The Washington Capitals escaped with a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, with 20-year-old defenseman Cole Hutson delivering the game-winning goal and making history.
With his wrist shot against Samuel Ersson, Hutson became the third-youngest Washington player to record a game-winning goal, joining an elite list behind Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
The game-winner also had another element of history, as Alex Ovechkin’s assist tied him with Backstrom for the most assists in Capitals history.
With the veteran and youngster connecting for the game-winner, the Caps moved to 10-6-0 on the year, continuing to make their way up the Metropolitan Division standings.
Washington Wins Second Straight Game in Ottawa
With the historic game-winner, the Caps tallied their second straight victory in another come-from-behind performance.
Tuesday night marked Washington’s seventh comeback victory of the season, tying the Capitals for the most in the NHL.
Matt Roy opened the scoring for the Capitals just 35 seconds into the game, scoring an impressive goal from the blue line to set the game’s tone.
The Caps would struggle soon after, though, having trouble getting any clean looks and allowing two goals from Ottawa to close out the second period.
Down one in the third, the Caps were in familiar territory, hanging around with the Senators until under seven minutes remained, when Pierre-Luc Dubois netted the equalizer, assisted by Hutson and Tom Wilson.
As the third-period minutes dwindled, Jakob Chychrun laid a hit on Nick Cousins that has since gone viral, leaving Cousins to be helped off the ice.
Chychrun was not assessed a penalty.
Despite the scary aftermath, the hit by Chychrun was ruled clean and would not result in any further discipline for him.
Riding the momentum into overtime, Washington worked a shift with Dylan Strome, Ovechkin, and Hutson, quickly netting the game-winner just 1:14 into the extra period.
With the win against Ottawa, the Caps notched their first victory in three regular-season matchups between the teams.
The Caps Week Ahead
Building off their second straight victory, the Caps will take on the New Jersey Devils in back-to-back meetings, one on the road and one at home, on Thursday and Saturday.
The Devils will be another challenge for the Capitals, currently sitting two spots above them in the Metropolitan Division at 13-6-0 on the year.
Presumably facing Connor Hellebuyck in one, if not both, of the contests after he sat against the Jets on Tuesday, the Caps will be working against one of the top goalies in the league, who is still without a loss.
With the Caps’ offense continuing to find ways to grit out games despite losing the battle in total shots on goal, they will definitely need to move more efficiently against the Devils.
They will have opportunities to do so on the power play, with New Jersey currently ranking 29th in the NHL in penalty kill percentage at 65%.
With a struggling power play of their own, this will be the perfect two-game stretch for the Caps to turn things around and continue their winning streak.
Capitals’ Cole Hutson Makes History With Overtime Winner Against Senators