Mike Knuble helps Washington Capitals beat Chicago Blackhawks 4-3
Mike Knuble lit the lamp in overtime to lift the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at Verizon Centre on Sunday night.
Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon each also notched a goal for Washington, who have won five consecutive games. Jason Arnott also added a goal and Braden Holtby turned away 27 shots to earn the victory.
Nick Leddy and Tomas Kopecky both found the back of the net for the Blackhawks, who have dropped three straight play-offs after winning eight consecutive games. Jonathan Toews also tallied a goal and Corey Crawford played well but came up just short in the loss, despite making 38 saves.
Toews said after the game, "These games aren't going to get any easier. We're good enough to give ourselves a chance at two points every night, so it's all on us."
Chicago got the game’s first five shots and kept the puck in the Capitals zone for a long time early on in the game. Their persistence finally paid off in the fifth minute of the opening period when they took a 1-0 lead on Leddy’s goal.
However, the Capitals tied the scores at 1-1 nearly one and a half minutes later with Gordon’s short-handed goal. The goal came when the puck eluded Patrick Sharp near the left point, bounced off the boards and right to Gordon, who fired a slap shot past Crawford on a breakaway.
Arnott then put the Capitals on the top at 2-1, from a power play goal with just 50 seconds left in the first period. The Blackhawks tied the game at 2-2 just three minutes into the middle session, as Kopecky blasted a shot to the goal from the left corner that went through Holtby's pads, apparently bouncing off his back skate and into the net.
Laich staked the Capitals to a 3-2 lead again nearly six and a half minutes into the final frame. However, Chicago was awarded a power play when Marcus Johansson was called for hooking with nearly two minutes remaining, and coach Joel Quenneville quickly benched Crawford to create a 6-on-4 advantage.
The Blackhawks pulled the game even at 3-3 again with 38 seconds left in the final session. The goal came when Duncan Keith fired a one-timer from the right point that sailed wide of the net. The puck hit off the end boards and came out the other side to Toews, who jammed it into the right corner forcing the game into overtime.
Knuble finally sealed the win at 4-3 with one minute to play in overtime. The play was set up by Johansson, who controlled the puck between the circles and sent a quick pass to Knuble, who let go a shot past Crawford.
Knuble praised the way Johansson set up the goal. He said, "Real heads-up play by Marcus. It would have been very easy for him to bury his head to try and jam it through, but I kind of laid my stick to the side, and he put it on the tape."
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