You’ve heard the cliche before: “hockey is a game of bounces.” Rarely is that statement revealed as the honest-truth quite like this wacky goal allowed by Michal Neuvirth.
John Tavares ended up getting a gimme stat on that one, but he “earned” another tally and assist to show that it wasn’t just a night of flukes. (Tavares also found the net in the skills competition, by the way.)
That wacky goal seemed like it would tell the story of a disastrous missed opportunity once the score was 3-0 and 4-1, but give credit to the Washington Capitals, who redeemed their goalie by earning a 5-4 shootout comeback win.
That triumph gave the Capitals four wins in a row and a temporary hold on the top spot in the Southeast Division - along with the third seed that would come with it. The Florida Panthers jumped right back into first place in the division with a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but either way, things certainly look better for Washington now than they did when they were down 3-0 and 4-1.
Perhaps this is the type of win Washington can build something special upon, but Neuvirth will likely just be happy to be able to laugh - a bit - at that bizarre goal.