The Capitals were able to squeeze a point out of an otherwise brutal four-game road trip.
The Washington Capitals were on track for a regulation loss to close out a brutal West Coast road swing before the All-Star break, but Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome had other plans.
Two goals in the final two minutes of regulation would force overtime, where Thomas Harley would score to hand the Capitals a 5-4 loss. Still, D.C. was able to gain a point before the All-Star break.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat, as Washington finishes the road trip before the break with a 0-3-1 record.
Capitals Rally Late As Ovechkin & Strome Force OT, But Not Enough As Stars Win It
Washington was eager to clean things up and be aggressive on the forecheck, but a breakdown in coverage just 2:24 minutes into the frame led to Matt Duchene putting Dallas up by two.
Another late comeback effort would ensue as the offense tried to pick things up, but the Capitals just couldn't get anything going against Jake Oettinger and the red-hot Stars — until the final minutes.
A late power play with 3:36 minutes left in regulation set the stage for another late rally, and Alex Ovechkin would score his ninth of the season and first since Jan. 2 to make it 4-3 and end an eight-game goal drought. He has 831 career goals and needs just 64 more to pass Wayne Gretzky.
Then, with 43 seconds left and the net empty, Dylan Strome put home a rebound in front to make it 4-4. It was reviewed since referee T.J. Luxmore blew the play dead as the goal happened, but the goal ultimately counted to force overtime.
Challenges haven't been kind to the Capitals this season, but it worked in their favor this time to guarantee a point.
In the end, Thomas Harley ended things after Washington surrendered a 3-on-2 break the other way, and Dallas would win 5-4 to hand D.C. its fourth straight loss.
Capitals Start Strong & Mantha Stays Hot, But 2 Quick Goals Puts Team In Tough Spot
The Capitals' start was reminiscent of their play in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche; they did a lot of things right, but ultimately, they were stung as the Dallas Stars jumped out to a lead.
That wasn't before Anthony Mantha extended his hot streak, sniping home his 15th of the season and third goal in as many games to give Washington the first goal of the game for the first time on this road trip.
While Mantha's goal gave D.C. an unfamiliar lead, Wyatt Johnston struck 68 seconds later to tie things up after Dallas went on a 4-on-2 break, and Harley would put the Stars up 2-1 just 27 seconds later.
Ultimately, a fast start was quickly silenced by Dallas, who again put D.C. in comeback mode early.
Sandin Ends Goal Drought, Special Teams Stings Capitals Again In Even Second
Washington was able to even the score in the second when Rasmus Sandin ended a lengthy 38-game goal drought to make it 2-2. The Capitals were comfortable for a few minutes, but then fell prey again to special teams.
Top penalty killer Beck Malenstyn was in the box, and Mason Marchment tapped in an easy power-play goal to restore the lead for the Stars.
Washington, who was flawless on the penalty kill before this road trip, has now given up a power-play goal in three of the last four games, all coming on this road trip.
Still, Dallas does a lot of its damage in the second, and Charlie Lindgren came up with a couple of key saves to help keep things within reach. He finished the night with 30 saves on 35 shots.
The Capitals were outshot 16-5 in that period and had some work to do in the third, and that work came in the final minutes of regulation to force OT.
Sandin Ends Goal Drought, Special Teams Stings Capitals Again In Even Second
One of the team's top threats up front was out of the picture to close things out, as Max Pacioretty suffered a lower-body injury early in the third period that took him out of the game. It's unclear what the nature of the injury is or its severity at this time, but it is not related to his re-torn Achilles.
Top Shelf Takes
- Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up two assists and now has three points in his last three games.
- Mantha and Ovechkin also had multi-point efforts, with each adding an assist.