POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 2, Flyers 1 (OT)

Do Be Down - Facing the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night in the second half of a set of back-to-back games, the Caps found themselves in familiar and unenviable territory. For the third time in four games, the Caps started the game a forward short of the full complement 18 skaters. They started the game with just 11 forwards and six defensemen as they'd done twice earlier in the week against the Rangers in New York.

For the third time in those four games, the Caps were down to fewer than 11 forwards by game's end. And, for the third time in those four games, the Caps found a way to win.
The Caps and Flyers were 0-0 heading to the third period on Saturday night, and Scott Laughton's goal early in the final frame enabled Philly to nurse a 1-0 lead into the final minute of regulation. That's when Lars Eller tied the game on a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle, doing so on his 32nd birthday.
In the overtime session, Conor Sheary won it for Washington when he converted a Nic Dowd feed with a minute left in the extra session, giving the Caps a 2-1 victory and another triumph in and over adverse circumstances.
Washington stalwarts Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin were unavailable for varying reasons, and the Caps started Saturday's game with two natural centers - Eller and Dowd - and two wingers filling in at the center position, Michael Raffl and T.J. Oshie. But Oshie hobbled off late in the second period and was unavailable for the third, out with a lower body injury. Eller played nearly half (9:15) of the third period and finished the game with a team high 25:49 in ice time.
"It's kind of like, 'Here we go again,'" says Sheary. "That's kind of the way it's been the last few games. We never want to see those guys - especially all the guys in our top six - that are either taking rest or getting injured right now. It's never fun to see that this late in the year. But we had a lot of guys step up and play a bigger role and obviously a lot more minutes with the shortened bench. I think we've had a few character wins down the stretch, and this one was another one here tonight."
The Caps needed to win Saturday's game in regulation in order to keep their division title hopes alive, so their streak of five straight division titles is at an end. But they did lock themselves into the second spot in the division, a spot that gives them home ice for the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, in which they'll face either the Boston Bruins or the New York Islanders.
"That was what we were playing for," says Eller, alluding to the division title. "We obviously secured a playoff spot, but we still want to win our division and I think that was the goal today, to get two points to keep playing for the division. But I also think every individual player was seeing more minutes and bigger roles than they usually would have. And they take pride in that and they want to prove themselves.
"Everybody had something to play for in a different way. Garrett Pilon came in and played great in his first game in his first game, I think. [Goaltender Craig ] Anderson hadn't played in - I don't know - less than a handful of games this year, and he was a rock for us back there today.
"There are just so many encouraging things for us today, and it wasn't easy for us. We were down most of the game and killing penalties off late in the third. We weren't given anything today, we really had to work for it. And I just think that makes it feel so much sweeter for all of us. It's a good feeling in our room right now."
With one game remaining in the regular season and the playoffs just around the corner, the Caps are certainly hopeful of getting all the ailing players back in their lineup. But they're also gaining confidence that they can continue to find ways to win games at the time of year when winning matters most.
"That's a lot of our key guys that we lean on a lot," says Washington winger Garnet Hathaway. "And they're a big reason why we've had such a good year overall, and why we are near the top of the standings in our division. It's tough, but it's a testament to the character we have in the room and the depth we have in the organization, and probably just the camaraderie we have in the room.
"We're sticking to a game plan. I think you could look back at some of those periods [this past week] and say they weren't our best hockey, but it's about getting settled and taking a second to realize that, 'Hey, that wasn't my best hockey,' and then going on to do something about it, to change it."
Washington has started three of its last four games with 17 skaters. Prior to that, the Caps had gone more than 17 years without dressing fewer than 18 skaters for any game.
Stop Stop Stop - For just the second time in 55 games this season, the Caps turned to veteran Craig Anderson in a starting role in the crease. Two weeks shy of his 40th birthday, Anderson entered the evening with just three appearances on the season, two of them in a relief effort.
Anderson stopped 28 of 29 shots in the game - including each of the first 21 - to improve to 2-1-0 on the season.
"I think you have to highlight Andy," says Hathaway. "He played unbelievable tonight. He was the reason we had a chance to tie it tonight and then to win it; he made some unbelievable saves. I thought he was great all night, I thought he really helped us out. He has been a guy who - day in and day out - has really put the work in. I'm sure it's been a long year for him, and he's been a part of our team, and I hope he knows how much he means to us."
First Time - Pilon's debut came a couple of weeks past his 23rd birthday, and following 146 games worth of seasoning with AHL Hershey, spread over three seasons including the current one. He finished the night with 10:40 in ice time, including 52 seconds worth of power-play time.
"He was good," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette of Pilon's debut. "He works hard and he competes hard. It's always tough coming into your first game, but we've got a real good room in there and the guys are good at making them feel comfortable and at ease out there so they can just go out and play. I thought he did a good job for us tonight."
Down On The Farm - The AHL Hershey Bears hosted the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday afternoon at Giant Center, and the Bears skated away with a 3-0 triumph behind Pheonix Copley's 34-save efforts in the Hershey nets. The victory is the 100th of Copley's AHL career.
Hershey scored once in each period in support of Copley, who recorded his second shutout of the season and the 13th of his AHL career.
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby supplied all the offense Copley would require at 3:17 of the first period, scoring his 10th of the season with help from Michael Kempny and Copley himself. Both Kempny and Copley recorded their first assists of the season on the goal.
Just past the midpoint of the middle period, the Bears doubled up their lead. Joe Snively scored his sixth of the season, Philippe Maillet and Matt Moulson assisting at 12:21. For Maillet, it was his 100th career AHL assist and for Moulson, his 700th career pro point.
In the third, Maillet made it 3-0 with his sixth of the season at 16:40 with a single assist from Moulson.
With the victory, Hershey improves to 22-7-2-0 on the season. The Bears are idle until next Saturday when they host the Binghamton Devils at Giant Center in a matinee match.
By The Numbers - Justin Schultz led all Caps defensemen with 24:48 in ice time and led the team with four blocked shots … Trevor van Riemsdyk led the Caps with seven shots on net. He, Eller and Zdeno Chara led the team with eight shot attempts each … Hathaway, Dowd, Raffl and Brenden Dillon each had two hits to lead the Caps.