Washington Capitals: Top 10 greatest moments of 2020

2020 had its highs and lows for the Washington Capitals.

We all had a rough year in 2020, well except for the ones who got new kids and engaged. Congrats to you. Anyway, 2020 had it’s ups and downs with the Washington Capitals and as we enter 2021 let’s take a quick look back on the year it was.

The 2019-20 Caps season was longer than anticipated with it beginning in October and ending the following August. But we had plenty of fun along the way.

Let’s look back at the best moments and hope for even better memories in 2021.

#10 Alex Ovechkin’s hat trick vs. Devils

This was when Alex Ovechkin began to heat up. Five days prior to this game, the Caps lost a 5-1 game to the New Jersey Devils. Five days later it was a rematch inside of Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin actually nearly had four goals in this game but Louis Dominque made a stop with his stick right before it crossed the line. Ovechkin would redeem himself on a five-on-three power play and his shot from the office was a no doubter.

With 51.9 seconds left in just the first period, Ovechkin added his second of the game right off the face off. The Caps added another 16 seconds into the third with a goal from Carl Hagelin.

The Devils got two back with goals from Wayne Simmonds and Blake Coleman. Jakub Vrana gave the Caps a goal back and then late in the third Ovechkin completed the hat trick for a 5-2 win.

#9 Nats night

One of the funniest nights I ever had at a game came when the Capitals decided to honor the 2019 Nationals for winning the World Series. The players on the Nats took in a hockey game and had the night of their life as they got liberated and celebrated their crowning achievement. The night showed that D.C. truly is the District of Champions.

What made the night cool was that the Caps simply returned the favor from the Nats. You may recall the Caps taking in a baseball game just days after they won the Stanley Cup. Ovechkin threw out the first pitch(es) and it was a memorable afternoon before the team took over the city.

The Caps hosted the Calgary Flames that night and most importantly was that they got the 4-2 win. Trailing 1-0, the Caps answered with two goals from Jakub Vrana. After the Flames tied it just before the first period ended. Vrana answered in the second period to complete the hat trick and Lars Eller added a power play goal in the third period for good measure.

Even if the Caps lost this game, the Nats antics before the game and during the second intermission would be enough to make this moment make the cut in our top 10 list. Thankfully they still won this game and made DC Sports fans on top of the world.

#8 Vancouver comeback

This was one of Washington’s biggest comebacks of the season. After Evgeny Kuznetsov put the Caps up 1-0, the Vancouver Canucks answered with five unanswered goals. Kuznetsov got the goal off a pass from Jakub Vrana after the Canucks had two turnovers. They got them from a power play strike from Brock Boeser and a shorthander from Tim Schaller before the first period was over.

The Canucks added three goals in the second period from Elias Pettersson, Tim Schaller, and Jake Virtanen before the Caps mounted their comeback. It started when Kuznetsov got a buzzer beater with his second goal before the second period expired.

The Caps were shorthanded early in the third period but Garnet Hathaway fed Lars Eller for a goal that got them closer. Michal Kempny would then add two goals for his best offensive game of the season. Kempny’s first goal came on a shot from downtown. Kempny’s second also came from downtown to tie the game.

Both teams wouldn’t score at regulation or overtime which made the contest go into a shootout. Boser missed in the first round while T.J. Oshie scored. Pettersson tied it in the next round. Kuznetsov was unsuccessful as was Tanner Pearson. It set up Nicklas Backstrom for a chance to win the game and he did just that.

#6 Third period comeback vs. Pens

In a big game on a Sunday afternoon in February against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Caps had an epic third period comeback. The first period featured a goal from Jakub Vrana before Brenden Dillon and Evgeni Malkin got into a fight later in the period.

The Penguins answered in the second period with goals from Patric Hornqvist and Sidney Crosby. In the third period the Caps tied the game with a goal from Tom Wilson. Wilson picked the pockets of a Penguin and raced down the ice to backhand it in. A few minutes later they took the lead with Carl Hagelin pouncing on a loose puck.

The Penguins answered with Malkin tying the game. The Caps responded with T.J. Oshie backhanding in a rebound to give them the lead for good. Hagelin added his second goal of the game with an empty netter. Braden Holtby finished the game with 32 saves on the 35 shots he faced for a .914 save percentage.

The Caps would later get a win in Pittsburgh right before the season was paused due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. They haven’t seen Pittsburgh since but will get to play them eight times in 2021.

#5 Backy’s back alright!

The new year began with what every Caps fan wanted to see, Nicklas Backstrom getting his contract extended. He signed a five year deal worth $46 million to remain a Capital for life. Backstrom negotiated the contract all by himself without an agent.

Backstrom met with general manager Brian MacLellan at multiple places to negotiate a deal including hotel rooms on the road and in his office at MedStar after practices.

Backstrom met with the media shortly after signing the extension. Via Samantha Pell of The Washington Post (subscription required), Backstrom said:

“I had one goal in mind, and that was to stay here. I always dreamed of finishing my career here, and hopefully that will be the case. I love the city; I love the fans and love the organization. So it was no doubt in my mind. It would be really weird to put on a different jersey.”

The Caps made the announcement on social media in a way similar to how he got drafted with Alex Ovechkin announcing the re-signing. The Caps also made this hilarious video set to the song of “Backstreet’s Back” by the Backstreet Boys.

Now all the Caps need to do is extend Ovechkin so the two can ride off into the sunset when their careers are done.

#4 Hiring Peter Laviolette

After the Caps were bounced in the first round by the New York Islanders the team promptly fired Todd Reirden. Reirden played a role in Washington’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2018 as an assistant. The team expressed confidence that he was able to lead the team after Barry Trotz’s departure but it just didn’t work out. The Caps made the right call to cut ties with him.

After that firing the team had to search for a new bench boss and they went with the guy who I wanted them to hire. The hiring came in mid September and marked the second time they went with a non rookie head coach in the Alex Ovechkin era.

MacLellan said in September, via J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington:

“This is an important day for our organization as we officially name Peter Laviolette as our head coach. We feel very fortunate to be able to hire someone of Peter’s caliber and to have him available at a time of need for our organization.”

The Caps are going to be the fifth team that Laviolette has coached after stints with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers and most recently the Nashville Predators. He has taken the Flyers and Predators to the Stanley Cup Final while winning the ultimate prize with the Hurricanes in 2006.

#3 A last minute comeback against the Sharks

2020 began with a home game against the San Jose Sharks that featured another epic comeback. The first period was scoreless so all the action was in the second and third period.

The Sharks scored on the power play with a goal from Evander Kane. The Caps answered right back just a minute and four seconds later with a goal from Nic Dowd.

Kane would takeover and have a hat trick before period’s end with a goal at even strength and one on the power play. His third put the Sharks up 3-1.

Jakub Vrana would close the gap to 3-2 just before the period would end. T.J. Oshie would intercept the puck and feed Vrana right in front of the net as V went top shelf.

The third period saw the Sharks think they put the game away with an empty net goal from Logan Couture. Little did they know, the Caps had a comeback in them. Vrana scored his second goal of the game with 46.9 seconds to go on a spin o rama.

The Caps pulled their goalie for another last ditch effort and it worked to perfection. Oshie fired and scored from the right face off circle with 14.2 seconds left and suddenly it was a new game.

In overtime, Braden Holtby denied Kane of four goals. Then with just under three minutes left, Holtby cleared the puck to John Carlson. Carlson had the two on one and fed Lars Eller for the game winner.

#2 Ovi natural hat trick over Kings

In a February home contest against the Los Angeles Kings, the Caps had another comeback in them led by the charge of Alex Ovechkin in his quest toward 700 goals. Jeff Carter put the Kings up 1-0 in the first period.

In the second, John Carlson tied the game on a shot right up the middle. It would be 1-1 entering the final period. Carter added his second goal of the game about midway through the period then Alex Ovechkin took over.

At 13:50, T.J. Oshie fed Ovechkin right in front of the net for his first goal of the game. At the 15 minute mark, Ovechkin got a pass from Carlson, he missed the first attempt but followed his shot and rebounded it in to give the Caps the lead.

The Kings pulled their goalie with under two minutes left and Ovechkin got the puck and fired it from downtown for the empty net goal to complete the hat trick. It got him to 698 goals with just two more to go until 700.

Those are nine great moments from 2020. Now we’ve got one more to relive before we turn the page to 2021. What could this last moment possibly be?

#1 Alex Ovechkin’s 700th goal

This is a rare time where a number one moment in a top 10 list comes in a loss. Despite losing to the New Jersey Devils 3-2, Caps fans that made the trip had a lot of fun and not just because it was Spongebob Squarepants Day at the Prudential Center.

Jesper Bratt put the Devils up 1-0 and that would be the score after the first period. A power play goal by Wayne Simmonds doubled their lead. The Caps would tie it a few minutes later on a power play goal from Tom Wilson.

In the third period at the 4:50 mark was when history happened. Evgeny Kuznetsov fed Ovechkin from the rare right face off circle and Ovechkin banged it in. It felt like a Caps home game with all the Caps fans that made the trip. Ovechkin made rare history and who knows if we’ll ever see a 700 goal scorer again.

Ovechkin was the eighth player in NHL history to score 700 goals and was the second fastest to reach the milestone, doing so in 1,144 games. It took Wayne Gretzky 886 games. Ovechkin additionally was the fastest player to go from 600th to 700th taking him 154 games to reach the mark.

Those are our top 10 moments of 2020. Now let’s look ahead to the 2021 season. I wish you all nothing but the best this year and let’s go Caps.