Courtesy: Washington Capitals Official Facebook Page
It wasn’t pretty or easy, but the Washington Capitals were able to salvage a 4-3 overtime victory over the Colombus Blue Jackets Tuesday night at Verizon Center.
Alexander Ovechkin was once again the hero for the boys in red as he netted the game-winning goal in overtime, but he received a lot of help from his mates in this matchup. 10 Capitals skaters tallied at least one point in the victory, including defenseman John Carlson as he was able to score his fourth goal in the last six contests.
Washington held their own in what was truly an evenly-matched hockey game. While the Capitals outshot the Blue Jackets 34-27, Columbus dominated in the face-off circle as they won 36 draws to Washington’s 22. The Blue Jackets had a narrow margin in the hits department as they outhit the Capitals 29-25. The Capitals had nine giveaways and five takeaways, while the Blue Jackets had six giveaways and takeaways each. Both squads went 0-3 on the power play, but Columbus kept the No. 1 power play of the Capitals on their heels as they netted a short-handed goal. Luckily, Washington was able to net a short-handed goal of their own off of the stick of Joel Ward, who already has nine goals scored on the regular season.
Ward has been one of the best players on the ice for the Capitals thus far in 2013-14. While he has made some mistakes at times, his grinding efforts on the third line have been one to marvel at. The 32-year-old’s previous career high came in his second NHL season with the Nashville Predators as he netted 17 goals and 18 assists for his career high of 35 total points back in 2008-09. The following season with Nashville, he was able to set a career high for assists in a season with 21. In just 19 games this year, Ward already has goals, four assists, 13 total points, but is playing to a -1 rating.
What has been encouraging with Ward this season has been his increased role on both the power play and penalty kill. The amount of shifts he is seeing is flirting with the low 20’s, but he has made most of them count and has consistently shelled out high-energy shifts, much like linemate Jason Chimera. Ward played to a +2 rating last night and had four shots-on-goal. The two areas he must improve are his ability to stay under control and his ability to win face-offs.
While the winger isn’t asked to take a lot of draws, when called upon, he tends to fold — Ward was 0-4 yesterday. Also, with his high risk, high reward mentality, he tends to steal some pucks in the center ice, but also plays a little uncontrolled and turns the puck over in risky territories as well. There’s a reason he isn’t higher up on the depth chart, but he certainly seems to be on-pace for what is likely going to be a career year.
Washington will face the Detroit Red Wings in the not-so-friendly confines of Joe Louis Arena Friday night. Detroit enters the game at 9-5-5, while Washington is 10-8-1. Both teams are second in their respective divisions (Capitals – Metropolitan, Red Wings – Atlantic).
Writer’s Note: The Washington Capitals re-assigned defenseman Dmitry Orlov to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced Wednesday morning. No corresponding move has been made just yet. Washington used forward Jay Beagle as a defenseman at practice, but head coach Adam Oates said it wasn’t something he’d do in a game. Beagle has been a healthy scratch recently due to the solid efforts of fourth-line center Michael Latta.
