Tuesday's tilt between the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings was a playoff game for both clubs, and D.C. desperately needed two points as it faced another do-or-die outing. And, staring adversity in the face, Washington — mainly thanks to Charlie Lindgren — delivered to get back in playoff position.
Lindgren stunned with 41 saves, while Alex Ovechkin broke another NHL record and Dylan Strome also scored en route to a huge 2-1 victory over the Red Wings to get back in the Wild Card spot.
Here are all the takeaways from the win, which also ends a six-game losing streak.
Charlie Lindgren Comes Up Huge To Lift D.C. Back Into Postseason
To kick things off against Detroit, the Capitals found themselves outmatched and outplayed, with the Red Wings waging war in the offensive zone, putting on relentless battles, winning puck battles and getting pucks on goal, while Washington also gave away the puck on quite a few occasions. But thankfully for D.C., Charlie Lindgren was up to the task.
The 30-year-old stunned with key saves at key times, kicking pucks out of harm's way and staying cool and collected in the biggest game of the year. He stopped 41 of 42 shots, including all 17 shots against in the first period, and also shut down Detroit in the third — and also stopped all four shots on two huge power plays in the final 20 minutes of regulation — to preserve the win and avoid a seventh straight loss for D.C.
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Though Patrick Kane would spoil the shutout bid at the buzzer, it was Lindgren's steadiness that hat helped pave the way for a crucial win, and he also got some help from the players in front of him, who blocked 24 attempts.
Alex Ovechkin & Dylan Strome Finally Spark Capitals Offense After Slow Start, Ovechkin Makes History
After a lackluster start and the same offensive woes continuing to plague the Capitals, the team's stars stepped up to the plate to turn things around in the second.
Washington started to show some fight and grit, and it led to a few shifts of sustained pressure in the o-zone. And finally, Strome would open the scoring with his 27th goal of the season on a quick shot that beat Alex Lyon. Strome has now matched his career high in points.
Then, with time winding down in the middle frame, Ovechkin drove to the net and called his own number on a 2-on-1 break with T.J. Oshie for his team-leading 30th goal of the season.
Ovechkin's 30th goal of the year and 852nd of his career moved him past Mike Gartner for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history, and it also moved him within 43 goals of passing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history.
Related: GOTTA SEE IT: Ovechkin Makes NHL History Again With 30th Of Season vs. Red Wings; Gartner Tells Capitals Captain He'll Pass Gretzky
Capitals Come Together To Steal Back Playoff Spot
Washington's offense may have shown up late to the party and started a bit slowly, but the team ultimately came together and worked to get the job done and end a six-game losing skid while getting back into the postseason conversation.
The penalty kill also came up big, going 2-for-2 on big kills in the third period, en route to the victory.
With the win over the Red Wings, the Capitals leapfrogged Detroit and moved into the second Wild Card spot, and their chances of making the playoffs in the next four games increased by a whopping 18.8 percent.
Top Shelf Takes
- With Rasmus Sandin injured, John Carlson led all defensemen with 29:25 minutes. Vincent Iorio also returned for his second game of the season and looked solid through 9:40 minutes of ice time.
- T.J. Oshie picked up an assist in his return to play after missing the last four games with an upper-body injury.
- Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson were tied for the team lead in hits with four each.
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