The Capitals reclaimed the second Wild Card spot for the time being.
WASHINGTON — For the Washington Capitals, Saturday's win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was for more than just a playoff spot; it was also for Nick Jensen.
John Carlson had the game-winning goal, and Nic Dowd and Sonny Milano also scored while Charlie Lindgren piut on a show in net en route to a promising 4-2 win over the Lightning, putting D.C. back in the second Wild Card spot for the time being.
Here are all the takeaways from the win:
John Carlson, Nic Dowd & Sonny Milano Help Capitals Offense Bust Out For Win
It'd been a long time since the Capitals scored more than two goals in a game, and when the team needed to get on the board more than ever, it was John Carlson to answer and end the cold streak on offense.
With the game tied 2-2, Carlson unleashed a rocket of a shot on the second power-play opportunity of a 5-on-3 for the eventual game-winning goal, marking the first time since March 26 that D.C. managed over two goals in a game (eight games). With his goal, he became the highest-scoring defenseman in franchise history.
Later in the frame, Nic Dowd scored on a rebound to give the team a 4-2 lead late and secure two points.
Washington also got a two-goal performance from Sonny Milano in the first period. en route to the win as he established a new single-season career high in goals.
Early in the first, Milano finished off a picture-perfect passing play from Hendrix Lapierre and Max Pacioretty, who has points in three of his last four games, to make it 1-0. Later on, shortly after Anthony Duclair tied the game at 1, the 27-year-old buried a rebound past Andrei Vasilevskiy to restore the lead.
Charlie Lindgren, Shorthanded Defense Step Up As Capitals Show Grit & Physicality
It was a physical battle until the final minute for the Capitals, who were playing without Nick Jensen after he was stretchered off in the first period. But they came together and answered the call to grind out a win.
Charlie Lindgren was a big part of that, stopping 32 of 34 shots in his 48th start of the season en route to. The 30-year-old has faced the heaviest workload in the league since Feb. 12, and he continnues to push his team toward the playoffs.
Defensively, Washington was able to shut down the likes of Steven Stamkos and Nikita kucherov, and the team's five blueliners came together to take on a. bigger workload en route to the win.
Physciality also played a major role, as D.C. combined for a whopping 56 hits in what ended up bieng a gritty, hard-fougth game to the end. - Nic Dowd and Alex Alexeyev led Washington with eight hits each, while Alex Ovechkin had seven.
Nick Jensen Conscious, Has Full Use Of Extremities After Being Stretchered Off After Hit By Michael Eyssimont; Dowd Makes Eyssimont Answer
Near the end of the first period, Washington lost Nick Jensen on a scary play, as he was sent hard into the boards by Michael Eyssimont. Jensen appeared to go head and neck first into the boards and hit the ice, where he lay motionless for several minutes while being attended to by trainers and medical personnel.
The 33-year-old defenseman was ultimately stretchered off the ice, and there was no penalty on the play as the first period was called early. Jensen is conscious, alert and has full use of all of his extremities.
Nic Dowd, who is close friends with Jensen off the ice and was his housemate and teammate at St. Cloud State years back, would later make Eyssimont answer for his hit with a fight that ended quickly and resulted in Dowd easily — and visibly angrily — taking down Eyssimont, who didn't get a hit in.
It was a tough loss for Washington, who was left with five defensemen for the remainder of the game and is already without the services of Rasmus Sandin for the rest of the regular season.
Top Shelf Takes
- Dylan Strome led all Capitals with four shots and managed two assists, helping him establish a new single-season career-high in points (67).
- Hendrix Lapierre had an assist, and since Feb. 26, his 15 points rank the fourth-most among NHL rookies.
- Max Pacioretty had an assist as he played in his 900th NHL game, and he now has points in three of his last four games overall.
- For the second game at Capital One Arena, the visiting goalie had complications withsunlight breaking through.