Capitals: 5 Under-Appreciated Goals in the Ovechkin Era

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.