Winnipeg Jets wins in exciting showdown vs. capitals

Washington-the two top teams in the NHL, turning out in front of a fired, sold out audiences of over 18,500 fans at the beginning of February Saturday night in the US capital did not disappoint.

Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets delivered in an exciting mid -season match with a combined nine goals, including 877. By Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back by Breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. It was the scoring, Jets pulled it out in overtime, and almost everyone involved got their money worth out of the 5-4 game.

“We knew how we both sat in the position and both had really good years,” said Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel after his team won his sixth match in a row. “You know you’re going against some elite players on the opposite side and we’ve seen what they’ve done. You’re following them in the position, seeing them at the highlights, and when you have a game like that, exciting to fans, not So much for the trainers.

But maybe even for the target trainers, because Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson, even with all the scoring, had some big savings at both ends of the ice. Each had 25 savings, or this could have been a double -digit vintage throwback to hockey from the 1980s.

“Both teams obviously have a goalkeeper – goalkeepers – that every time they play, you expect to win, they give you a chance to win,” said Capitals -Edkant Tom Wilson, who scored his 21st goal of the season. “The hockey caliber tonight was high and they were everywhere in us.

“It was good hockey. I’m sure it was a fun game to watch and guys who worked extremely hard and try to get it. Just (come up) a little short and I think it’s nice to prove For ourselves that we can play with the top in the league and we belong.

Washington deleted a two-goal deficit on the third period when Ovechkin scored with 7:39 back in regulation and set off “Ovi! Ovi!” song. The moment may have been the highest capital that One Arena has been all season.

“Two best teams played and it was a match,” Ovechkin said. “It was a hard game at both ends.”

Arniel, who coached Ovechkin for four seasons as an assistant from 2018 to 2022, has seen that kind of shot close to plenty of times before.

“It came in a hurry,” said Arniel, “and obviously ‘Helley’ didn’t have time to respond to it.”

Hellebuyck has won Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalkeeper twice and is an overwhelming favorite to make it a third. Thompson has been distinguished since he took over the capitals in a trade from Vegas Golden Knights last summer and earlier this week was rewarded with a new six-year contract beginning next season worth $ 35.1 million.

But the goalies were not the focus of this.

“It was a crazy game,” said Jets defender Josh Morrissey, who scored twice, including the overtime winner. “There were a lot of weird things, games, a lot of swings.

If Washington can get through the eastern conference play and winnipeg through the West, the game certainly showed what a potential Stanley Cup final might look like. These teams play again north of the border in March, but a Best-of-Seven Series in June could be electrifying.

“Both teams are very proud and will show that they are the better team,” Morrissey said. “We found a way to be resistant to the game and you can definitely see why they are such a good team.”