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Caps win wild one - Ovechkin is rolling, Wilson back scoring |
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It was the Ovechkin show again.
The Washington Capitals stretched their three-game winning streak to four with a 6-5 shootout win against the Carolina Hurricanes in a game that will be one of the more remembered of this season. Alexander Ovechkin would record his second hattrick in as many games and at 33 years old may be playing the best hockey of his career. Physical forward and catalyst Tom Wilson returned from where he left off finding the scoresheet once again as he remains hot.
The game got off to a rough start for the Capitals just 46 seconds in as Jordan Martinhook put the Hurricanes up 1-0 on a wraparound that surprised starter Braden Holtby but just over 3 minutes later Ovechkin would get his first of the night and 26th on the year making it 1-1 at 3:57. The Russian Rocket absolutely blasted a one-time slap shot past Scott Darling on a goal that looked eerily similar to his deadly power play goals. It gave the Great Eight points in 13 consecutive games to match Buffalo’s Rantonen for the longest of the current season.
Carolina would go up again by a goal when Sebastien Aho scored his 10th making it 2-1 at 13:18 while the Caps were on the power play. John Carlson could not corral a bouncing puck at the Canes blueline and Teuvo Teravainen picked up the loose puck and dishes off to Aho who made no mistake on the clear breakaway.
The Capitals have had great second periods this year, however, this one did not get off to a good start as Aho scored his second of the night on the power play at 4:39 making it a 3-1 game as he buried a one-timer slap shot from the right side past Holtby. Just over two minutes later Carolina would score on the power play again when rookie Andrei Svechnikov made a nice feed to the slot and Teravainen wired a wrist shot into the back of the net making it 4-1.
The game would take a turn just over six minutes later at 12:37 when Tom Wilson scored his 9th goal as he crashed the crease and banged home a rebound past Darling making it 4-2. It was Wilson's 15th point in the 12 games since coming back from his 14 game suspension. Taking out the Vegas game where he left because of injury he has goals in seven straight games as the big man continues to make good on the new contract. Also noticeable is that he’s only taken 4 minor penalties so far as he is playing a more responsible game. Evgeny Kuznetsov assisted on the play to give him points in 7 straight.
Ovechkin would continue the comeback at 17:25 scoring his second of the night and 27th on the year making it 4-3 on a beauty snapshot as he out-waited the Canes defense and faked a slapper before burying it low for the 127th multi-point game of his career.
The goal marked the 13th consecutive game the Capitals have scored 3 or more goals in a game, their longest since 2009-10.
Just 56 seconds later Travis Boyd would score for the third straight game as he tipped a point shot by John Carlson to shock the Hurricanes fans and tie the game 4-4. Nic Dowd assisted on the play for his first career 3 assist game and Carlson’s assist moved him into the lead for NHL defense assists with 29. The 4th line of Washington is on fire right now with 12 points in the last 4 games.
A new game to start the third and the teams traded chances but it was the Capitals who would take their first lead of the night at 9:49 on the power play with Ovechkin. He would complete the hattrick making it 5-4 on a one-time blast from his office in classic Ovi form giving him goals now in six consecutive periods. The goal gave him 237 on the power play making him the highest scoring power-play goal scorer with one franchise passing the great Mario Lemieux(236).
It marked the second time Ovechkin scored hattricks in consecutive games as he accomplished the feat last year in the first two games of the season and it gives him 16 goals over the current 13-game point streak. His 28 goals lead the NHL. Nicklas Backstrom assisted on the play giving him 15 points in his last 10 and he sits in 12th spot in NHL scoring.
Former Capitals forward Justin Williams would tie the wild game 5-5 after he made Holtby pay for a bad miscue when the usually stick-handling dependable goalie tried to clear the puck from behind the net but instead caught a bit of the netting and Williams put it in before Holtby could recover.
After OT settled nothing the teams went to a sixth-round of the shootout before Jakub Vrana would score his first ever shootout goal to win the game for Washington. The winger has looked great this season and he confidently buried a wrist shot past Darling ending a game where the Caps trailed by 3 and won.
Capital Gain:
Ovechkin became the 13th player in NHL history to have hattricks against 14 or more teams.
Ovechkin is only the 3rd player since 1993-94 to have 28+ goals in his teams first 31 games.
Also…. There’s this….
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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