When it went into the net late in the third period, Alex Ovechkin's 23rd goal of the season gave Washington a 2-1 lead over the Wings in Detroit on Friday night. That much was clear, but less obvious was whether the goal would go into the books as a power-play goal or an even-strength goal.
In the final minute of the game, Ovechkin bagged an empty-net goal to send the Caps home with a 3-1 victory over the Red WIngs. His first goal of the game was initially listed as an even-strength strike at 17:10 of the third period, the exact time that Detroit's Robby Fabbri exited the penalty box after serving a minor penalty for interference on Garnet Hathaway.
But after the game was over and off-ice officials reviewed video of the goal, the time of the tally was altered to 17:09, making it a power-play goal, the 275th power-play goal of Ovechkin's illustrious career. That goal pushed Ovechkin ahead of Dave Andreychuk (274) for the top spot on the NHL's all-time power-play goals ledger.
Video: WSH@DET: Ovechkin becomes all-time leader in PPG's
"It's a great moment, for me, for the team, for the fans, for the game as well," says Ovechkin. "Now it's over and we move on."
Ovechkin's previous power-play goal came on Dec. 15 in Chicago, and he finally put Andreychuk behind him on the final night of 2021 in Detroit.
"When you're sitting there on the brink for a long time - one game, two games, three games - I'm sure you're anxious just to get it done," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "It's not like it wasn't going to happen, it was going to happen. But it's nice just to get it done and move forward from there.
"It's quite an accomplishment. The league's been around a long time with a lot of good players, and to be a part of that history is something special."
Neither team scored in the game's first period, but the Wings had the better of territory and possession. Detroit also had the only power play of the period, a late man advantage that carried over into the second stanza.
Although the Caps killed off that penalty, Detroit struck for the game's first goal a single second after Dmitry Orlov exited the box. Wings forward Sam Gagner collected the puck behind the Washington net, and tried to tuck it in via the wraparound. Ilya Samsonov made the stop on that bid, but Pius Suter was there to bury the rebound at 1:43 of the second, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead.
Near the midpoint of the second, the Caps began to spend some quality time in the Detroit end after the Wings limited them to a mere eight shots on net in the first half of the contest. The Nic Dowd line generated a couple of good looks to get the Caps started, and after Washington killed off a Tom Wilson minor just after the midpoint of the middle period, it managed to get the game tied up, going 200 feet to do so.
Matt Irwin skated out from behind the Washington net and went to partner Lucas Johansen, playing his first NHL game. Johansen shot a feed through the middle of the ice for Evgeny Kuznetsov, who got a good bounce when the puck bounded off his skate and then off the stick of Detroit defenseman Marc Staal. The puck came right back to Kuznetsov, who went around Staal and lifted it over the outstretched paddle of Wings goaltender Thomas Greiss, evening the game at 1-1 at 15:53 of the second.
Video: WSH@DET: Kuznetsov makes nifty move to tie the game
"It wasn't a great pass, to be honest," says Johansen. "But Kuznetsov is obviously pretty skilled, so if you put it near him, he is going to make something happen. Next time, I'll try to hit him on the tape."
Playing without three regular blueliners for a second straight game, the Caps limited the opposition to 20 shots on net for a second straight game. Eleven of those Detroit shots came in the first period, but the Caps tightened up in their own end thereafter.
There wasn't much room for the Caps to operate in Detroit's end, either. A couple of minutes worth of 4-on-4 hockey didn't change anything, but the Caps got a third power play chance when Fabbri was sent off, and a chance to end a 1-for-29 slide with the extra man that spanned 11 games.
Laviolette called his timeout with 75 seconds left on the man advantage, and after Nicklas Backstrom was able to keep the puck in the zone with about 15 seconds left on the man advantage, Kuznetsov teed up Ovechkin for a one-timer from the left point. The shot went through the legs of both Detroit center Michael Rasmussen and Greiss, giving the Caps their first lead of the game.
Ovechkin's second goal of the game iced it for Washington and spoiled Detroit's annual New Year's Eve home game, the Wings' first game since Dec. 18.
"We were right there," laments Staal. "It's a tough way to lose at the end for sure. But after that long of a break and with guys getting out of protocol and all that stuff, I liked our effort and our intensity and our emotion. It's something that we've got to repeat."
Ovechkin's Late Thunder Helps Caps to Win Over Wings - Washington Captials Web Site
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