Despite a rough start, the Washington Capitals (3-1-0) came through late to force overtime. In the OT period, Jakob Chychrun netted the game-winning goal for the 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-1).
However, it wasn’t an easy start for the Capitals, as they gave up a goal in the opening period. Jake Guentzel shot the puck past Logan Thompson to put the Bolts up 1-0.
Washington then picked up the pace in the middle frame. Connor McMichael skated with the puck and fed it to Aliaksei Protas to tie it up at 1-1. That’s Protas’ third tally of the season.
The Lightning pulled ahead 2-1 early in the third when Brayden Point tipped the puck in on the power play.
The Capitals had gone 0-for-2 on the man advantage early in the contest. However, the third time turned out to be the charm in the third period. Tom Wilson redirected a Dylan Strome shot from the point past Andrei Vasilevskiy for the team’s first power play goal this season.
In the 3-on-3 OT period, Wilson came through once again by skating around the net and finding Chychrun in front. Wilson’s assist on the Chychrun game-winner gave him his 400th career point.
“I think in the first period, we were getting a little frustrated, and we were a little hesitant that they were going to make plays around us,” said Wilson. “In the second and third, our focus was to just take it to them and try to push them out of the game. We played more aggressive. I think our four lines did a good job there just to give ourselves a chance down the stretch to take two points.”
Capitals Analysis
The Capitals had to go without the injured Pierre-Luc Dubois on Tuesday night. That resulted in Connor McMichael replacing him at the 2C and skating alongside Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson.
It took some time for Washington to get going in the first period. However, McMichael eventually found his rhythm in the middle frame by skating in the offensive zone and finding a wide open Protas.
Going into the contest, the man advantage had been a struggle for the Caps as they were 0-for-8. They whiffed on two more opportunities which made them 0-for-10.
That all changed with the third power play of the game in the third. Wilson tipped the puck in to tie the game at 2-2 with over 15 minutes left in regulation.
Ryan Leonard also made an impression playing on the third line with Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre. He hit the post at one point in the second period and generated some chances.
Both teams were chirping at each other throughout the night as they got into it after every whistle. Good to know there’s still no love lost between Washington and Tampa Bay.
Capitals Report Card
Team: B
The slow start in the first period and Bolts power play goal were a couple flaws for the Capitals. But goals scored by Protas, Wilson, and Chychrun were enough to lift the team to victory in the end.
Tom Wilson: A+
Wilson was the clear MVP of this contest. He recorded three points (one goal, two assists), which moved him up to 400 career points. He is now the 19th player in Washington’s franchise history to record 400 points.
Justin Sourdif: B
Sourdif made his presence known on the fourth line. The 23-year-old was all over the ice, fought for the puck, and generated chances. He had a breakaway opportunity with two defenders around him and almost scored. Sourdif led the team with three shots on the night.
Aliaksei Protas-Connor McMichael-Tom Wilson: A
It wasn’t easy to replace Dubois at the 2C, but McMichael did a solid job. After a rough first period, he fed the puck to Protas for the game-tying tally in the second period.
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