Neither of the Caps’ last two wins have been particularly pretty – for different reasons – but they both have showcased something we’ve come to expect from this squad more often than not, and that is the fact that they don’t give up easily. After a somewhat even, if sluggish, opening frame, the Jets turned up the heat in the second period, outshooting the Caps 11-3 and out-attempting them 24-11. Thanks to Charlie Lindgren, however, they went into the locker room after 40 minutes still tied at 0-0.
Then John Carlson broke the ice on the power play early in the third period – and the team never looked back, clawing their way to a 3-0 victory and sliding back into a playoff spot.
Four Takeaways:
- Through the first half of the season, Alex Ovechkin was on pace for around 16 goals, leaving us all scratching our heads as to how the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history could have seen his production just fall off a cliff. Turns out, that production was only napping, because in his last 24 games he has 17 goals, just crossed the 25-goal mark, and is on pace for another 30-goal campaign. The GOAT is back.
- Ovechkin’s first goal of the game is probably one of the funniest he’s ever scored, combining forces with (or just stealing from) Connor McMichael to get the puck to dribble through the legs of Connor Hellebuyck. Seriously, what even is this:
- We’ve been seeing the kids step up a lot lately, but every now and then the old(er) dudes remind us that they’re not quite done yet – and yesterday was one of those days:
- In a matchup that, on paper at least, put the Caps at a severe disadvantage, they had one thing that worked in their favor: a tired team playing the second game in two days on the end of a long road trip. Still, you have to play the games you’re given whenever they come up on the schedule, and the Caps did a great job not letting the Jets get any momentum from a solid second period and instead not only took the lead, but extended it and then (this is the key part) held it to the final horn. Hard to ask for much more.
They Said It: The captain sums it up perfectly…just win, babes.