Capitals Rally To Douse Flames, 5-4; Alex Ovechkin Ties Jaromir Jagr On All Time Goals List

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Jon Sorensen
Photo: Gerry Thomas/NHL via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals rallied to down the Calgary Flames, 5-4 Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. The victory improves the Capitals record to 31-18-9 (71 points) on the season.

SUMMARY

The Flames opened the scoring midway through the first frame with a goal from Elias Lindholm and held a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.

The Flames stretched their lead to 2-0 midway through the middle frame before the Capitals finally dented the twine. Conor Sheary would pot his 15th of the season to make it 2-1, and Alex Ovechkin would score his 35th of the season for a 2-2 tie at the second intermission.

The Flames would reclaim the lead early in the final frame, but the Capitals answered with goals from Anthony Mantha and Nic Dowd late in the period to make it 4-3. Alex Ovechkin would add an empty net goal to make it 5-3. The goal would also tie Jaromir Jagr with 766 career goals, 3rd on the all time list.

The Flames would add a late 6-on-5 goal to make it 5-4, the final.

STATS

STARTERS

Vitek Vanecek (12-7-0-5, 2.25 GAA, .921 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the  visiting Capitals. Dan Vladar (8-3-0-1, 2.87 GAA, .904 sv%) got the start in goal for the Flames. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Scratches: Daniel Sprong, Michal Kempny and Matt Irwin.

FIRST PERIOD

The Flames opened the scoring with a tally from Elias Lindholm (28) at 9:40 of the first frame. Johnny Gaudreau (51) and Rasmus Andersson (30)  had the helpers.

That would be all of the scoring in the first frame.

The Capitals led in shot attempts 15-11 and led in high-danger chances 3-2. Flames led in expected goals .83 to .57.

SECOND PERIOD

The Flames extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Adam Ruzicka (5) at 8:54 of the middle frame. Andrew Mangiapane (14) and Dillon Dube (9) had the helpers.

The Capitals would answer less than two minutes later with a goal from Conor Sheary (15) at 10:27 of the second period.

The Capitals would then tie the game with a goal from Alex Ovechkin (35) at 13:23 of the second period. Evgeny Kuznetsov (37) had the lone assist.

The period would end with the score tied 2-2. The Flames led in shot attempts 21-15 in the middle frame and led 29-28 after two periods. Flames led in high-danger chances 7-2 in the second period. The Flames led in expected goals 1.91 to 1.63.

THIRD PERIOD

The Flames would retake the lead with a goal from Oliver Kylington (7) at 3:45 of the final frame. Blake Coleman (15) had the lone assist.

But the Capitals would answer. This time Anthony Mantha (3) would dent the twine at 8:21 of the final frame. Nicklas Backstrom (14) and Nick Jensen (10) had the assists.

The Capitals would take their first lead of the night with a goal from Nic Dowd at 11:50 of the third period. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (2) and Nick Jensen (11) had the helpers.

Alex Ovechkin would add an empty net goal to make it 5-3. The Flames would add a 6-on-5 goal for the 5-4 final.

The Capitals are back in action on Wednesday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers.

SHAVINGS

  • Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom played in their 1,000th career game together tonight against the Calgary Flames.
  • Conor Sheary scored to cut the Flames lead to 2-1. That marks Sheary’s 15th goal of the season and his fourth goal in his last four games.
  • Alex Ovechkin tied the game 2-2 with his 35th goal of the season and his third straight game with a goal. With 765 career goals, Ovechkin is two goals shy of passing Jaromir Jagr (766g) for the third most goals in NHL history.
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up the primary assist on Ovechkin’s goal, his team-leading 37th assist of the season.
  • Anthony Mantha scores to tie the game 3-3. It marks Mantha’s seventh point (3g, 4a) in 13 games this season.
  • Nicklas Backstrom recorded the primary assist on Mantha’s goal, his 14th assist of the season. Backstrom is now two points (262g-736a) away from 1,000 career points.
  • Nic Dowd scored his eighth goal of the season to give the Capitals a 4-3 lead. Dowd has recorded two points (1g, 1a) in his last two games.

SCENES FROM CALGARY

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 Rally To Douse Flames, 5-4; Alex Ovechkin Ties Jaromir Jagr On All Time Goals List

  1. Leslie+Galen says:
    March 9, 2022 at 12:00 am

    VERY. WELL. DONE. !!
    A formidable opponent who gave them a big challenge and they rose to the occasion.
    GO CAPS…we are so proud of you 👍😎

    Reply

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