The Washington Capitals pulled off a stunning Game 3 double overtime victory in Columbus on Tuesday evening.  The Capitals needed this victory to get back into the series.  The Capitals made some adjustments to their game, and it paid off for them in this lengthy affair.

In a must-win game, the Capitals overcame some adversity and were able to pull off the win.  The Capitals cleaned up some things after their devastating back-to-back losses in Washington, and their patience and determination finally paid off.

Where did the Capitals clean their game up at?  How did they perform better in Game 3?  What should the Capitals do to steal another road victory in Game 4?  Let’s dive in to some of the positive things fans saw in Game 3:

CRASHING THE NET

Even though Brett Connolly’s goal was not allowed in Game 3, this shift by the Capitals forwards was excellent.  Devante Smith-Pelly, Lars Eller, and Brett Connolly all crashed the net on this play, and caused all kinds of havoc in front of Sergei Bobrovsky.

If the Capitals are going to beat the Jackets in this series, they will need to outmuscle their defensemen around the Jackets net.  The Capitals are going to have to continue to grind the opposition down in front of their own net and they will need to continue to bang around for loose pucks.  The pretty goals will not be scored in the playoffs, but the dirty goals will be.

DEFLECTIONS IN FRONT

Tom Wilson has been criticized by some in this series for too many penalties.  However, in Game 3 Tom Wilson did exactly what he needs to do to score.  The Capitals got the puck deep into the offensive zone, and Wilson deflected a point shot from Matt Niskanen.

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Thought this one hit Whip on the way in, but they say it went in clean from Niskanen at the point. Washington with the lead in the 2nd. #CapsJackets #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/pT7VUXiu18

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 18, 2018

In order to beat Sergei Bobrovsky, a team has to create screens in front and deflect shots near him.  Wilson did just that, and got his first goal of the playoffs.

PUCK LUCK

A team can create its own luck by simply throwing pucks at the net.  Pucks can sometimes take weird bounces, and that is how Lars Eller got the game winning goal in double overtime last night.

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THE @lellerofficial 2OTGWG WAS JUST HOW HE DREW IT UP! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/2gXQnbe3f4

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 18, 2018

Even the shots that are not considered “high-quality” shots can go into the net.  The Capitals got a double deflection bounce on the game-winning goal.  Credit to Brett Connolly for just throwing the puck at the net, and credit to Lars Eller for crashing the net to cause the weird tip-in.

SPECIAL TEAMS VICTORY

The Capitals special teams were not very good in Games 1 and 2, particularly with the penalty killing.  The Capitals shut down the Blue Jackets powerplay in Game 3, as they went 0/4 in the game.

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.@JohnCarlson74 Fires the Cannon! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/dcli5quMMR

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 18, 2018

The Capitals went ¼ on their powerplay, as they got a goal from John Carlson on a critical 5-on-3 man advantage.  Special teams can make or break teams in a playoff series.  If the Capitals want to continue to swing this series in their favor, they must win the special teams battle in upcoming games.

By: George Foussekis