701 with a second shot opportunity on his own rebound at 1:55. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov had the helpers.

When the game required a shootout to decide the winner it was none other than Alex Ovechkin scoring to put the Capitals ahead and on the drivers seat to a big win. Ovechkin went wide with his forehand and flipped the puck into the net with his backhand.

Ovechkin told NHL.com after the game:

“Sometimes even I don’t know what I’m going to do out there, so I’ll take it.”

Prior to the game Ovechkin was honored for scoring his 700th goal which took place during Saturday’s loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Capitals coach Todd Reirden added: 

“I thought that was an emotional moment for him, and for him to gather himself and continue to play and score the first goal, that made for a nice night for sure. Happy for him, he deserves it.”

With the win the Capitals improve their record to 39-18-6 with 84 points, expanding their lead over the Penguins for first in the Metropolitan Division by four points.

The Capitals and Jets will see each other once more on Thursday night in Winnipeg.