Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
It was a career night for Capitals’ starting right-winger T.J. Oshie during the team’s first series game against the Penguins during Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs last night at the Verizon Center.
Oshie, who led the team in scoring with a hat trick, was the offensive star of the Capitals show. “I thought Osh was good. A real jump in his game”, said coach Barry Trotz.
He logged his first goal of the night midway through the second period with a breakaway play and even he needed a refresher in the locker room to recall the event, laughing as he apologized, “I never have this problem”. Oshie intercepted the puck in the defensive zone, raced down the ice toward the Penguins goaltender and launched a rocket for an unassisted score to tie the game. “It was kind of a foot race,” said Oshie. “I think it was [Kris] Letang over there maybe, a pretty quick skater, I figured I wouldn’t be able to get all the way to the net and deke or at least sell a fake, I thought I saw something up at the top glove there and I think maybe I caught him off guard.”
Steal. Fly down the wing. Short side snipe. Oshie ties it up. #WSHvsPIT #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/FAOlhRnAXc
— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) April 29, 2016
Oshie was back in it in the third after Ovechkin recovered the puck after his blocked shot and flicked a quick pass to Oshie who found the five hole and lit the lamp.
Oshie has a pair of goals in this wild contest. #WSHvsPIT #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/bajhb0Sq8Z
— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) April 29, 2016
But it was his game winning goal at 9:33 during overtime that is most notable. “I haven’t won too many championships in my lifetime even through the youth years,” said Oshie. “That’s the kind of stuff you dream about when you’re a kid playing in the backyard by yourself scoring the game winner and getting the hat trick. It was awesome a great way to win. We’ve got to regroup here we have another game coming up.”
Oshie’s hat trick, OT and more. #WSHvsPIT@YorkHVAC Hottest Plays of the night:https://t.co/aRn56CYdl7
— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) April 29, 2016
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The goal, called on the ice, was held under review for four minutes while the referees reviewed the call. “I put my hands up and looked at the ref and he marked it as a goal so that kind of reassured me” said Oshie. “The wait seemed pretty long.”
The goal earned Oshie his first career playoff hat trick and scored the game winning goal in overtime become the first player to accomplish both of those feats since 2013. “He’s been a warrior for us all year and he’s a great player,” said teammate Jay Beagle about Oshie. “Being up on the top line he’s one of our leaders that we look to and he steps up huge and has a great game and gets us rolling in the series.”
Stephanie Judge
