Heading into their second to last game before the NHL’s two-week Olympic break, the Washington Capitals knew they needed as many points as possible to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. But for a team that has struggled to find an offensive and defensive groove in the same game, success has been far from guaranteed.
Facing a one-goal deficit at the start of the third period, Washington posted three goals in the final frame to rally for a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets to inch up to 61 points.
Alex Ovechkin hit the 40-goal plateau for the sixth time in his career and the first time since the 2009-10 season, and his milestone marker standing as the game winner.
Washington also received two goals from Troy Brouwer, in his first multi-goal game since April 20 of last year, and 34 saves from Braden Holtby in what was an unexpected start. Michal Neuvirth was originally scheduled to make a fourth consecutive start, but was a late scratch with illness, giving Holtby his first appearance since Jan. 30.
The Capitals quickly made certain they would not be shut out for a second straight game, pressuring and peppering Ondrej Pavelec (26 saves) with shots until the second line converted.
Casey Wellman, playing in just his eighth NHL game of the season and, skating in Washington’s top six for the first time, won a battle along the boards and chipped the puck to Marcus Johansson. The slick-passing forward managed to send the puck past the outstretched stick of Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom and over to Brouwer, who sent a backhander past Pavelec for a 1-0 lead at 4:56.
Little comes easily for Washington these days, though, and it was a member of the home team who ultimately put the visiting Jets on the board with just over 13 minutes gone in the opening frame.
Winnipeg’s forecheck forced a turnover by Karl Alzner, who sent the puck from deep in his own zone directly around the boards to Andrew Ladd. The Jets captain found Bryan Little cutting toward the net and while Holtby stopped the shot, that wouldn’t be enough.
The rebound bounced out and went off a back-checking Martin Erat and into the net to tie it at 1. That it was Erat to send the puck into his own net only added to the insult of such a goal — the veteran forward hasn’t scored one for himself in 50 games this season.
The second period brought more struggles for the Capitals.
Less than six minutes into the middle stanza, Washington failed to defend an oncoming Jets rush as the forwards were unable to pick up 6-foot-5, 265 pound, Dustin Byfuglien as he entered the offensive zone. With no one guarding the hulking defenseman, Devin Setoguchi sent a pass from the left wing boards over to center ice where Byfuglien fired a wrister over Holtby’s left shoulder to put Winnipeg up 2-1 with 5:41 gone in the second.
While the Jets didn’t add to their advantage in the second period, they dictated much of the play and outshot Washington 16-7 in the frame for a lopsided 30-18 advantage through 40 minutes. The Capitals struggled to hold on to the puck for more than a few strides as Winnipeg players anticipated passes, picking them off to send plays in the opposite direction, and won countless battles along the boards to continuously gain possession.
Washington managed to pull even thanks to the improbable offensive efforts of the fourth line and two inexperienced defensemen, Julien Brouillette and Patrick Wey, who had just been recalled Thursday morning.
Brouillette, making his NHL debut at age 27 after playing for eight teams in two different minor leagues over the past seven seasons, shot the puck off the end boards and it caromed out in front of the Jets’ goal. Rookie winger Tom Wilson found the loose puck and deposited it into the yawning net while Pavelec was scrambling in the crease, making it 2-2 just 3:38 into the third. It was Wilson’s second career goal but it marked the first NHL points for Brouillette and Wey, who had the primary and secondary assists, respectively.
The Capitals’ top line followed a simple, yet often effective, recipe to push the home team ahead once more. Nicklas Backstrom drove the net for a shot, where he was upended by Enstrom and sent tumbling into Pavelec. With Pavelec tangled up both with Backstrom and his own defenseman, Ovechkin snuck low into the zone and fired the rebound at a steep angle to make it 3-2 at the 7:46 mark.
Brouwer added his second goal of the night with 4:45 remaining in regulation to offer some security as the Capitals carried their lead the distance.
Capitals notes: Mike Green missed a fourth consecutive game with a concussion. . . . Aaron Volpatti was placed on long-term injured reserve with an undisclosed upper-body injury that is believed to be a left arm or shoulder problem.
