Hear from Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and more following the Capitals' 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres.
WASHINGTON — Dylan Strome calls it confidence. Connor McMichael calls it good vibes. Whichver way you phrase it, there's an undeniable feeling of belief in the Washington Capitals locker room that's manifested into five straight wins.
Strome played hero and called game for Washington, electing to shoot on a 2-on-1 and burying his first career NHL overtime winner with eight seconds to go in the extra period. But before that, he and the team knew they would rally back to win it in OT.
"Just feels like we have this belief. Like, even on the bench, everyone’s kinda like we know we’re gonna tie it up. It’s a good feeling to have. We’re playing well, we’re getting timely goals, everyone’s chipping in," Strome said. "Different night, it’s a different line. Osh gets a huge goal today. Al gets his first with the fourth line, doing a great job in the O-zone and we get one 6-on-5. Obviously, our power play hasn’t been good at all, but we get one with a man advantage and we’re gonna count it as a power-play goal.”
In addition to a multi-point outing for Strrome, Tom Wilson also scored, as well as T.J. Oshie and Alex Alexeyev. Oshie ended a 19-game goal drought, much to the elation and relief of him and his teammates, while Alexeyev had his first NHL goal.
For Alexeyev, it was an "unreal" feeling, underscored by the fact that he didn't know that his throwaway shot from the point ended up in the back of the net.
"I didn't even recognize that it went in. It felt great. Big weight off my shoulders," he smiled, adding that the puck was getting framed.
For Wilson, the win spoke volumes about the team's confidence as it rallied back from two deficits for its ninth win in 11 games.
"I thought it was a character win, guys kind of dug deep... There are some shifts where guys had to do their job late in the game and get the job done in overtime. Structure and detail, if we keep that throughout the whole game, it'll generally give us a good chance," Wilson said. "I thought we were kind of taking it to them for the second half of the game. I think the right time won, so we just had to kind of stick with it.
"[Spencer Carbery] brings that energy and passion and we want to execute that game plan as much as we can, and I think we're starting to figure it out. That being said, it's a long year. We got to keep doing the right things."
McMichael, who has points in three of his last four games, agreed, and cited the Capitals' dynamic and buy-in for the points they continue to collect.
"It's good vibes in the locker room right now," McMichael said. "We're all happy to play for each other, we're willing to do what it takes to win, and I think tonight showed that we're a really resilient group."