VANCOUVER — It wasn’t the Russian everybody was watching Friday who beat the Vancouver Canucks.
The man getting booed, Alex Ovechkin, didn’t rating. The man largely ignored, Evgeny Kuznetsov, had a hat trick because the Washington Capitals blew a third-period lead earlier than rallying to beat the Canucks 4-3 in time beyond regulation on an electrical evening at Rogers Area.
Ovechkin’s historical past of assist for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and restricted feedback on his nation’s invasion of Ukraine has, rightfully, acquired as a lot consideration the final two weeks as his file of scoring objectives within the Nationwide Hockey League.
However with an opportunity to make historical past on Friday by shifting alone into third place in NHL objectives, Ovechkin was blanked on six photographs that included a pair of partial breakaways in opposition to Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko.
Demko wasn’t as efficient on Lars Eller’s breakaway 42 seconds into time beyond regulation because the Capital rattled a shot beneath the goalie to deprive the Canucks of a second level after Vancouver rallied from a two-goal deficit early within the third interval to guide 3-2.
Kuznetsov’s third aim of the evening had tied the sport with 4:53 remaining within the third interval when the Canucks’ Elias Pettersson’s goalmouth clearance throughout a contentious Washington energy play hit the Russian, then glanced again off the Swede earlier than the Capital compelled it throughout the aim line.
And that wasn’t even Kuznetsov’s luckiest bounce of the evening as he opened the scoring at 5:34 of the primary interval when Nick Jensen’s rim-around the Canucks’ zone hit a stanchion within the glass behind Demko, bounced straight into the slot and ricocheted in off Kuznetsov.
His second aim, on an influence play simply 43 seconds later, was swept throughout the aim line after Ovechkin’s well-known one-timer overpowered Demko and seemed prefer it may spin into the web.
Ovechkin stays at 766 objectives, tied with Jaromir Jagr, who wore No. 68 within the NHL for twenty-four seasons as a tribute to the Prague Spring of 1968, when democratic reforms in what was then Czechoslovakia had been stamped out by the Soviet Union beneath a earlier Russian dictator.
Ovechkin’s file chase added one other compelling layer to the sport, which was watched in-person by the most important Rogers Area crowd, 18,814, because the pandemic started two years in the past.
“You at all times have that at the back of your thoughts,” Canucks captain Bo Horvat mentioned of Ovechkin’s perch on historical past. “You have to bear in mind when he is on the market on a regular basis. Clearly, the objectives converse for themselves. His means to attain objectives, I imply, I do not suppose it has been seen ever on this league. Fortunately, (though) we did not maintain him off the scoresheet, however we stored him from scoring tonight.”
Ovechkin completed with one help. The Canucks needed to be glad with denying him a aim and incomes a degree after the Capitals’ early 2-0 lead stood till the third interval.
The Canucks swarmed the Capitals early within the ultimate body, dominating consecutive shifts within the offensive zone and pumping in three objectives in 4 minutes to eradicate the deficit.
Vancouver defenceman Quinn Hughes, whose constant excellence has been slightly overshadowed recently by the historic scoring surge of J.T. Miller, drove the comeback with a aim and two assists amid a mesmerizing show of agility and puck possession.
Hughes minimize the deficit in half 57 seconds into the third interval, skating the puck to the center of the blue line, ready for site visitors to develop and slinging a screened wrist shot previous the glove facet of Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek.
The Canucks tied it 2-2 on an influence play at 3:19 when Miller took the puck from Hughes within the left-wing circle, faked a cross throughout the goalmouth and dropped it into the slot to Horvat, who rapidly lasered a shot into the highest nook.
Two shifts later, Horvat put his staff within the lead, calmly gathering the rebound from Travis Hamonic’s one-timer and steering it previous Vanecek at 4:59.
In the event you didn’t already comprehend it was the most important crowd because the coronavirus arrived, it was evident within the thunderous, unmasked roar that greeted the Canucks’ go-ahead aim.
“To have all people within the constructing, it was rocking tonight,” Horvat mentioned. “Friday evening, packed constructing like that and coming again, the constructing was electrical tonight. It is too unhealthy we could not get all of it the way in which executed for them.
“We’re glad to… struggle again there within the third. However finally we wished these two factors. All of the factors from right here on out are going to be enormous for us, and I assumed it was nice character by us to return all the way in which again and get that time. It is simply unlucky that we could not have gotten the job executed.”
Kuznetsov tied it 3-3 after Vancouver defenceman Tyler Myers, who’s six-foot-eight, was penalized for a success to the pinnacle on Kuznetsov. Myers was standing up, and completed together with his again to Kuznetsov. It seemed a dodgy name however, to be honest, so was the tripping penalty to Eller that preceded Horvat’s power-play aim.
The purpose no less than allowed the Canucks, desperately chasing a playoff spot within the Western Convention, to take care of some momentum within the standings. Two video games right into a seven-game homestand, they’re 8-2-1 of their final 11 contests and two factors out of a playoff spot.
“I simply suppose we have now that perception,” Horvat mentioned. “We now have that perception in our room that we are able to beat any staff and we have proven that, and we have proven resiliency once we’re down. I feel it is simply us rising as a bunch and rising as a staff that we did not have originally of the yr. We’re taking part in for one another in there and that is all that issues. We would like all people to succeed and we’re glad when all people’s doing nicely and when the staff is doing nicely, so we need to maintain that feeling going.”
With two assists, Miller prolonged his factors streak to 11 video games.
The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning visits the Canucks on Sunday.
