Every game that the Washington Capitals have played lately has felt like a do-or-die, Game 7 in playoff overtime situation as they claw for a chance to even go to the postseason. Last night, that intensity kicked up a notch as they hosted the team that’s right on their heels for the second Wild Card spot – and once again, they found a way to get the two points.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty, and given the importance of every single standings point right now, you’d have liked to see them hang onto their one-goal lead late and get the job done in regulation…but the job was done, regardless, and that’s what matters the most.
Three Takeaways:
- This was another solid outing for some of the kids, with Connor McMichael inching closer to the 20-goal mark, Ivan Miroshnichenko making big hits and plays (including providing a screen on the team’s third goal) and Hendrix Lapierre showing off his speed in overtime. Getting consistent performances out of these young’uns isn’t just helping to keep the Caps afloat in the playoff race – it’s giving us a glimpse of a very bright future that seems to be closer than we thought it was.
- Coach Carbery and his staff definitely shortened the bench toward the end of this one. In a game where the lines were rolling pretty evenly overall, Mike Sgarbossa skated just 8:27 and Nicolas Aube-Kubel just 4:20 – and neither saw the ice in the third period or in overtime.
- Dylan Strome: Clutch.
They Said It: “I’m so proud because he’s just such a gamer. He wants to win so badly and you can feel it when you talk to him. You feel it on the bench. So, it’s not about him. It’s not about his own individual stats, goals, assists. He wants to score so badly because he wants to win.” – Spencer Carbery on Dylan Strome