After the long anticipation of waiting all Saturday morning for the game to start our Washington Capitals did not disappoint, after a nice 3-2 OT win against the fully healthy Boston Bruins.
Who better to start the playoff scoring off by our sweet prince and SCCTW (Stanley Cup Champion Tom Wilson). With a little sauce from TJ Oshie, Big Time Tommy beat Rask far side top cheese to give the Caps a 1-0 lead.
Jake DeBrusk then answered with one of the quickest shot releases I’ve seen in awhile to beat Vitek Vanecek who injured himself trying to make the save. (possible groin injury)
Vitek Vanecek faced four shots before he suffered the apparent lower body injury. Then enters almost 40 year old Craig Anderson, who was only between the pipes for 4 games this WHOLE season, but Anderson does have a solid amount of playoff experience from his 2017 run with the Senators. Anderson stopped 21 of 22 shots, he exceeded expectations coming in relief because I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried when VV had to leave the game.
Anderson became the fourth-oldest goalie (39y, 359d) in NHL history to earn a playoff win in relief.
Then in the second period with the score at 1-1 it seemed like Ovi got the Caps on the board with a deflection from a point shot from Brenden Dillon, but Dillon ended up with the goal.
Before the end of the second intermission Nick Ritchie restored the game back to even on the power play.
Later in the third period Jeremy Lauzon set a pick on TJ Oshie by shoving his forearm into Oshie’s head knocking off his bucket in the process. This was answered with no call and with the NHL rule if your helmet comes off you must leave the ice immediately.
Overall the Caps showed a lot of heart especially with facing the adversity of losing their starting goalie. The boys were buzzing on the ice tonight with the physical play.
If there is one person that can handle the physicality that comes out in the Cup playoffs its Ovi, literally getting cross checked by two Bruins at once.
Then we head to OT with a 2-2 game, and it’s only fitting that the first game went to OT. I was talking to my Dad the Caps have to have the most OT playoff games over the last 5 years. Would love to see if that stat is accurate.
Then early in the OT period who else but Tom Wilson a nice pass to Oshie, Oshie fires it to the net and at first it looked like his goal, but it ended up being deflected by Nic Dowd which was his first career playoff overtime goal to give the good guys the 3-2 win and a 1-0 series lead!
The Caps are back again Monday night at 7:30pm E on NBC sports network if you are not in the D.C. area.
The Morning Skate 