The Washington Capitals rewarded a home crown in Capital One Arena with an exciting 3-2 overtime victory on Wednesday night.
Thanks to a Dylan Strome snapshot at 1:41 into overtime, Washington left with a pair of points and a big win against a New York Islanders team the Capitals will see again in a little over a week. Strome’s OT winner was his 13th goal of the year, a team-best in goals this year.
Hendrix Lapierre started the scoring as the Caps took advantage of a New York turnover in the defensive zone. A feed from Aliaksei Protas and a snapshot later, and the Capitals 2020 first-round pick scored his second goal of the year.
After the Islanders tied it up in the second period, a slapshot snipe from Joel Edmonson was his first goal as a Capitals, giving Washington a 2-1 lead.
“Great win, boys; it’s a tough team to play. Let’s do it again tomorrow,” Edmonson said to his teammate in the locker room after his teammates demanded a speech.
Happy boys#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/izMfkRGVUp
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 21, 2023
New York Captain Anders Lee netted an unassisted backhand goal to tie it at 2-2 with just under eight minutes left on the clock. Defensively, the Capitals held it down for the final minutes of the third period, led by a few massive saves by Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper finished the night saving 30/32 shots and tallying his third straight win in net.
“Another character win. Power play steps up. Penalty kill was excellent against one of the best power plays in the League.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery speaks to the media about the Capitals’ play tonight versus New York.#CapsIsles pic.twitter.com/JkmNEHBt1i
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 21, 2023
The involvement and success the Capitals are seeing from their young talent is a great sign for things to come for the Caps. Head Coach Spencer touched on that postgame when asked about the contribution from their younger team members. “I think our young guys are pushing the envelope. And what I mean by that is there is a mindset to just come into the NHL just to play games and gain experience, and my time will come. And you’re seeing right now from [Connor McMichael], [Hendrix Lapierre] again tonight an excellent job.” He added, “They’re not just happy to be here; they want to make a difference. They want to have a positive impact on the game and help the team win.”
The Capital’s defense shorthanded on Wednesday was another highlight in the win against New York, holding the Islanders’ dangerous powerplay unit scoreless on three opportunities.
Washington’s celebration is short-lived, as the Capitals quickly packed their bags for Dulles airport to catch their second of back-to-back games ending in Columbus, Ohio. The Capitals showdown with fellow Metro Division Opponent Columbus Blue Jackets marks the team’s third back-to-back set of games in 13 calendar days, with a 7 pm puck drop from Nationwide Arena.