The top two teams in the NHL faced off in front of a packed crowd of over 18,500 fans in Washington, D.C., on a Saturday night in early February, and it lived up to the hype.
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets played a thrilling midseason game with a total of nine goals, including the 877th career goal of Alex Ovechkin, bringing him 18 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. The game was tied after Ovechkin’s goal, but the Jets won 5-4 in overtime, making it an exciting match for everyone involved.
“We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” said Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel after his team secured their sixth consecutive win. “You know you’re going against some elite players on the opposite side, and we’ve been watching what they’ve been doing.
You’re following them in the standings, watching them on the highlights and when you have a game like that, exciting for the fans, not so much for the coaches.”
The goalies, Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson, each made 25 saves during the game, keeping it from turning into a blowout, even with all the goals. Without their big saves, the score could have been much higher.
“Both teams obviously have a goalie — goalies — that every time they’re playing you expect to win, they give you a chance to win,” said Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who scored his 21st goal of the season. “The caliber of hockey tonight was high, and they were all over us.”
Washington came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period when Ovechkin scored with 7:39 left in the game, sparking chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” from the crowd. It was one of the loudest moments at Capital One Arena this season.
“Two best teams playing, and it was a battle,” Ovechkin said. “It was a hard game at both ends.”
Arniel, who had coached Ovechkin for four years as an assistant from 2018-2022, recognized the power of that shot. “That came off in a hurry,” Arniel said. “And obviously ‘Helley’ didn’t have time to react to that one.”
Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, and Thompson, who joined the Capitals in a trade from Vegas last summer and earned a new six-year contract worth $35.1 million, both gave strong performances, but this game was all about the fast-paced action.
“It was a crazy game,” said Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, who scored twice, including the overtime winner. “There was a lot of weird stuff going on, a lot of goals. Obviously both teams are known for scoring, but also their defensive game.
So I think both teams would probably want to clean some of those things up. But for just one game, a lot of swings. Great energy in the arena, and it was nice to be able to stick it out and get the two points.”
If Washington can make it through the Eastern Conference playoffs and Winnipeg can do the same in the West, this game could be a preview of an exciting Stanley Cup Final. These two teams will meet again in March in Canada, but a potential best-of-seven series in June could be an electric matchup.
“Both teams have a lot of pride and want to show that they’re the better team,” Morrissey said. “We found a way to be resilient in the game, and definitely you can see why they’re such a great team.”
