Hello All,
The Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 (OT) in DC last night. Ovechkin scored late in the third period to officially pass Jaromir Jagr for 3rd All-Time on the NHL goal list. What an amazing accomplishment, what an amazing evening.
Here are the stats from the game:
Shots on Goal:
WSH – 32
NYI– 32
Shots on Goal (5v5):
WSH – 23
NYI – 28
Corsi For %:
WSH – 49.12%
NYI – 50.88%
Corsi For % (5v5):
WSH – 47.42%
NYI – 52.58%
Power Play:
WSH – 0/0
NYI – 0/1
Hits:
WSH – 30
NYI – 23
Blocks:
WSH – 13
NYI – 10
Scoring Chances For:
WSH – 34
NYI – 20
Scoring Chances For (5v5):
WSH – 27
NYI – 17
High Danger Chances For:
WSH– 13
NYI – 5
High Danger Chances For (5v5):
WSH – 10
NYI – 4
Here are my Takeaways:
1.Ovechkin Passes Jagr – Ovechkin scored late in the third period in what was at the time the game winning goal. Since the Islanders forced OT, it was not a GWG. The Capitals executed their patented offensive zone draw / "get the puck to Ovechkin" play and it worked like a charm. Here is the goal:
Ovechkin now has 37 goals on the season which sits 5th in the league. He his three goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky for most 40-goal seasons (12). Here is a really cool graphic that was posted by @CapitalsPR on twitter last night:
Congrats, Ovi! I found myself getting a little emotional after the goal. I am just so happy for him!
2. Late Rally – The Capitals found themselves trailing after two periods. It wasn’t until midway through the third period where the Caps broke through. Dmitry Orlov and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (AJF) led an awesome breakout. Orlov easily deked around Anders Lee and eventually found AJF for the one-timer. It was AJF’s first NHL goal and boy what a beauty. AJF has filled in quite well for the injured Carl Hagelin. He essentially does everything Hagelin does but with more speed and skill. Ovechkin’s goal gave the Caps a 3-2 lead and I thought for sure the Caps would get a massive win in regulation against the desperate New York team. Credit to the Islanders, they pulled their goalie is pretty much scored within seconds lol. Given the statistical advantage the Caps had in many categories this game, I thought they deserved the regulation win but I will gladly take the win either way.
3. Stats – The game was pretty even overall. “Shots For” “Corsi For Percentage” at all strengths were pretty even. It just barely favored the Islanders. However, the Capitals generated significantly more scoring chances. The Caps were +14 on scoring chances, +10 scoring chances (5v5), +8 high danger chances, +6 high danger chances (5v5). I was very impressed with the number of looks and the quality of looks the Capitals had last night. Also keep in mind, the Caps didnt have a single power play. Varlamov saved 8 of 9 high danger shots and 11 of 13 medium danger shots. Regardless, I thought Varlamov played great. I will always have respect for Varlamov since he was a former Cap. Dude is a beast!
4. Marching On – The Capitals continue to sizzle in the month of March with a 5-0-1 record. This was an Islanders team that had won 4 of 5 games and have been playing very well as of late. I would definitely consider this a quality win against a team who is just starting to find their next gear. The Caps have the 2nd highest point percentage in March at 0.917. They are tied for 2nd with 5 wins. They have the 3rd highest scoring differential at +9. They have the third best PP an the 7th best PK in march. You name it, the Caps are executing at a high level right now. If they can keep this up, they will surely make the playoffs.
Random Thought - When is Brock Nelson NOT scoring against the Caps? Dude is a machine.
Next up, The Capitals travel to Columbus to play the pesky Blue Jackets. Special shout out to my Columbus crew. Miss you guys! Hope you make it to the game to watch Ovi score a hat-trick to get to 40-goals on the year.
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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