Strome struck twice en route to the 4-3 win in the Capitals' biggest game of the season.
WASHINGTON — For the Washington Capitals, it felt as though the season rested on the result of Tuesday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. And it was Dylan Strome who delivered.
A lot weighed on Tuesday for the Capitals and Red Wings, as both teams went the distance in what was statistically the biggest game of the season. Ultimately, Strome struck twice to lead Washington to a 4-3 overtime victory.
Here are all the takeaways from the win, which puts D.C up two points on Detroit for a playoff spot.
Strome Plays Hero As He & McMichael Help Capitals Turn Tide In Third To Secure Win
After an underwhelming first 40 minutes that had them trailing 2-1, the Capitals needed a big spark in the third. And their stars didn't disappoint.
Connor McMichael was the one to rise to the occasion. The 23-year-old got to the front of the net and picked up a deflected puck behind the net before sneaking it past Lyon to even the score. It marked his third goal in four games, and he now has points in seven of the last eight overall.
Minutes later, Dylan Strome would turn the tables on Detroit and give the Capitals a 3-2 lead, cashing in on the rebound off John Carlson's point shot. It marked his fifth straight game with a point.
While Washington held down the fort for a bit, Patrick Kane was able to tie things at three and force overtime after D.C. failed to clear the zone. Ultimately, things went to overtime, where Strome struck again in OT to win it.
Lindgren Comes Up Big, Defensive Errors Costly
The Capitals got off to a slow start, with the Red Wings controlling a good amount of the play to open the first period and getting some good looks. Charlie Lindgren, making his 12th start in 14 games, again held down the fort.
Lindgren came up with some huge stops as Detroit's top threats crowded the crease and got a flurry of looks. He finished the night with 30 saves on 33 shots.
While Lindgren did what he could, it was defensive errors and breakdowns that proved costly.
Minutes after going up 1-0 in the second, Alex DeBrincat would even the score after easily sneaking past Nicolas Aube-Kubel and getting to the crease for an easy tap-in.
Then, to close out the second period, David Perron would give his team the 2-1 lead after knocking the puck past Lindgren, who was down and out in the crease and had little help clearing the net front.
Later in the third, with D.C. up 3-2, Washington failed to clear the zone, and Kane fired home a perfect pass past Lindgren to force overtime.
Dowd Ends Goal Drought, Aube-Kubel & Sgarbossa Benched
Nic Dowd got the scoring started in the second, and it all started with a great defensive play by Beck Malenstyn. After the rush went back up ice, Dowd got to the middle and rocketed home a shot past Alex Lyon to get D.C. on the board, ending a 10-game goal drought.
Meanwhile, in the third, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Mike Sgarbossa found themselves watching from the bench as Aliaksei Protas joined Dowd's line.
Top Shelf Takes
- T.J. Oshie picked up an assist and has three helpers in his last two games.
- John Carlson picked up two assists and has points in six straight outings.
- Martin Fehervary had arguably the save of the season, stopping a puck from trickling past the goal line in the second.
- Hendrix Lapierre picked up an assist after getting some ice time in OT, and he now has 10 points in his last 15 games.