Marco Sturm, Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott had a chance to see the Caps' season in a nutshell Tuesday night at the Verizon Center.
There was the quick start to the game with plenty of scoring chances. Then there was the long, painful lull filled with missed opportunities, power-play deficiencies and boos raining down from the stands. There were the last-minute heroics, which have been rare this season.
And then there was Ovie.
Alex Ovechkin welcomed his new teammates post-trade deadline by scoring the overtime winner on a beautiful rush that started out of his own end to give the Capitals a huge 2-1 win over the Islanders.
"It was just pretty to watch," Sturm said after the game. "He's just an amazing player. That's why he's one of the best."
Welcome to Washington, boys. Buckle up, 'cause it's gonna be a fun ride.
Ovechkin's goal capped a late-game flurry of activity that saw Brooks Laich tie it at 1-1 with the goalie pulled and just 47 ticks left on the clock. The goal was set up by Arnott, who was acquired just a day earlier in a deal with the Devils.
Sports
Ovechkin sent the puck around the boards behind the Isles' net to Arnott, who quickly fired a pass from the right corner to Laich, who said he was surprised to find himself wide open in front of the net. He one-timed Arnott's pass past Nathan Lawson for the goal.
The crowd ignited the home fans, who just minutes earlier were cursing the team under their collective breath as the Caps struggled to find its offensive touch.
Ovechkin definitely found his stride in overtime. With just over two minutes left in the extra period Ovechkin picked up a loose puck along the right wing boards in his own zone and motored toward center. He made Frans Nielsen look silly with some slick stickhandling to get past him and into the Isles' zone. Nielsen once again tried to stop Ovie, but the Caps' captain muscled him away, went in on goal, deked Lawson and sent a backhander into the net for the win.
"It kind of was a pretty goal," Ovechkin said afterward. "I'll take it."
No kidding. Up until that last minute of play, it looked like the Caps were headed for their 10th shutout of the season and another lackluster loss in front of the home fans. Coach Bruce Boudreau went as far as to say Ovechkin looked "lethargic" during the game until the last two minutes.
"That goal was vintage Alex," Boudreau said. "It was a forward back there, but he used his strength and was not to be denied. Sometimes superstars don't play good, but that's why they're superstars -- because they can rise to the moment."
Indeed. In a span of just a few minutes, all of the uglies disappeared. And there was much rejoicing.
While the Caps were trying to find their game and figure out how the new guys could fit into the system, Michal Neuvirth kept his team in it. He made several keys saves, including those during back-to-back penalties on Nicklas Backstrom late in the third. He eventually took a seat on the bench while his teammates tried to score the tying goal, and he was rewarded.
"That was definitely big for us," he said. "Brooksie tied it up and that was huge. After he scored, I just knew we were going to win this game, no matter what."
As for the new guys, they had very little time, and in some cases none at all, to mesh with their teammates before the game. But Wideman still led the team with nearly 27 minutes of ice time, Arnott got an assist on the game-tying goal and seemed to strike some good chemistry with Laich and Sturm found a home on the top line with Ovechkin and Backstrom.
"It's tough with new guys, you always to read off of them and see what they do," Arnott said. "The talent that Semin has is ridiculous. And Brooksie just works hard and has great hands. So if we combine and read off of each other, hopefully we'll be successful."
Contrary to what you might think, Laich said it was easy for him to click right away on a line with Arnott.
"I really like Jason's game and I think we can work well together," he said. "He's vocal on the ice, a leader and a guy that's been around. I really welcome the opportunity to play with him."
