The Washington Capitals battled back from three separate one-goal deficits to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Saturday, and the game-winning goal came from an unlikely source.
Veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik's late third-period goal was just his fourth tally since 2012, and marked the first game-winner of his career in his 798th game. His teammates were clearly thrilled, as captain Alex Ovechkin jumped in the air after Orpik scored.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
"His celly was pretty amazing," Ovechkin quipped after the game.
With an earlier assist, Saturday marked Orpik's first two-point game with a goal since November 2008, according to Sports Illustrated's Alex Prewitt.
Trotz: “I know our bench, if we could’ve gone out to the blue line to hug Brooks, we all would have if we wouldn’t have gotten a penalty.”
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 21, 2016
"It gives you confidence when you come back against - I think - statistically the best defensive team," Orpik said of the Devils, who have now lost three consecutive games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and T.J. Oshie scored the team's other three goals. The Capitals will seek their ninth win in ten games against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.
#Caps have most wins thru 57 GP in NHL history, but will that translate to a Stanley Cup? History has mixed results pic.twitter.com/aZ5IbI8OZ9
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 21, 2016
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It came down to the wire, but Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored the overtime winner, handing the Toronto Maple Leafs a 5-4 loss and extending his incredible point streak to 15 games.
For the rookie blueliner, it was business as usual. The 22-year-old also picked up his fourth overtime-winning goal this season in the process.
Shayne Gostisbehere first rookie since 1987-88 with 4 OT goals in 1 season. Only other defenseman to do it was Scott Niedermayer in 2001-02
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) February 21, 2016
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
For the Flyers, it was a bounce-back effort with a better post-regulation fate after falling to the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout on Friday night.
Meanwhile, it was the same old song and dance for the Maple Leafs, who dropped their third straight game and sixth in their last seven. The loss also keeps the Maple Leafs at the bottom of the league, with just 49 points on the season.
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After tying and passing Brett Hull with career goals No. 741 and 742 on Saturday, the Florida Panthers had only one real choice as to who earned the team's "Spacey in Space" sweater Saturday.
Related: Jaromir Jagr scores 742nd goal to pass Brett Hull for 3rd all time
Jaromir Jagr, of course, took the honor, and posed for the team's Twitter account after Florida's 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
No question who gets the #SpaceyInTheSpace 🐐 pic.twitter.com/s0mPVNnupw
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) February 21, 2016
"Not many people get to say they were on the ice to witness history," said rookie Kyle Rau, who made his NHL debut Saturday. The 23-year-old wouldn't be born for another two years when Jagr entered the league in 1990.
Reilly Smith scored the other Panthers goal on the man advantage to end an 0-for-24 power-play drought. Meanwhile, goalie Roberto Luongo made 30 saves to pick up his 25th win of the season in his first start in a week. The netminder couldn't resist getting a photo of his own with the future Hall of Famer.
Honored to be part of this picture between a true legend and Jaromir Jagr...Congrats bud @68Jagr !!! pic.twitter.com/ZUsWMo7TrQ
— Strombone (@strombone1) February 21, 2016
The win increases Florida's cushion over the rest of the Atlantic Division, which could prove important as forward Jonathan Huberdeau may miss time after leaving the game with an upper-body injury following a hit from Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba.
Living with a legend. pic.twitter.com/0vozksGWsS
— NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2016
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