Connor McMichael’s breakaway goal with 8:24 left in the third period secured a 2-1 victory for the Washington Capitals over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night, bolstering their playoff hopes.
T.J. Oshie, appearing in his 999th NHL game, also scored for the Capitals. With this win, Washington now has 71 points. It is just one point behind the New York Islanders and Detroit for the East’s second wild-card spot. Both the Islanders and Red Wings lost on Thursday, remaining with 72 points.
The Capitals had dropped the first two games of their Western trip, losing 3-0 at Winnipeg on Monday and 7-2 at Edmonton on Wednesday.
“That was a huge win for us. It’s pretty crazy to think about it,” McMichael said. “The last two games didn’t go how we wanted to at all. This was a huge response for us. We’ll focus on one game at a time.”
Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Kraken, who have 68 points and remain nine behind Vegas for the West’s second wild-card berth.
With the game tied 1-1, Bjorkstrand gave the puck away in his end to McMichael, who took it down the right wing. He beat Seattle goalie Joey Daccord with a backhander to the opposite corner, marking his 14th goal of the season.
“I’m kind of pretty familiar with (Daccord) from last year,” McMichael said. “He plays pretty aggressively to the shooter and likes to challenge. I just wanted to throw a little fake shot and beat him to the post.’’
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery noted how such pivotal moments often decide games.
“You know it’s going to come down to there’s going to be a situation where someone’s going to crack, someone’s going to make a mistake,” he said. “Whether it’s special teams or ends up being a breakaway where there’s a little bit of a bobble where there’s some sustained pressure. Next thing you know, the puck turns over, Mikey steps up and scores a huge goal.”
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol acknowledged the critical errors.
“We just made two mistakes. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m not going to make more of it than it is,” Hakstol said. “We made two mistakes, and on a night like tonight, those are two mistakes, obviously, that we don’t want to make.”
Oshie, a native of nearby Everett, found himself in the right place at the right time to give Washington a 1-0 lead at 14:20 of the second period.
With Seattle short-handed, Daccord attempted to clear the puck down the ice, but it hit Oshie, who was positioned low in the slot on the right side. The puck deflected back toward the net off Daccord’s stick, and Oshie rushed to tap it in as it trickled over the line.
“Those are kind of the ones you dream about. I don’t feel like the puck has been finding me too much these first couple games,” Oshie said.
Daccord finished with 21 saves.
Bjorkstrand tied it for the Kraken with a power-play goal at 3:32 of the third period. Yanni Gourde collected a loose puck in a scramble behind the net, found Bjorkstrand wide open in the left faceoff circle, and Bjorkstrand fired into the right corner.
UP NEXT
- Capitals: Visit Vancouver on Saturday night.
- Kraken: Host Nashville on Saturday night.
