Dylan Strome Shines As Washington Capitals Claim 5-4 Shootout Victory Against Vegas Golden Knights
The Washington Capitals struggled offensively but managed a win against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 28. They had to rebound after giving up a 3-0 lead in the second period to a team that has now lost 6 of its last 7 games. For the Capitals, Dylan Strome scored a regular-time goal and the game-winner in the shootout, with Hendrix Lapierre, Anthony Beauvillier, and Justin Sourdif also scoring.
For the Knights, Jack Eichel, Rasmus Andersson, Mitch Marner, and Nic Dowd scored. Washington player Aliaksei Protas left the ice after a nasty head collision with Dowd, with Dowd returning to the game, but Protas remaining off the ice.
Washington is still clinging to a slim playoff hope, sitting at sixth place in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. It will have to be a big push to make up four points on the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card spot in the NHL Playoffs. Las Vegas is in third place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, a much more comfortable spot than their opponents.
Capitals Take a 1-0 Lead in the First Period
The away team got an early lead as Lapierre scored at 6:06 with an assist from Ivan Miroschnickenko, who scored in his second game back from being a healthy scratch on March 26. Brandon Duhaime also got the assist.
With 1:15 left in the first period, Protas took a shove to the back from Jeremy Lauzon and slammed headfirst into Dowd, with both men falling onto the ice. Dowd had a cut over his eye that got patched up, and he later scored, while Protas could not leave the ice under his own power and was later ruled out of the rest of the game with an upper-body injury. The two are former teammates, as Dowd was traded to the Knights on March 5 after playing with the Capitals since 2018.
At the end of the first period, despite leading 13-6 in shots, the Golden Knights couldn’t get past Washington goalie Logan Thompson and were down 0-1.
The Game Heats Up In the Second Period
Sourdif scored his 15th goal of the season at 1:55 on a power play, assisted by Cole Hutson and Connor McMichael. After the Capitals managed a penalty kill, Beauvillier scored at 6:55, assisted by Sourdif and Ryan Leonard.
Brayden McNabb of Washington got a high-stick penalty to give the Golden Knights a penalty, and they took advantage with two goals back-to-back. Dowd began to turn the tide at 10:38, scoring unassisted, only his fifth goal of the season and his first with Las Vegas. Anderssen scored 25 seconds later with an assist from Eichel, making the score 3-2 Capitals.
It only took Eichel two more minutes to tie the game, scoring at 13:18 with assistance from Lauzon and Andersson. Tom Wilson of the Capitals got a slashing penalty at 19:53 two days after getting a record 21 minutes in the penalty box against the Utah Mammoth.
The Golden Knights led 22-11 in shots after the second period, and the score was tied at 3-3.
Strome Forces Overtime, Scores Game Winner
Marner took advantage of the power play at 0:31, scoring his 20th goal of the season with an assist from Pavel Dorofayev and Eichel. Andersson and Marner went to the penalty box for a 5-on-3 for the Capitals, and once Andersson got back on the ice, Strome scored at 8:54. Alex Ovechkin and Hutson were credited with the assist.
No one was able to score during the rest of regulation or overtime, though there were some good chances from both teams. The game went to a shootout, as it was tied at 4. Strome was also the only player to score in the shootout, getting past Las Vegas Goalie Adin Hill in the first shot of the first round.
What’s Next?
The Golden Knights did very well to get four goals past Thompson, who’s been one of the better goalies in the league this season. Their ability to capitalize on power plays was important for them to score 4 goals, even if they did eventually lose the game. The Capitals, on the other hand, struggled both offensively and defensively, especially during the second period. That’s been one of the main reasons why the Capitals are out of a playoff spot, falling off after an excellent fall season.
Getting to the playoffs will be vital, as Ovechkin is in the last season of his contract and has not announced whether he will renew it or not. The NHL Draft will be key for both teams, especially the Capitals, who are looking for a forward to eventually take Ovechkin’s place as the leading goal-scorer for the team.
The Capitals will play the Philadelphia Flyers at home on March 31, while the Golden Knights will play the Vancouver Canucks at home on March 30.
