The Capitals were just seconds away from securing yet another regulation victory Sunday at Verizon Center when Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal crashed the net off a late faceoff and lifted a puck above goalie Semyon Varlamov with just three seconds remaining.
It was a late punch to the gut for a team that had led virtually the entire game. But Varlamov recovered in style, making a handful of key stops in overtime and blanking the Hurricanes during the shootout in Washington’s 3-2 victory.
The Caps scored twice in the first period and made that lead hold up until the waning seconds. Rookie center Marcus Johansson and Alex Semin registered the goals. Carolina (10-10-3, 23 points) scored 50 seconds into the second period and then again when Staal tied it, setting off a jubilant celebration.
| Caps notes |
| » Washington improved to 17-6-2 with the victory and now has 36 points — most in the NHL through 25 games. |
| » The Caps have been nearly unbeatable at Verizon Center. They are 12-1-1 in 14 home games. |
| » Alex Semin scored his 18th goal of the year for Washington. He didn’t score his 18th last season until Jan. 9 en route to a career-high 40. |
But Varlamov made sure it was short-lived. He somehow stopped a 2-on-0 break in the extra period and then all three Hurricanes attempts in the shootout.
“The one [save] he made in overtime was obviously a game saver,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “[Varlamov] made some great saves — as he has all week since he’s gotten here.”
Varlamov (groin strain) played in just two games this season before finally returning on Wednesday for a win at Carolina. He has started three games in a row now and stopped 73 of 77 shots faced.
Washington has won three in a row following a three-game losing streak. But that doesn’t mean the Caps were completely happy allowing their second extra-skater goal in the final minute of a game this season. It also happened on Oct. 23 against Atlanta when the Thrashers pulled their goalie and scored with 33 seconds left in regulation.
“It’s tough. [The Hurricanes] are a great team and they work hard,” forward Nicklas Backstrom said. “But I think we should have won this game in regulation anyway. We’re the better team.”
Johansson opened the scored seven minutes in after a pass from teammate Eric Fehr. It was the fourth point in five games for Johansson. He had just one point in his first 10 appearances this season.
With just 71 seconds left in the first period the Caps struck again. This time a streaking Alex Ovechkin set off on a 2-on-1 with Semin, threaded a beautiful pace across the ice and watched his teammate smoke one past Carolina goalie Cam Ward (38 saves, 40 shots) for the 2-0 lead.
