Capitals Beat Bruins 4-3 (OT); Alex Ovechkin Wins It In Overtime; Nicklas Backstrom Scores 5th Goal Of The Season

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Jon Sorensen


The Washington Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 (OT) Saturday night at Capital One Arena. The win improves the Capitals record to 6-0-3 (15 points) on the season. The Capitals remain atop the East Division, two points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers (13 points).

GAME STATS

STARTERS
Vitek Vanecek (4-0-2, 2.75 GAA, .915 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Capitals. Tuukka Rask (3-1-0, 2.13 GAA, .905 sv%) got the start in goal for the Bruins. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Alex Ovechkin returned from the COVID-19-related absences list this morning. Dmitry Orlov also returned to the team but was a healthy scratch tonight.

Lars Eller (upper body) and Brian Pinho (undisclosed) were the injury scratches for this one.

FIRST PERIOD
The Capitals started the scoring late in the first period with a goal from Nicklas Backstrom (5) at 18:06 of the opening frame.

The first period would conclude with the Capitals leading 1-0. The Bruins led in shot attempts 29-12 and shots on goal 19-7. The Bruins were 0 for 1 on the power play. The Capitals did not have a man advantage.

SECOND PERIOD
The Capitals stretched their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Trevor van Riemsdyk (1) at 5:22 of the middle frame.

The Capitals would make it 3-0 with a power play goal from Richard Panik (1) at 10:03 of the middle frame. Tom Wilson (4) and Alex Ovechkin (5) had the helpers. The goal was first credited to Tom Wilson but changed to Richard Panik during the third period.

The Bruins would respond with a power play goal from David Krejci (1) at 17:32 of the second period.

The period would end with the Capitals lead 3-1. The Bruins led in shot attempts 20-16 and 14-10 in shots on goal. The Bruins led in shot attempts 49-28 and shots on goal 34-17 after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD
The Bruins would close the gap to 3-2 with a goal from Brad Marchand (5) at 6:03 of the final frame.

The Bruins would tie it up with a goal from David Pastrnak (1) with 58 seconds left in the final frame.

Regulation would end with the game tied, 3-3.

OVERTIME
The Capitals would win it in overtime with a goal from Alex Ovechkin 28 seconds into the extra frame..

The same two teams will do battle again on Monday night. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m.

NOTES

  • Vitek Vanecek stopped 40 of 43 shots faced for a .930 game save percentage.
  • ‘The Bruins were 1 for 4 and the Capitals 1 for 1 on the power play.
  • ‘The Capitals led in hits 38-15.
  • Boston led in shot attempts 65-38 and shots on goal 43-23.

SHAVINGS

  • Zdeno Chara blocked six shots against Boston, the highest single-game total by a Capital this season and tied for the fifth highest single-game total by all skaters in the NHL this season.
  • With an assist against Boston, Brenden Dillon has now recorded an assist in three straight games. It marks the third three-game assist streak in Dillon’s career (3a, 12/7/18-12/10/18; 4a, 1/12/19-1/16/19).
  • With an assist against Boston, Tom Wilson extended his point streak to six games (4g, 4a). Wilson has recorded at least one point in seven of the eight games he has played this season.
  • Nicklas Backstrom scores his fifth goal of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Backstrom leads the Capitals with 11 points (5g, 6a) in nine games.
  • Four different Capitals have scored two power play goals this season: John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson. Washington is one of two teams with at least four players with multiple power play goals this season (Colorado).
  • Tom Wilson scores to give the Caps a 3-0 lead, his second straight game with a power play goal.

By Jon Sorensen

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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2 Responses to Capitals Beat Bruins 4-3 (OT); Alex Ovechkin Wins It In Overtime; Nicklas Backstrom Scores 5th Goal Of The Season

  1. Jon Sorensen says:
    January 30, 2021 at 10:47 pm
    Reply

  2. Pingback: Sunday Caps Clips: GOAT-vertime

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