The Capitals got late-game heroics from Rasmus Sandin en route to a hard-earned 5-3 win.
The Washington Capitals were eager to carry over their momentum from Tuesday into a critical showdown with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they didn't disappoint while picking up two huge points — but it wasn't easy.
After giving up two quick goals and dealing with a 3-3 tie in the third, the Capitals got a late goal from Rasmus Sandin and another two-goal performance from Connor McMichael, while Nicolas Aube-Kubel also impressed en route to a 5-3 win.
D.C. is now five points out of a playoff spot, but in negative news, the team also lost T.J. Oshie to injury. Here are all the takeaways from the victory:
Sandin Comes Up Big To Save Win As Capitals Give Up Two Quick Goals In Third
Washington started things on the right foot and had good control through the first 40 minutes of play, as the team took care of things defensively while leading 3-1 through 40 minutes. Then, to open the third, the wheels fell off.
Nick Paul snuck around Ethan Bear and scored to make it 3-2, and 24 seconds later, Tyler Motte stripped Max Pacioretty of the puck before sniping a quick shot past Charlie Lindgren to tie the game at 3.
Dylan Strome responded with a highlight-reel deflection shortly after, but the Lightning challenged for offside. It was determined that Anthony Mantha entered the zone before the puck, and the goal was taken back.
Sandin would have the game-winner, though, as he got wide open in the slot and buried a behind-the-net feed from Aliaksei Protas to make it a 4-3 game. McMichael would seal the game with an empty-netter.
Capitals Lose Oshie To Injury
While the team pulled together for a win, it suffered a notable loss as T.J. Oshie went down with a brutal-looking injury.
Oshie was handling the puck and turned when he suffered a non-contact injury. He went down in visible pain and was on the ice by the bench for a few moments before crawling to the door. From there, he was helped onto the bench to sit down before sliding down and being lifted up by Darcy Kuemper and helped down the tunnel by trainers.
The 37-year-old did not return to play. It was not a good sign and comes at a tough time, as he is four games away from his 1,000th career NHL game.
Capitals Pick Up Where They Left Off, Start Strong As Aube-Kubel Capitalizes On Return From Healthy Scratch
After breaking out offensively back on Tuesday, the Capitals carried over that same momentum to start against Tampa.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel got things started quickly with a highlight-reel goal, as he played the puck off the boards to himself before making a move and firing a backhander past Andrei Vasilevskiy. It was quite the play for the 26-year-old, who made a statement after sitting out the last handful of games as a healthy scratch, and he also tied Tampa up on the last goal to open the lane for Sandin.
Later in the frame, Connor McMichael made it 2-0 with a quick snipe that beat Vasilevskiy.
At the other end of the ice, Charlie Lindgren and the defense took care of business, and the Capitals had a strong overall start to action that set them up for success.
McMichael & Mantha Remain Hot As Capitals Control Tempo, Strome & Oshie Extend Point Streaks
After going 15 games without a goal, McMichael has rediscovered his spark, and he stayed hot with another strong outing on Thursday. He picked up two goals for the second straight game and also impressed at both ends while taking on a bigger role with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nic Dowd out of the mix.
Anthony Mantha also stayed hot, as he fired home a nice saucer feed from Strome to make it 3-1 in the second. Mantha is up to 18 goals this season and has five points in his last three games.
In addition to McMichael and Mantha, Strome and Oshie added to their stat line, with each extending their respective point streaks to three games with helpers on Mantha's goal.
Carbery Tweaks Forward Lines & Breaks Up Ovechkin's Line, Protas Steps Up
With Dowd out, Carbery debuted some new line combinations, which changed mid-game with the Ovechkin-Strome-Oshie combo being broken up.
The Capitals moved Ovechkin to work with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson, and Mantha went to operate with Strome and Oshie. The new combinations worked as Mantha and Strome teamed up for a goal, and Ovechkin set McMichael up for the empty-netter late to seal the game and extend his point streak to 10 games.
Meanwhile, Protas took on a bigger role, taking Dowd's spot as the fourth-line center and getting more time on the penalty kill. He stood out with his speed and footwork, and he also battled hard along the boards and stepped up to make some good defensive plays.
Protas extended his point streak to three games with a huge play to set Sandin up for the game-winner, too.
Top Shelf Takes
- Tom Wilson picked up two assists to put an end to an eight-game point drought.
- Joel Edmundson has two assists in his last three games.
- This is the first time this season that the Capitals have managed at least five goals in two consecutive outings. Washington has scored at least four goals in three consecutive games.
- Charlie Lindgren stopped 29 of 32 shots in the win and is 3-1 with a .927 save percentage over his last four starts.