The Washington Capitals have done it. The words that D.C. fans have waited to hear since the second game of the season, the Capitals have won a game in overtime. Even though it came in the shootout it came in clutch fashion. But first there was an entertaining second period and an unlikely goal and contributions from unlikely heroes that would end the OT curse.
As far as unlikely goes, it wasn’t the first goal. That one was a no doubter. It was created with Alex Ovechkin making a cut across the ice, dishing the puck to Justin Schultz. Schultz found a wide open Tom Wilson. It wasn’t quite Wilson himself wide open, it was a wide open net for Wilson’s shot and it gave the Caps a 1-0 lead at 13:34. The Caps outshot the Ducks 11-10 in the first.
Things got a little scary but then turned out fun in the second period. The Ducks tied it nine seconds in from Josh Manson. Here’s where the unthinkable happens. Remember where you were when Carl Hagelin scored his first goal.
Carl was blessed with a wide open net too. Lars Eller worked the puck over to T.J. Oshie, Oshie passed it to Eller and found Hagelin. It was a good thing he scored. He did it for Sergei Ovechkin, who predicted that he would score a goal after his dad gave him a Hags bobblehead.
"“(He) actually called it yesterday. He got a bobblehead from me and he told Ovi that I was going to score and then Ovi told me this morning. You have to listen to the little guy.”"
Sonny Milano and Vinni Lettieri scored back to back goals to give the Ducks the lead. Milano’s came at 13:35 while Lettieri’s came at 15:29. But the Caps would also get another unlikely hero in John Carlson. It came in the McNugget minute.
Ovechkin provided a sweet backdoor pass to Carlson and he banged it in. 3-3 was the score after two while the Ducks led in shots 13-10. Wowzers. The Ducks also led in shots 10-8 in the third but fear descended upon Capital One Arena for the folks celebrating the Caps Holiday Party. Overtime was here. But the Caps weren’t afraid of the OT curse and they solved it.
Personally, I was pretty positive during overtime. The Caps controlled the puck really well and got some looks. But that was it just control as they couldn’t get a shot while the Ducks ran the clock out and only got a shot up. Shootout we go.
What made this shootout remarkable wasn’t that the Caps won but it was how they won. They actually came back. Troy Terry started out with a goal for the Ducks. Oshie got stopped at the other end. Ilya Samsonov then stopped Trevor Zegras while Evgeny Kuznetsov was stopped on the other end.
Then things got really scary as it was former Capital Kevin Shattenkirk up but the OT curse wouldn’t live on, in fact I think it got shattered when Samsonov made the save. Then on the other end Daniel Sprong scored.
The Ducks would answer putting the Caps on the ropes again with a goal from Rickard Rakell. Then Ovechkin was up. Let’s be honest as much as I love the guy he still misses these. Not this time.
Sonny Milano missed his shot, giving the Caps a chance to win it and it was the guy that tied it who would win it. Carlson was the hero. It was a big win too as it avenged an overtime loss against these guys last month in Anaheim.
Now the Caps get a couple days rest before their Friday night matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.