After Hurricanes tie game late, Green delivers overtime winner Capitals 4, Hurricanes 3 OT
Playoff-style theatrics befitting the end of the year greeted its start for the Capitals, who finished off a back-and-forth affair with Carolina on overtime goal from Mike Green for a 4-3 season-opening victory.
With the kind of focus and determination that expect to be called upon once the postseason arrives next April – and more importantly, deep into May and June – Washington calmly handled the disappointment of not putting the game away on what seemed like a certain game-winner from Brooks Laich with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.
After killing a Hurricanes power play to start the extra session, Green made the most of a man advantage with a shot that deflected off Carolina defenseman Bryan Allen’s skate and through the legs of Brian Boucher with 2:26 left on the clock.
“That wasn’t the ideal situation,” Green said. “I remember on the bench, maybe sometimes to you get frustrated or emotional or get your head down, but [Capitals head coach] Bruce [Boudreau], he didn’t change his emotion, and that stuck throughout the bench, and we were ready to do it.”
Boudreau, who’d surprisingly chosen Michal Neuvirth to open the campaign in net over veteran acquisition Tomas Vokoun, was also vindicated by four crucial saves in overtime from the 23-year-old.
“It wasn’t an easy game to play,” Neuvirth said. “But I stayed positive the whole game, and I believe that we get the two points. It’s just such a great feeling to start the season a winner.”
The Capitals (1-0-0) didn’t look like they’d need the help when Alex Ovechkin’s booming shot during 5-on-3 opportunity hit off the rear boards and fell to Laich for a 3-2 lead. Ovechkin, who returned to Washington on Friday from Russia following the death of his uncle, got better as the game wore on, slicing through the middle to draw the penalty that led to two-man advantage.
But the Hurricanes (0-2-1) pulled Boucher and used the extra attacker to pull back an equalizer from Jussi Jokinen at 18:41 in the third period.
Carolina similarly quashed the excitement from 107th straight sellout (18,506) at Verizon Center when Eric Staal got his second goal of the night 18 seconds into the third period, tying the score at 2-2 – only 37 seconds after Jason Chimera gave Washington its first lead of the season.
Chimera’s burst of speed down the right side and finish that rolled over the shoulder of Boucher took the sting out of Washington trailing for 2 minutes, 12 seconds before finding the net themselves.
Created off assists from Joel Ward and Karl Alzner, Chimera’s goal was a fitting reward for his line, which was first on the ice and the best throughout the night for Washington, which overcame a sluggish opening period to dominate the action in the second.
“The crowd was into it,” Boudreau said. “A lot of new guys. Nerves were there. It’s like being the first day on the job and going into the office… The first period, the passes weren’t very crisp, and I’m hoping that was a little bit to nerves.”
Following Staal’s opener against the run of play at 12:16 in the second, John Carlson’s extraordinary outlet pass set up Alexander Semin for what was little more than a penalty shot for the Capitals’ first goal of the year.
Without a defender in sight, Alexander Semin skated down the middle with time to flatten his stick on the ice, hesitate, then send a backhand to the short side past Boucher.
The night began with the Capitals unveiling their fourth straight Southeast Division championship banner without the players on the ice. Boudreau admitted that isn’t exactly the goal anymore.
“No, not really, I guess,” Boudreau said, displaying a calm understanding of the objective that matched how he rallied his players in overtime for Game 1 of 82 that will be played to get there. “But it’s great. I hope we can raise that banner for the next 10 years in a row.”
