Andrew Mangiapane scored his first playoff goal as a member of the Washington Capitals on Sunday and it was huge. While on the ice with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin late in the third period, Mangiapane scored what would end up being the game-winning goal with 3:37 remaining in Game 4.
Mangiapane made hay bread after taking a pass from Strome and sending a rocket short side past Jakub Dobeš’ out-stretched glove. In the process, Mangiapane looked off the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history, who wide open down the right wing, and tallied the clutch goal himself.
“He’s had a great playoff thus far,” head coach Spencer Carbery said of Mangiapane on Monday. “You could almost feel it’s only a matter of time before he finds one. None bigger than the one last night.”
The Capitals followed up Mangiapane’s tally with two insurance markers, empty-net goals from Brandon Duhaime and Tom Wilson, to seal the emphatic 5-2 victory.
While Wilson got much of the headlines post-game for his momentum-shifting hit on Alexandre Carrier, the Capitals had some agape love for Mangiapane (in Strome speak, “ogapey love“) inside the locker room.
“Just want to say, huge win, boys,” Logan Thompson, the Capitals’ victorious goaltender, said holding while up a game puck. “Thanks for bailing me out after that stinker (in Game 3), but this guy was drawing penalties, banging bodies, and game winner: Mange.”
Thompson then handed the prized biscuit to Mangiapane as Capitals players cheered their player of the night.
“Great game, boys,” Mangiapane said. “Way to do it all together. Let’s win the next one at home.”
Capitals video coach Emily Engel-Natzke then appeared, holding up a Stanley Cup Playoffs board featuring 16 circular divots. The empty spots represent the 16 wins necessary for the Capitals to lift the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!” the Capitals chanted as Mangiapane placed the puck…in the wrong spot, the series-clinching fourth-win hole.
“Move it over!” one player, presumably superstitious, yelled.
Mangipane then corrected his mistake.
“YEAHHHHH!!” the Capitals cheered in unison.
“First time,” Mangipane explained to this teammates. “First time, boys.”
