Takeaways: Ovechkin & Capitals Pull Off Another Wild Rally For Hard-Earned Point, But Fall In OT To Jets

Alex Ovechkin scored his 877th career goal to help D.C. escape with a point.

WASHINGTON — If there's a will, there's a way. That's been the story for the Washington Capitals this season.

Two days after a wild rally for a point in Ottawa, the Capitals were in for another crazy night, and it was against a top opponent in the league-leading Winnipeg Jets.

In the clash of the respective conference leaders, Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin helped lead a furious rally for a point once again, but Josh Morrissey's overtime winner led to a 5-4 loss to the Jets.

Here are the takeaways.

Following a lengthy five-game road trip away from home, the Capitals took some time to get into the rhythm against the Jets, as they faced the Western Conference leaders for the first time this season and had to take a minute to adapt to the game.

Washington found itself trailing 2-0 after the first and being heavily outshot, as Winnipeg capitalized on some tough bounces in front of Logan Thompson; first, Cole Perfetti capitalized on a rebound in front, then later on, a Dylan Samberg went off Pierre-Luc Dubois's skate in front and in.

Dubois redeemed himself and pulled Washington within one to open the second, but soon after, Alex Iafallo redirected another bouncing puck past Logan Thompson to make it 3-1. Taylor Raddysh cut the lead to 3-2 later in the frame, but Josh Morrissey struck on a laser early in the third to restore the two-goal lead.

The Capitals struggled to keep up the Jets' speed and playmaking, while also failing to get quality chances on net early on. When they did, it was hard to beat Connor Hellebuyck.

As the game continued, D.C. did a better job of matching Winnipeg, ultimately clawing back into the game. It wasn't enough for the win, though, as the team fell in OT.

After the Jets went up 4-2 in the third, Dylan Strome got to the front and fired a shot on Connor Hellebuyck before Tom Wilson put home the rebound to pull the team back within one.

The Capitals also saw the lines get a shakeup in the third, as Ethen Frank earned a promotion to the second line to work with Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois while Connor McMichael moved to work with Taylor Raddysh and Lars Eller.

Frank has earned high praise since his call-up, keeping a full-time spot in the lineup and earning more opportunities to boot.

His addition to the second line worked wonders, as that trio generated several opportunities in the third to help lead the furious rally for Washington.

Then, it was Alex Ovechkin time. The 39-year-old unleashed a slap shot from the point, handcuffing Hellebuyck to tie it. It marked his 24th goal of the season and second in as many games, and the 877th of his career. He is now 18 away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. 

Pierre-Luc Dubois continues to make himself at home in the District, and on Saturday, hard work paid off as he got on the scoresheet once again.

Dubois got to the front of the net and fired home a rebound past Connor Hellebuyck to get D.C. on the board in the second. It marked his 12th goal of the season and fourth goal over the last six games.

The 26-year-old has points in four straight and five of the last six games overall, and his 25 points over the last 26 games are the most on the Capitals over that span.

Meanwhile, Raddysh also got on the board in the second, beating Hellebuyck with a strange goal that ended up getting stuck high in the center post of the net. It marked his first goal since Nov. 30, ending a 27-game dry spell.

- Matt Roy had three assists.

- Tom Wilson had a goal and assist.