After a long, grueling summer, the Washington Capitals finally returned to our TV’s in a marquee matchup on NBC. Washington, fresh off a long summer in which they squandered a series lead against Carolina, squared up against the defending Stanley Cup Champions in the St. Louis Blues.

The first 15 minutes of the game? Not so good for the Caps, as they bumbled their way to a 2 goal hole.

But as the revered college football analyst Lee Corso once said, “NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!” Alex Ovechkin, the ageless goal-scoring extraordinaire, took a pass from John Carlson, deked around “defenseman” Jay Bouwmeester, and fired a shot that appropriately found the back of the net to bring the Capitals within one.

A second period power play for Washington evened up the score at 2. Dmitri Orlov launched a knuckle-puck from the blue line that wobbled past Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to tie the game up.

Despite a handful of chances by the Capitals, the game went to overtime, where Jakub Vrana flicked a laser beam from the left circle to win the game for Washington.

CAPS WIN!

Quick Hits:

1. Despite the sluggish start, the Capitals looked the part of Stanley Cup contender. The last 40 minutes were all Washington, as they pinned the Blues in their zone and peppered Binnington with shots.
2. This game is a blowout if Binnington isn’t in net for St. Louis. He definitely outperformed Braden Holtby, although Holtby stopped everything thrown at him the last 40 minutes.
3. Alex Ovechkin was a monster tonight. 1 goal, 5 scoring chances, and a number of hits in 23 minutes of ice time.
4. The second line of Vrana, Lars Eller, and TJ Oshie was dominant. More of that, please.
5. Loved the new defense. Gudas and Fevhary showed out. Very excited for this defense going forward!
6. The next game is on Friday with a showdown on Long Island! Let’s go Caps!

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