Marcus Johansson lifts the Washington Capitals over the Buffalo Sabres
Washington, which has up until now been taunted for being a team unable to win when the game goes past the second period can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that’s not true. It had become a phobia for the Capitals going into the final period tied
or even into a shootout, they had lost hope in themselves, but regained confidence and that too away, when Marcus Johansson tipped in the winning goal against the Buffalo Sabres beating them 2-1, Sunday night at the sold-out HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York.
Johansson was in the right place at the right time.
Marcus believed it to be help from the NHL Gods; it was destined for him to be the messiah of the match, not even knowing that the shot had been taken. Mathieu Perreault had shot it from the left circle at the 9:40 mark on the timer, after it was deflected
accidentally tipped of Johansson’s stick and through Ryan Miller who otherwise showed a brilliant performance guarding his nest saving 37 shots.
"Yeah, it was a great pass by Matty," Johansson said smiling. "I was just trying to get out of the way and it hit me, and I think sometimes that's all it takes."
Not Capitalising on Opportunities
Washington had more than enough chances at the start of the game, having been awarded more than 8 minutes of power-play time, when the Sabres were served with a total four penalties. They had over 16 shot attempts in the first period alone! Even though they
couldn’t capture the moment, they didn’t let the opponent cash in on a chance either, not receiving any penalty during the first 20 minutes.
Capitals took lead when Perreault scored the ice-breaker of the match, but Jason Pominville replied forcefully, tying the match nearly 3 minutes later during their first power play.
Ryan Miller disheartened the Washington players, by making their hard taken shots look like a day at the beach, catching each one with ease. Players like Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom both had many attempts deflected or either hitting the goalies pads.
"We had like, five unbelievable chances and we just knew Ryan Miller was in one of those zones," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said.
Johansson came to the rescue, making his match taking shot mid-way through the final period. Disappointment could be seen on Millers face realizing the puck and went through him without noticing.
"It's tough to win when you're scoring one (goal)," Sabres goalie Ryan Miller said. "You have to be willing to find a way to score some dirty goals and get some pucks to the net."
Mike Green still out
Defenseman Mike Green is still out with an inner ear infection for a consecutive four games now. His ear was hit by a speeding puck in his last contest, forcing him to call it quits at the spot. No news yet on when he might be expected to return.
Tags: