POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 4, Ducks 3 (SO)

Shoot Out The Lights - Each of the first five times they went to overtime this season, the Caps came out on the short end of the score. The sixth time they did so, they got through the five-minute extra session only to lose in the shootout.

On Monday night against Anaheim, the Caps broke their post-60 spell and downed the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shootout in an entertaining, back-and-forth contest. Down 3-2 late in the second period, the Caps rallied to tie the game on a John Carlson goal in the final half minute of the middle frame.
Following a scoreless third period and a scoreless and rather dull - in comparison to the 60 minutes of hockey that preceded it - overtime period, the Caps fell behind again on the first shot of the shootout. But goals from Daniel Sprong and Alex Ovechkin kept them alive until Carlson could win it for Washington with a top shelf snipe in the fifth round of the skills competition.
"I think we kind of deserved the early [overtime losses]," says Carlson, "And I think we've been better, but still we expect a lot more out of ourselves in overtime."

The Capitals have suffered more losses in overtime and the shootout (six) than they have in regulation (four), and only one of those 10 setbacks has come by a margin of more than one goal. Washington has yet to go more than a game without collecting a point this season.
Two years ago to the day (Dec. 6, 2019), the Caps defeated the Ducks in Anaheim to finish off a perfect 4-0-0 road trip, improving to 22-4-5 on the season. That start to the 2019-20 season marks the only time in franchise history the Caps have gone deeper into a season with as few as four regulation losses. They're sitting with a 16-4-6 mark through 26 games this season, but are still five games shy of the '19-20 standard.
Century City - Tom Wilson scored Washington's first goal of the game, converting a sublime feed from Justin Schultz just four seconds after the Ducks iced the puck in the back half of the first period. For Wilson, the goal was the 100th of his NHL career.
"There are a lot of other milestones that have been a lot more impressive," says Wilson, "but it's obviously nice to get there. It's a really hard league and hard league to score goals. I'm lucky to have a lot of good teammates giving me good looks and empty nets, and it's cool. It's nice to get it out of the way."
Fight The Good Fight - Wilson also engaged in Washington's first fight of the season, in the 26th game of the year. Anaheim defenseman Simon Benoit was sent to the box for interference on Carlson, midway through the second period. Benoit low-bridged Carlson, and Wilson dropped the mitts with Benoit just seven seconds after the Ducks defenseman exited the penalty box.
"Obviously Johnny is a leader for us, and the guy went a little low, and he stood up for himself," says Wilson. "I think that's what hockey's all about, and I guess we'll get the first one out of the way and go on from there."
Shot … Score! - Caps winger Carl Hagelin scored his first goal of the season in Monday's game, biting the hand that once fed him in the process; he spent half of the 2015-16 season with Anaheim. Hagelin has had numerous scoring chances to this point of the season, but was snakebitten and still seeking his first until he converted Lars Eller's pass at 3:58 of the second period.
"It took some time, but it happens sometimes," says Hagelin. "I've been a slow starter throughout my career, and it's always nice when that first one goes in."

On this Washington team, Hagelin isn't counted upon to contribute a lot of offense. He plays the left side of the Capitals' top shutdown line - one of the best shutdown units in the League - with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway, and he is also a key cog on a consistently good Caps penalty killing outfit. Hagelin's value to the Caps goes far deeper than the number in the goals column.
With Dowd and Hathaway both on the COVID-19 protocol list, Hagelin skated with Eller and T.J. Oshie in Monday's game.
"I think it's a good sign," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "I don't necessarily judge that line, even though it wasn't their line tonight, but it has been for the entire year. You can feel when that line is not part of the group; there's something that they do that's special for our team, and it doesn't always reflect into the goals or assists column.
"I'm sure for him it's good to get one on the board, because everybody wants to contribute and everybody wants to be a part of it. But as you know, I weigh heavily what they are able to do defensively, and with that he has done a good job. I'm happy that he was able to get on the board tonight and get a goal and maybe get going."

Say! Boss Man - Monday's game was the 82nd in Laviolette's coaching tenure here in D.C., then equivalent of one full NHL regular season. Washington has forged a 52-19-11 record with him at the helm, a win total and point total (115) that is better than any other coach in franchise history at the same juncture of their respective careers. It's also worth noting that none of those previous coaches were dealing with a pandemic or anything like it during their first 82 games behind the Washington bench.
Before Laviolette came along, Bruce Boudreau held the standard for best record through 48 games for a Washington coach. Boudreau's first 82 spanned parts of the 2007-08 and the '08-09 seasons, and he posted a 48-26-8 mark for 106 points during that span.
By The Numbers - Dmitry Orlov led the Caps with 26:48 in ice time … Ovechkin led the Caps with seven shots on net and 16 shot attempts … Orlov led the Capitals with five hits … Martin Fehervary led Washington with three blocked shots … Eller won 11 of 16 draws (69 percent, nice) and Aliaksei Protas won five of eight (63 percent).