The Capitals returned to the top of the league standings with a 4-3 win in Philly.
Once again, the Washington Capitals found a way, and this time, it was against the Philadelphia Flyers in a run-and-gun showdown.
Alex Ovechkin continued his chase of Wayne Gretzky, Jakob Chychrun had the game-winning goal and an assist and Charlie Lindgren came up big when he had to en route to a 4-3 win.
Here are all the takeaways from the victory, which puts D.C. back atop the league standings.
Alex Ovechkin Continues GR8 Chase, Makes More History
After Matvei Michkov opened the scoring earlier in the period, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals were eager to respond, and did so in dramatic fashion as the final minute of play in the first 20 ticked down.
Alex Ovechkin got to the front and finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play, beating Ivan Fedotov to even the score at 1. It marked his 26th goal of the season, and Fedotov became the 180th goaltender in NHL history that Ovechkin has beaten as he extended his goal-scoring streak for four games.
Ovechkin is now 16 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history. He's on pace to do so on April 10, at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Capitals Play Too Fast & Loose In Second, Power Play Struggles Continue
It was a run-and-gun second period for Washington, who took an early 2-1 lead thanks to a tip-in goal for Connor McMichael, who's been hungry to get back on the scoresheet amid recent inconsistencies. Nevertheless, it marked his 19th goal of the season, while Aliaksei Protas notched the assist to give him points in eight of his last nine games.
However, after McMichael's go-ahead goal, Washington played a bit too fast and loose. The Capitals went back and forth with the Flyers and got ahead of themselves with disconnected plays and broken passes, which ultimately came back to bite.
Tyson Foerster broke through on a tip-in to make it 2-2 on a power play, and later on Matvei Michkov took advantage of Washington's chaotic play, getting around Matt Roy and to the front for an easy tap-in to make it 3-2.
Then, there was the man advantage, which again struggled to get much going offensively. Despite a couple of looks, D.C. went 0-for-2 and now has gone three straight games without a PPG.
Lars Eller, Taylor Raddysh & Jakob Chychrun Power Capitals' Third-Period Rally, Charlie Lindgren Comes In Clutch
With Washington trailing 3-2 entering the final 20 minutes of play, Lars Eller stepped up once again, scoring his second goal in as many games as his third line with Ethen Frank and Taylor Raddysh turned up the pressure to tie the game.
Then, minutes later, the third line would prove vital again. Raddysh found John Carlson in the offensive zone, who got the puck over to a wide-open Jakob Chychrun for his 14th goal of the season and the eventual game-winner. Chychrun leads all Capitals blueliners in goals (14) and points (35) this season.
With Washington back in front, Charlie Lindgren had to come up with some key stops, and he did just that, flashing the glove and showcasing his finesse and athleticism with a big pad save in the final seconds to secure the win. He finished the night with 19 saves on 22 shots for his 50th win as a member of the team.
Overall, it was another impressive comeback effort for the Capitals, who are never down and out.
Top Shelf Takes
- Dylan Strome picked up an assist to extend his point streak to five games.
- John Carlson also had a helper and now has assists in five straight outings.
- Taylor Raddysh now has three points in his last three games.
