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The scene seemed familiar in Washington, as the Capitals, up 3-1 to start the third period, took the game all the way down to the wire to beat the Colorado Avalanche in overtime.
The Caps, who have now taken nine of their last ten matchups against Colorado, entered Thursday’s game fresh off a win over the Canucks on Tuesday.
Andre Burakovsky, who has found himself at the center of trade deadline speculation as of late, tipped in a shot from T.J. Oshie a few minutes into the first period.
Just before the goal, Nikita Zadorov landed a huge hit on Brett Connolly, who dropped his stick and left the ice, clutching his right wrist. Connolly returned later in the first period and continued taking shifts.
Former Caps backup goalie Philipp Grubauer returned to Washington for the first time since being traded to Colorado during the 2018 offseason. Much like Jay Beagle, he received a tribute video, and a deafening ovation from fans.
The Capitals got the first power play of the game after Mikko Rantanen was called for tripping. Nicklas Backstrom appeared to tip in a shot from Alex Ovechkin after the puck escaped goaltender Seymon Varlamov. However, the goal was overturned after a review of the play showed that the puck crossed the line after the whistle was blown.
The next tally of the game came from Nathan MacKinnon early in the second period. The goal was held up after Caps coach Todd Reirden challenged the call for offsides.
After a bit of a struggle, the Caps were back on the power play, and a repeat performance of the earlier goal-that-wasn’t put Washington back on top. This time, it was Evgeny Kuznetsov who tipped in Ovechkin’s shot, making it 2-1.
The Capitals got two more power plays in the second period, failing to convert on both, and the score held into the third period.
Matt Niskanen scored at even strength in the third to make it 3-1, but the Caps gave one up to Rantanen a few minutes later. It was a one-goal game once more.
Then things started to get ugly.
With nine minutes to go in the final period, Ian Cole clipped Evgeny Kuznetsov on an ugly check. Kuznetsov went down, head to the ice, and was slow to get up.
Tom Wilson sprung into action, and the two exchanged uppercuts. The two were each assessed a ten minute penalty (Cole’s was a game misconduct) and five minute majors for fighting, as well as two minutes instigating for Wilson and two for interference for Cole. After two minutes of four-on-four, the Caps failed to convert on three minutes of a man advantage.
Colin Wilson scored with two minutes to go, and the game headed to overtime.
After a close overtime, Kuznetsov sealed the deal on a breakaway to beat Colorado 4-3.
One thing to take away: After signing a three-year contract extension with the Caps, Pheonix Copley delivered a solid performance in his first outing since the All-Star Break. A lot of attention will be on Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson — and with good reason — but Copley deserves a nod for helping keep the Capitals afloat with a whopping 34 saves.
The highlight you should see:
Thanks for the memories, @philgrubauer31 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SVJeS8ZY7C
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) February 8, 2019
Related: Ovi reflects on his place in history, Power Rankings
