Coyotes: Coyotes goalie Mike Smith keeps things close until Capitals’ 3rd-period surge in 4-1 loss.
Goalie Smith stops 29 shots to keep game close until 3rd period
WASHINGTON – In a battle of two teams repping opposite ends of the standings, the Capitals showed why they’re pacing the NHL by shrugging off a late push from the second-to-last Coyotes for a 4-1 win Saturday at Verizon Center that could have been much more lopsided if not for goalie Mike Smith.
He was stellar, keeping the Coyotes within a goal of the Capitals for much of the game – timely work as the Arizona eventually tied it at 12:29 of the third period when center Peter Holland buried a rebound off an Anthony Duclair shot. But Washington persevered with a pair of goals in 32 seconds. The first came at 15:21, a rising shot off the rush by winger Daniel Winnik. Winger Justin Williams added an insurance market at 15:53 with a slap shot before Winnik scored an empty-netter with 1:39 to go.
Smith racked up 29 saves – 14 of which came in the second period after a first period that was just as busy.
Washington capitalized on its first power play when captain Alex Ovechkin ripped a shot past Smith from his usual post in the left faceoff circle at 8:31 of the first. The goal was Ovechkin’s 30th of the season, and in reaching the plateau, he became just the third player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in each of his first 12 seasons – joining Wayne Gretzky and Mike Gartner.
After that, center Nicklas Backstrom had a look alone in front that Smith gobbled up. The Capitals had another power play, this one a four-minute advantage after Ovechkin was highsticked by defenseman Connor Murphy, and although they hemmed the Coyotes in their own zone for much of the opportunity, they couldn’t convert again and finished 1for-4. Arizona was 0-for-4.
Later in the period, Smith stopped a Kevin Shattenkirk shot off a 2on-0 rush and then a short-handed breakaway by center Jay Beagle with seconds to go went wide. Smith’s counterpart, Braden Holtby, made just three saves in the first period and had only six past the midway point of the game. He finished with 28.