Loose Pucks blog: Caps Postgame – 4-3 win over Blackhawks
Capitals forward Marcus Johansson made a rookie mistake late in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Another strong game for the 20-year-old could have been overshadowed by his hooking penalty that eventually led to Chicago’s game-tying goal with just 39 seconds to play.
But Johansson made up for his gaffe with a fine shift in overtime, eventually finding teammate Mike Knuble down low, who slipped the puck from his backhand to his forehand and lifted it over Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford for a dramatic 4-3 victory at Verizon Center.
“I’m sure Marcus wanted to work doubly hard on that shift because he felt responsible for them getting the tying goal – even though I thought it was a pretty chintzy call,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau.
Washington (40-20-10, 90 points) has now won eight games in a row and 11 of 13 overall. The Caps are now just one point behind Philadelphia (42-19-7, 91 points) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference – though the Flyers have two games in hand.
Johansson finished with a game-high seven shots on goal, blocked three shots and recorded two takeaways. He was dangerous in the offensive zone much of the night. But his hook of Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa gave Chicago life. With Crawford pulled for the extra attacker, Jonathan Toews jammed the puck over the line to tie the score at 3. But Johansson made up for it in overtime.
“Real heads up play by [Johansson],” Knuble said. “It would have been very easy for him to bury his head there and try to jam [the pass] through, but I kind of laid my stick to the side and he put it on the tape. It was a very smart play by him.”
The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead at 4 minutes, 46 seconds of the first period when defenseman Nick Leddy’s shot slipped through the legs of Holtby [27 saves]. But Washington didn’t need long to answer. During a Chicago power play, Patrick Sharp skated across the blueline to keep a puck inside the offensive zone. Instead he went too far and Caps forward Boyd Gordon raced after the carom for a breakaway. He ripped a shot past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford from the right circle to tie the score at 1-1. Jason Arnott then put Washington in front with a power-play goal with 54 seconds left in the first. Brooks Laich broke a 2-2 tie, slamming home a pretty pass from Eric Fehr at 6:23 of the third.
