Not So Super: Detroit Red Wings 5 - Washington Capitals 6 (OT)

Why is it always Ovechkin? Every single time we lose to the Capitals it always feels as if it is Ovechkin who wins it for them. Every single time.

While we can be bitter about the loss, I have to admit, this was one heck of a hockey game. 11 goals, 1 point, and a hattrick. You really can’t complain about that.

Here’s how it all went down:

The first period was an eventful one to say the least.

The Capitals dominated the beginning of the period, and their work paid off after Jason Chimera scored to give the them the 1-0 lead. After that, it didn’t get any better for the Wings.

Gustav Nyquist took a slashing penalty, and twenty seconds into the PP, Joel Ward scored to extend the Caps lead to 2-0. This goal made Ward directly involved in the Caps last three goals against the Wings (Two goals, and one assist).

After the Wings had seemingly hit rock bottom, things started to look up again. Thanks to a Connor Carrick penalty, the Wings found themselves on the PP. And, for once, they didn’t waste their chances as Gustav Nyquist scored to cut the Caps lead in half.

Just as it seemed as if the Wings were gaining ground, the Caps charged back and once again extended their lead to two goals after a PP goal by John Carlson.

The Wings ended the period by taking yet another penalty. This time it was Kindl’s turn to head to the box. The Capitals nearly scored on the subsequent power play, but, somehow Alex Ovechkin missed a wide-open net.

The back-and-forth scoring carried over into the second period.

Tomas Tatar put the Wings back within one with just under seven minutes to go in the period. 19 seconds later, Joel “Wings Destroyer” Ward scored to, once again, put the Caps ahead by two goals.

With a few minutes left in the period the Wings found themselves on the PP after a slashing penalty by Troy Brouwer. Gustav Nyquist didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity, as he scored his second goal of the night.

42 seconds into the the third period, Nyquist would strike again, giving him a hattrick. This was not only his first NHL hattrick of his career, it was the Wings’ first of the season. In his last eight games, including today’s, Nyquist has 8 goals and 12 points. Hey Team Sweden, are you watching?

4 minutes later, Troy Brouwer would score his second goal of the night to re-take the lead for the Caps. However, their lead wouldn’t last for long, as Justin Abdelkader scored, assisted by Nyquist and Zetterberg, to tie the game up at 5 goals a piece.

The rest of the third period was fast paced, and each team had its fair share of chances. But, just like on Friday, the game couldn’t be settled in regulation.

With just over a minute played in OT, Brendan Smith was called for tripping. The referees had called a total of 9 penalties during the game, 6 of which I totally disagreed with. That said, calling Smith for tripping at that moment was completely asinine.

At that point, the writing was on the wall, and Alex Ovechkin scored to win the game for the Caps.

As disappointing as it was to lose, especially in the fashion we did, you have to admit that both teams deserved to win this game. Each team outplayed the other at various points in the game.

Also, what can I say about Gustav Nyquist. The guy was literally on fire tonight. Him, Tatar, Zetterberg, and Abdelkader seemed to dominate the Capitals whenever one of them was on the ice.

I hate to use this narrative, but hey, at least we got a point. While I would have been a lot happier with two points, every point is crucial in this tight playoff race.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, folks.

Next up for the Red Wings are the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night back at the Joe.

Let’s Go Red Wings!

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