The Capitals laid quite a bit on the line en route to a 2-1 victory.
A lot rested on Saturday's game for the Washington Capitals, as T.J. Oshie was playing in his 1,000th game while the team needed a win to stay in the thick of the playoff race. And they got the job done against the Vancouver Canucks.
Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson scored, Washington sacrificed quite a bit and Oshie also impressed in his milestone game en route to a huge 2-1 win over Vancouver.
Here are all the takeaways from the victory as D.C. sits one point out of playoff position.
Ovechkin, Wilson Provide Offense To Turn Tide In Second, McMichael Stays Hot
The Capitals were trailing 1-0 in the first, but the Capitals would step up and tilt the ice in the second period, thanks to a couple of top contributors.
Tom Wilson got on the board first, picking up a nice feed from Ivan Miroshnichenko and putting it past Casey DeSmith. It marked Wilson's 16th goal of the season and Miroshnichenko's first NHL assist, as well as his third point in six games since his call-up.
Just 1:53 minutes later, Ovechkin cleaned up a loose puck in front of his 19th goal of the season and 841st of his career. Connor McMichael got the primary assist, extending his point streak to three games.
Those two goals would be the difference maker and help Washington control the tempo, as D.C. outshot Vancouver 14-5 in the middle frame.
Lindgren Stands Tall, Defense Comes Up Big To Hold Off Canucks
There's a reason that the Canucks lead the Western Conference, and a lot of it is owed to their red-hot offense. For the Capitals, that was the key to the win, as they came together, laid the body on the line and got another standout performance from Charlie Lindgren to shut down J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and more.
Lindgren stopped 21 of 22 shots for first-star honors, and he has now won three of his last four starts, managing at least a .955 save percentage in all but one of those outings.
It wasn't just Lindgren, though; Washington put everything on the line, blocking 20 attempts from Vancouver. Martin Fehervary had a team-leading five blocks, while the team tightened up as a whole and played a strong game in front of their goaltender to limit the Canucks' arsenal.
Oshie Shines In 1,000th NHL Game
Oshie was a game-time decision due to an upper-body injury, but he battled through it and ultimately shined in his 1,00th career NHL game.
The 37-year-old logged 20:41 minutes, the second-highest ice time total of the season, and had one shot and one block while providing a boost and helping lead his team to a key win.
Oshie became the 62nd U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game milestone.