Written By Isabelle Khurshudyan at WashingtonPost.com
As soon as Justin Williams’s stick blade tipped the puck up and over Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Eddie Lack, Verizon Center roared with a little extra enthusiasm, understanding the rarity of such a goal by the Washington Capitals. It was the first goal of Tuesday night’s game, and it was the first time the Capitals scored first in nearly two weeks.
They got the last goal, too. Alex Ovechkin scored the overtime winner, snapping a five-game goal-less drought and a two-game losing streak for the Capitals. They beat the Hurricanes, 2-1, clinching a playoff berth with 105 points through 69 games. The Capitals became the first team to punch their postseason ticket.
“We talked about it before the game,” Williams said. “We know where we’re at and we knew the stats. Something we’re very proud of, our record so far. We’ve earned everything we’ve had so far.”
After making 25 saves, goaltender Braden Holtby set a franchise record with his 42nd win of the season. With 13 games left, he has a chance to eclipse Martin Brodeur’s NHL record of 48.
“Obviously it shows the season we’re having here as a team,” Holtby said of his milestone. “That’s good. It shows consistency in what we’re doing.”
Ovechkin thought he had the game-winner on a shot 10 seconds before his goal. But the Capitals maintained possession after Lack made a save. With Ovechkin backpedaling from the goal line and Evgeny Kuznetsov behind the net, Kuznetsov passed the puck through Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin to Ovechkin. The goal was reviewed immediately, and at first glance the play appeared to be offside, but it was eventually ruled a good goal.
A positive result was only fitting after an early change of pace by the Capitals. Ovechkin said he thought it was the team’s best start to a game in its past 10 or 15, a post or a crossbar denying the Capitals several times.
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