Game 2 Recap: Ovechkin Dishes, Capitals Down Hurricanes in OT, 4-3

Oh, honey, you’ve got a big storm coming.

The Capitals take a 2-0 lead to Raleigh thanks to an OT goal by Brooks Orpik. The Hurricanes challenged the Capitals after coming back to tie the game twice.

Here’s Saturday’s plus/minus:

Plus: The Capitals came out with noticeable energy after a sluggish start to Game 1, challenging the Hurricanes early with back-to-back goals.

Minus: After Michael Ferland got a match penalty for a hit to the head (sort of) on Nic Dowd, the Capitals failed to convert on the five minute man advantage.

And now this...

Here’s ten more notes on the game:

• After a slow start in Game 1, the Capitals played an energetic start to the second of the series, trading chances with the Canes early in the first frame. Despite the sharp play by Petr Mrazek, Alex Ovechkin plays a monster shift on both ends of the ice to set up Nicklas Backstrom’s tap-in goal. 1-0 Caps.
• In an almost disastrous turn of events for the Canes, Mrazek attempts to vacate the ice, thinking the slashing call against Trevor van Reimsdyk was a call against the Capitals.
• T.J. Oshie puts the Caps up 2-0 with some fancy footwork – seriously, he just straight up kicked Justin Williams’ stick out of the way. The Hurricanes come back with some sustained pressure in the later stages of the period. Lucas Wallmark scores but the Capitals challenge after Saku Mäenalanen spins Braden Holtby right ‘round like a record. Holts may or may not have put a little more razzle dazzle into the spin, and the refs rule it a good goal.
• After giving the Capitals an early PP opportunity with a hooking penalty to start the second, Michael Ferland gets his curtain call after a hit to the head on Nic Dowd. Dowd goes down the tunnel. Caps get a five minute penalty. Rod Brind’Amour turned a very interesting shade of purple. I’ll call it radish hued.

Do you know what’s worse than being a goalie on the other end of a five minute major penalty? Absolutely getting smoked in the side of the head by a John Carlson shot on said penalty kill. Woof. Not a fun time to be Petr Mrazek.

• Good news: Nic Dowd is back! Bad news: he almost immediately gets called for a high stick. After the Capitals fail to convert on the five minute man advantage, the Canes have a 5-on-3 opportunity.
• Aho? More like, uh-oh! (Sorry, I’ll leave) Sebastian Aho scores off a Justin Williams rebound from in close and the Canes tie the game 2-2 with under three to go in the second period. Mrazek with 16 saves in the second frame.
• The Canes are feeling their oats at the start of the third period, challenging Holtby on a number of early chances. Jakub Vrana and Carl Hagelin get switched back to the second and third lines.
• Ovi has done pretty much everything you could ask for other than score a goal today, feeding Tom Wilson off the bench to set up the go-ahead goal midway through the period. Honorable mention goes to Nick Jensen with the screen in front of the goal. A few sequences later, Ovi plasters Andrei Svechnikov into the boards – don’t play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against your heroes, kids!
• Nic Dowd gets called for his second high stick of the game and the Canes go to the powerplay. Dougie Hamilton’s shot gets deflected by Jordan Staal and it’s 3-3 with five minutes remaining in the game. Mrazek makes a heroic save on a John Carlson chance with just seconds remaining in regulation and we are going to OT, baby!
• Less than two minutes into OT, the Capitals take advantage of a broken stick by the Canes and Brooks Orpik is our OT hero. Who could’ve predicted this?