The last time the Caps skated off their home ice Sunday, the team finished off a disappointing four-game homestand where they gained just one point. But after a 2-for-2 road trip, the Capitals came home and moved a big step towards sealing their second consecutive Southeast Division title with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Although Washington nearly let the win get away after blowing a two-goal lead and getting outshot badly in overtime, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin came through to deliver the 92nd point of the season.
Just 11 days after allowing Carolina to run away in a blowout on their home ice, there were some concerns when Erik Cole put the 'Canes on the board first 9:53 into the game, but Mike Green had a quick response, evening the game at 1-1 just 1:06 later with a nifty goal past Cam Ward.
Ovechkin got on the board for his 49th goal of the year with 1:59 left in the frame, using his quick release to score a power-play goal in tight to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Semin got on the board early in the second with a power-play goal of his own, beating Ward 1:30 into the frame, and making it look like the Caps might run away with the contest. However, Carolina took advantage of a bit of loose play by the Caps, as with four skaters pressing for a goal on a rush, the 'Canes counterattacked and cut the lead to 3-2 as Eric Staal converted on a 2-on-1 past Jose Theodore.
Nicklas Backstrom restored the two-goal lead with another extra-man goal with 7:33 left in the frame, but the 'Canes took advantage of a tired Caps defense and a broken stick in the final seconds of the period. With Shaone Morrisonn playing without a stick and Semin coming out of the box, Ray Whitney breathed new life into Carolina's game with a goal with just seven ticks left in the period.
The 'Canes then drew even with 9:13 left in regulation as Niclas Wallin scored on a drive from the point, giving both teams a point.
It seemed like Carolina would hand the Caps their fifth straight home loss in overtime, as a penalty on Tom Poti just 1:17 led to some golden scoring chances, but Theodore was up to the task in the extra session in which the Caps were outshot 6-2.
In the shootout, after Viktor Kozlov couldn't convert, Semin beat Ward for a 1-0 edge after two shooters, allowing Ovechkin to go for the win on the Caps' final shot, which he buried for the extra point.
It is a big one, as the two teams behind Washington in the Southeast Division race both got just a single point, meaning the Caps lead Carolina by 13 points with a 11 games to play for the 'Canes, and the Panthers by 14 with 13 games left for Florida. The Caps now need just 13 points in their final dozen games to seal the Southeast title, and are just two points shy of last year's point total.
It's a big win too, because Washington goes on a tough five-game swing through the Southeast, starting Monday in Atlanta. While the Caps can really salt the division away with a good trip, their lead is still big enough to survive a sub-par one, which is good for Washington. The Caps play all four division foes on the road in their next four games, then visit Toronto before finally returning to home ice again on March 27th,
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment