Victory over Hurricanes puts them into tie for first place It was far from their best performance of the season. But the Capitals have begun finding ways to win anyway lately and are taking full advantage of a schedule that suddenly has swung in their favor.
Rookie defenseman Dmitry Orlov scored his first NHL goal early in the third period, and Washington made that stand up in a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday evening at Verizon Center.
The Hurricanes had played and beaten the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins less than 24 hours before the 5 p.m. puck drop. That made three consecutive opponents that have entered Verizon Center after playing a game the day before while the Caps rested.
But while Carolina appeared to be the fresher team, firing 44 shots at Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun, it wasn’t enough. Alexander Semin also registered a goal in the second period, and the Caps (24-17-2, 50 points) moved into a first-place tie with the Florida Panthers in the Southeast Division. It’s the first time Washington has been in first place since Nov. 18.
“It’s hockey. That’s why when everybody was walking around here being pessimistic, things can change quickly,” Vokoun said. “Just like when we were 7-0. You have to play consistently through the season to be successful. You’re going to have up and downs.”
At 3:33 seconds of the second period, it appeared Brooks Laich had put Washington ahead as he drove hard to the net and had the puck bounce in. The official behind the goal ruled it good. But a conference followed, and it was determined Laich had interfered with Carolina goalie Cam Ward (22 saves). No penalty was called as it was deemed incidental contact.
“We just kept working,” Laich said. “Maybe we didn’t play our best hockey game tonight. You’re not always going to have your ‘A’ game. We just keep working, keep working, and usually this group can find a way.”
At 16:57 of the second, a drop pass from Marcus Johansson put the puck on Semin’s stick at the top of the right faceoff circle. Ward appeared to have the net covered, but Semin crushed a shot into a small window in the top right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
It wouldn’t last, however. Jay Beagle was whistled for an elbowing penalty late in the second period. Just when it appeared Washington had escaped unharmed, a scramble in Vokoun’s crease left a loose puck for Jussi Jokinen, who registered the tap-in goal with 17 seconds left.
That set the stage for Orlov, who was playing in his 25th game since a Nov. 20 recall from the American Hockey League. He managed to whack a rebound shot past Ward just 72 seconds into the third period to put the Caps up for good.
“I was a little worried about it, sort of anxious,” Orlov said through a translator. “I was waiting for this moment to come, and it finally came today. I’m just extremely happy that it happened.”
