Oshie delivers for Capitals in Game 4 win against Golden Knights

WASHINGTON -- T.J. Oshie owes the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. And yet, after the result of the game Monday, it's probably a safe bet that his debt will be forgiven. If not, there are likely thousands of Washington Capitals fans willing to lend him a full Metro card with no questions asked.
For the second consecutive game, the Capitals forward and defenseman Matt Niskanen took the Metro to Capital One Arena. For the second consecutive game, the Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights; they lead the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final 3-1 after a
6-2 win in Game 4
, and can clinch their first championship in Game 5 at Vegas on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

But the trip was not seamless.
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Capitals series coverage]
"I had a little mishap today," Oshie said. "I'm not going to name him, but someone that borrowed me one of their cards only had 35 cents on it. So Metro, I'm not sure exactly how much that ride was, but I owe you big time."
NBC cameras caught Oshie standing in line to try to refill the Metro card before a Metro employee came to his rescue and let him through the turnstile.

Fortunately for the Capitals, the minor miscue didn't affect the forward. Not at all. Instead, Oshie was a force on the ice, seemingly everywhere at all times, bulling over the Golden Knights, making his presence known on every shift.
"I don't think [Oshie] lost a battle the entire night," forward Tom Wilson said. "That guy's an animal."
He finished the night with one goal and two assists, providing the jump-start that Washington needed after Vegas forward James Neal hit the post with an open net at 4:31 of the first period.
Oshie scored to make it 1-0 at 9:54 of the first period with the Capitals on the power play, the first of three goals they would score with the man-advantage. After Nicklas Backstrom carried the puck into the offensive zone, he passed to Evgeny Kuznetsov coming through the left circle. Kuznetsov's initial shot was saved by Marc-Andre Fleury, but the rebound bounced towards Oshie, who corralled the puck off his skate blade and scored.

"He never quits on pucks," forward Brett Connolly said. "His second efforts are one of the best I've ever seen. He's so good at stripping pucks. He just competes and that's why he's so good. He's obviously got a ton of skill, but he works for his chances, those second efforts. He really led the way tonight."
It's a skill that perhaps came from time in the backyard, on roller blades, slicing through leaves, or perhaps from somewhere else. Oshie isn't entirely sure.
But what he can do in those tight spots? It can be magical.
"It's just something that I sometimes find ways to do," Oshie said. "Half the time I don't even really know what's going on. It just ends up on the stick."
And it usually ends with a positive result.
Oshie had assists on the power-play goal by John Carlson that extended the lead to 4-0 at 15:23 of the second period, and the goal by Michal Kempny that stopped the two-goal run by the Golden Knights to make it 5-2 at 13:39 of the third.

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Oshie, whose goal was his first in the Cup Final, has 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists), which ranks fourth on Washington behind Kuznetsov (31), Alex Ovechkin (26), and Backstrom (22)
After the game, Vegas was unhappy with Oshie, and not just because of his three points. Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant revealed that defenseman Colin Miller broke his nose, saying that Oshie threw an elbow on the play.
The injury came moments before Kempny's goal, after Oshie brought the puck into the zone and made a drop pass to Backstrom, who sent the puck to Kempny for a one-timer. The resulting goal provoked celebration from the Capitals and dejection from the Golden Knights.

"I'm really just trying to do my job and make whatever difference I can," Oshie said. "From shift to shift, I just want to go out there and whatever the task is at hand, get the job done. I don't think you ever hope someone has a broken nose or a broken bone, but sometimes that's the way it goes. I haven't gotten through these playoffs scot-free. You have to battle for it."
He didn't mind the battle on Monday. He didn't mind the win. And though the Capitals are hoping that they can close out the series in Game 5, it's clear that if they don't, Oshie and Niskanen will be back riding the rails for Game 6 in Washington on Sunday.
Perhaps Oshie will make sure to check his balance before he goes. But while his Metro card might have been short Monday, it hardly mattered. When it counted, Oshie had exactly as much as he needed.