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WSH 3, OTT 2 (OT) - Ovechkin and Backstrom Propel Caps Late |
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Hello All,
The Washington Capitals rallied past the Ottawa Senators to win 3-2 in OT. It took the Caps a while to really wake up this game and it was none other than Alex Ovechkin to put the team on his back and bury two goals in the third period to tie the game. A Caps win AND Ovechkin scored twice? Does it get any better than this for Caps fans?!
Here are the stats from the game:
Shots on Goal:
WSH – 33
OTT – 22
Shots on Goal (5v5):
WSH – 23
OTT – 20
Corsi For %:
WSH – 55.65%
OTT – 44.35%
Corsi For % (5v5):
WSH – 53.85%
OTT – 46.152%
Power Play:
WSH – 0/2
OTT – 0/2
Hits:
WSH – 33
OTT – 26
Blocks:
WSH – 16
OTT - 17
Scoring Chances For:
WSH – 38
OTT - 26
Scoring Chances For (5v5):
WSH – 28
OTT - 22
High Danger Chances For:
WSH – 14
OTT – 11
High Danger Chances For: (5v5):
WSH – 9
OTT – 8
Here are my takeaways:
Alex Ovechkin –What is there to say, really? The team came out flat and eventually Ovechkin took it upon himself to get the Caps back in the game. Here are his two goals:
On both goals, Ovechkin positioned himself well in front of the net. This has been a theme for Ovi this year. He is scoring from all over the ice, not just from his office. Ovechkin is now tied-1st with Chris Kreider for most goals on the season. He has 29 goals in 42 GP. He also has 29 assists. His 58 total points is tied for the league lead in points with Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl has played 5 less games. I should also note Ovechkin leads the lead in even-strength goals (21) and even-strength points (44). Last night’s heroic effort from Ovi is just a perfect example of why he is a in the conversation for league MVP.
Nicklas Backstrom – Backstrom scored a FILTHY overtime goal to win it for the Caps. Check it out here:
Absolutely ridiculous! I also love Ovechkin’s reaction! Backstrom has played nine games since returning from injury. He has 2G-6A-8P in that span and has been looking better and better every game. Four of Backstrom’s six assists this season have been on Ovechkin goals. The Caps are dealing with and unfortunate series of injuries and absences right now. Backstrom’s performance is just a glimpse of what the Caps ceiling can be when they return to full health.
Faceoffs – The Caps entered last night as the worst faceoff team in the league hovering around 45% win%. Well last night they won 71.7% against the 26th ranked faceoff team in the Senators. Faceoffs don’t mean much but man there have been so many times the Caps have been burned for a goal against when they lost a faceoff in the defensive zone this season.
Goaltending –I thought Vanecek looked fairly strong. He settled into the game is it went on. The Caps eventually took advantage of the Senators who have some of the worst goaltending in the league. To the Senators credit, Matt Murray has been fairly solid as of late. Regardless, they still allow 3.65 GA/GP and their save % against is also one of the leagues worst. It took the Caps until the third period but they were eventually able to take advantage of this matchup and beat Murray.
Honorable Mention -The Capitals AHL affiliate had their annual Teddy Bear Toss night…Here it is!
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby who scored the goal, also had a hat-trick on the night.
Next Up the Capitals play the Vegas Golden Knights on home ice on Monday, January 24th.
Thanks for reading and GO CAPS
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Stats/Facts/Video Clips Provided By:
nhl.com/stats
hockey-reference.com
naturalstattrick.com
@CapitalsPR Twitter page
@Capitals Twitter page
@HerseyBears Twitter page
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Follow me on Twitter @HB_Capitals
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