Friday, January 22, 2021

A TWO-Point Night: Washington Capitals -- Game 5: Capitals 4 - Sabres 3 (OT/Gimmick)

The Washington Capitals opened the home portion of the 2020-2021 season hosting the Buffalo Sabres in a rematch of the two-game series the teams played in Buffalo to start the season.  It was a back and forth affair, but the Caps prevailed, 4-3, thanks to an expected source in a very unexpected situation, John Carlson getting the game-winner in the Gimmick.

First Period

Jack Eichel had the game’s first scoring chance all alone at the top of the crease about five minutes into the contest, but he snapped a shot high over the crossbar; he had another chance on a wrap-around almost ten minutes in.

The Sabres cashed in with the game’s first goal in the 13th minute, but not from Eichel.  Eric Staal tok a feed from Victor Olafsson, who pilfered the puck from Zdeno Chara behind the net, and he snapped it past goalie Vitek Vanacek before Vanacek could fend it off with his blocker.  Buffalo, 1-0, 12:33 into the period.

The Caps gained a tie late in the period when Nicklas Backstrom scored.  Brendan Dillon threw the puck at the net from the left point, but it was muffled on the way through.  The puck trickled through the low slot, and Backstrom fought off Rasmus Dahlin to backhand it past goalie Linus Ullmark’s left pad.  Dillon and Tom Wilson were credited with the assists.

Washington took the game’s first penalty later in the frame when Conor Sheary was whistled for slashing.  Vanacek save a goal on a slick three-way passing play by the Sabres, stopping an Olafsson try from the side of the net with his left pad.  The Caps killed off the rest of the penalty without damage.  The teams went to the locker room tied, 1-1.

-- Caps out-shot Buffalo, 11-7, and they out-attempted the Sabres, 18-16.

-- John Carlson and Tom Wilson led the team with two shots, apiece.

-- Nic Dowd (4-for-6) and Brian Pinho (2-for-2) were the Caps over 50 percent on draws in the first period.

-- Jonas Siegenthaler had a good period in his first action: two credited hits, two blocked shots, and a shot on goal in six minutes and change.

Second Period

Caps fans might not have thought “Nic Dowd” to break the tie, but that is just who did just over four minutes into the period.  He started his own scoring play by accepting a Brenden Dillon pass below the blue line and circling behind the Sabres’ net.  Dowd tapped the puck to John Carlson, who fed it down to Tom Wilson in the corner.  Wilson spied Dowd jumping into the play between the tops of the circle and fed it through, Dowd snapping a one timer past Ullmark at the 4:14 mark to give the Caps the lead, 2-1.

Jeff Skinner got another Sabre break near the ten-minute mark, but a snapshot was foiled by Vanecek’s blocker into the far corner.

Buffalo tied the game a bit over six minutes later, Dylan Cozens skating down the right side into the Caps’ zone and firing a laser of a shot over Vanacek’s blocker on the far side and just under the crossbar at 10:43.  It was Cozens’ first NHL goal.

The tie lasted less than four minutes.  Zdeno Chara collected the puck along the left wing boards and fired it at the net.  Ullmark made the save but left a rebound to his left.  Jakub Vrana pounced on the bouncing puck and chipped it past Ullmark at the 13:07 mark to make it 3-2.

The Caps’ lead lasted less than a minute.  Riley Sheahan walked the puck out of the corner, and with a clear lane to the net took it all the way in and tucked it around Vanacek at the 13:49 mark.

Vrana had a chance in the last minute, breaking past the defense in the offensive zone, but he mis-hit the puck off the heel of his stick, and Ullmark smothered it.  The teams ended the period tied, 3-3.

-- Shots were 14-11, Sabres, in the period, and Buffalo won the shot attempts, 27-14. A dominating period for the visitors.

-- The Caps were smoked in the circle in the second, going 10-for-28 in the period (35.7 percent).

-- Short bench for the Caps…through two periods, six forwards had less than ten minutes of ice time.

-- Lars Eller was the only player for the Caps without a shot attempt through 40 minutes.

Third Period

With T.J. Oshie in the box five minutes into the period, Lars Eller had a semi-breakaway shorthanded, but one last stickhandle rolled off his stick before he could wrap the puck around the right skate of a sprawled Ullmark.

The Caps drew a penalty in the last minute, Rasmus Ristolainen hauling down Oshie, and the penalty carried over into the overtime, the teams tied, 3-3.

Overtime

The Caps had 1:50 of 4-on-3 power play time to open the extra period, and John Carlson had a chance from between the hash marks, but he and the team failed to convert the man advantage.

The Gimmick

Oshie: save

Eichel: miss/off the post

Backstrom: miss/off the post

Hall: save

Vrana: save

Cozens: save

Carlson (Carlson?): GOAL!

Reinhart: save

 

CAPS WIN!

 

Other stuff…

-- This was the Caps’ third straight extra time game, the first time they had three straight since Games 12-14 last season against Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto, over which they went 2-0-1.  It would be the best chance in a scoreless overtime.

-- John Carlson’s Gimmick goal was historic… became first Caps defenseman in team history with two Gimmick goals (2-for-4 shooting), first Caps defenseman with a game-winning Gimmick goal.

-- The Caps’ lone power play was only the sixth time this season the Sabres went shorthanded.

-- Jakub Vrana brought the numbers… 1-1-2, plus-3, three shots on goal, five attempts, one blocked shot, and a penalty for good measure.

-- Brian Pinho was the only Cap taking more than one faceoff to finish over 50 percent (5-for-8).  As a team, the Caps were 24-for-60 (40.0 percent).

-- Carl Hagelin and Conor Sheary were the only Caps without a shot on goal; Carlson led the team with six.

-- The Caps out-shot the Sabres, 32-27, but were out-attempted, 57-52.

-- Vitek Vanacek improved to 2-0-1, 2.90, .898 in his first NHL home game and first NHL Gimmick performance.

-- Tom Wilson’s last shift of the contest ended at 3:42 of the second period. He has a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated on Saturday, per the club.

-- Garnet Hathaway had five credited hits to lead the team; four Caps finished with four blocked shots.

In the end…

Tough win, gritty win, needed win.  Putting two points in the bank with four players – four key players – sitting this out, plus another missing the last third of the game, is huge with a capital “HUGE.”  When all is said and done, that Carlson sneaky shot through Linus Ullmark’s five hole in the Gimmick might be the most important “goal” the Caps score this season.