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Capitals outlast Ducks in shootout to open West Coast swing with a victory Capitals outlast Ducks in shootout to open West Coast swing with a victory
(35 minutes later)
ANAHEIM, Calif. — It was so good that it deserved overtime. This matchup of the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals lived up to the billing, the league’s hottest team and its best team playing each other. Extra hockey was a gift. ANAHEIM, Calif. — It was so good it deserved overtime. This matchup of the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals lived up to the billing, the league’s hottest team and its best playing each other, and extra hockey was a gift.
The Capitals beat the Ducks, 2-1, in a shootout, winning a game so close and so entertaining that it felt better suited for June than early March. In his best game since January, goaltender Braden Holtby made 27 saves and stopped two shootout strikes. Shootout goals by T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom lifted Washington to the win.The Capitals beat the Ducks, 2-1, in a shootout, winning a game so close and so entertaining that it felt better suited for June than early March. In his best game since January, goaltender Braden Holtby made 27 saves and stopped two shootout strikes. Shootout goals by T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom lifted Washington to the win.
The game nearly ended with less than two minutes left in regulation, when Washington’s Mike Richards jumped on a giveaway by Cam Fowler and had only goaltender John Gibson to stop him. Gibson saved Richards’s backhand shot, and the game went to a three-on-three extra frame. “You never know what’s going to work out in the end, but tonight was a high-pace game,” Oshie said. “It felt a lot like playoff hockey.”
[Niskanen flourishes on power play] “You can tell it was just a battle all night long,” Holtby said. “It was a very good game. Very good hockey team over there, and we believe we are one here, too. It’s fun to play in those games and even better when you come out on top.”
With 1 minute 40 seconds left in the overtime, the Ducks were called for their second too-many-men penalty of the game, giving the Capitals a four-on-three for what would have been the rest of the overtime. But Oshie was sent to the penalty box just 16 seconds into the power play for closing his hand on the puck, negating the man advantage. The game then went to the shootout. [Matt Niskanen flourishing on the first power-play unit]
Facing a 1-0 deficit through two periods, the Capitals tied the score 41 seconds into the third. The second line put on a passing clinic; Justin Williams had a one-touch drop pass through his legs to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who flicked the puck across the slot to Andre Burakovsky on the right side. Gibson sprawled to stop Burakovsky’s shot, but he couldn’t get to the opposite post in time. The game nearly ended with less than two minutes left in regulation, when Mike Richards jumped on a giveaway by Cam Fowler and had only goaltender John Gibson to stop him. Gibson saved Richards’s backhand shot, and the game went to a three-on-three extra frame.
It was fitting that line finally broke through, because the trio had been the most active in the first two periods. Williams, Kuznetsov and Burakovsky had combined for nine shots on goal, half of the team’s total. Williams led the way with five, and a Gibson split had robbed him on a point-blank chance in the crease. With 1 minute 40 seconds left in the overtime, the Ducks were called for their second too-many-men penalty of the game, giving the Capitals a four-on-three for what would have been the rest of the overtime period. But Oshie was sent to the penalty box just 16 seconds into the power play for closing his hand on the puck, negating the man advantage.
A game that started with a Ryan Getzlaf goal exactly a minute in morphed into a goaltending duel. Gibson and Holtby were both selected to the All-Star Game, and they starred on Monday. The game then went to the shootout, where the Capitals’ combination of skilled forwards and stout goaltending is almost unfair.
Holtby had 17 saves through two periods and 27 after the overtime, but it was the nature of them that was impressive, splitting every which way to stop dangerous scoring chances. He bought time for the expected third-period push, because while the Capitals have struggled in the first period lately, they have the league’s best goal differential in the third period. Facing a 1-0 deficit through two periods, the Capitals got the equalizer 41 seconds into the third. The second line put on a passing clinic; Justin Williams had a one-touch drop pass through his legs to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who flicked the puck across the slot to Andre Burakovsky on the right side. Gibson sprawled to stop Burakovsky’s shot, but he couldn’t get to the opposite post in time.
A blizzard postponed what would have been the first meeting between the teams in late January, but Monday night’s game made for one of the more intriguing matchups of the season. The Capitals entered as the league’s top team, while the Ducks were the best lately. Battling for first place in the Pacific Division, Anaheim set a franchise record with 11 straight wins before facing the Capitals. The Ducks have the best record since Christmas, followed by Washington. It was fitting that line finally broke through, because the trio had been the most active in the first two periods. Williams, Kuznetsov and Burakovsky had combined for nine shots on goal, half of the team’s total.
Anaheim Coach Bruce Boudreau said on Monday morning that the Ducks power play’s efficiency impressed him most during the team’s hot streak. Anaheim was 19 for 42 (45.2 percent) on the man-advantage during that span. That presented a significant test for the Capitals’ penalty kill, ranked fourth in the league before the game. “Lately, we’ve had a lot of chances to score,” Burakovsky said. “We’ve not been really good at it. We’re creating, but we’re not really sharp on the shot. It’s something we have to get better.”
Washington was burned on the opening shift. Alex Ovechkin tripped Ryan Kesler, and the Ducks got a delayed penalty, giving them an extra attacker in the offensive zone. Getzlaf’s shot from the point found the back of the net. Ovechkin didn’t have a shot on goal in the first two periods of the game. A game that started with a Ryan Getzlaf goal exactly a minute in morphed into a goaltending duel, so letting the goaltenders decide the outcome in a shootout was apropos. Gibson and Holtby were both selected to the All-Star Game, and they again starred on Monday. Holtby had 25 saves in regulation, but it was the nature of them that was impressive, splitting every which way to stop dangerous scoring chances. He bought time for a team playing in its fifth game in seven nights.
The goal meant Washington had conceded the first score of the game for the 11th time out of 13. They’d gotten comfortable being down, entering the game 19-11-4 after giving up the first goal, with no other NHL team close to .500 in that situation. “I got some breaks today, which haven’t really been going that way in the past little bit,” Holtby said. “Step in the right direction. I felt fairly good, but there are some areas that need improvement, too.”
The Ducks’ power play got a golden opportunity in the third period, when defenseman Dmitry Orlov was called for hooking with 9:36 left in regulation. The Capitals killed it off to keep the score tied, blocking three shot attempts and not allowing a single shot on net. [Capitals’ longest road trip comes at a good time]
It was the kind of effort Washington Coach Barry Trotz expected from his team in this game, two contenders using each other as a measuring stick. A blizzard postponed what would have been the first meeting between the teams in late January, but Monday night’s game made for one of the more intriguing matchups of the season. The Capitals entered as the league’s top team, while the Ducks were the best lately. Battling for first place in the Pacific Division, Anaheim set a franchise record with 11 straight wins before facing the Capitals.
Anaheim Coach Bruce Boudreau said Monday morning that the game would be a measuring stick, an opportunity for the Ducks to see how they stand up against the Eastern Conference’s best. The Capitals gave Anaheim the same respect.
“It was a fun game to coach,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “It probably was a fun game to watch. I think both teams were emotionally into it, so there was two good teams battling it out. From my standpoint, it was a good test for us.”