Capitals vs. Senators: How the Game Was Won

"The Caps were up 1-0 with just a couple of minutes left in the second period. With time in the zone, the puck came around to Trevor van Riemsdyk along the wall. He won the battle and made a nice backhand pass to Aliaksei Protas in the left circle. Protas then fed it low to Pierre-Luc Dubois, who got it back to van Riemsdyk at the point, who made another great pass to Tom Wilson at the right dot."

"Wilson looked like he was about to send it to Dubois into the slot, but with four players around him he changed his course of action. Instead he quickly turned his blade over and ripped a shot over the goalie's shoulder. If the goalie was centered to the shot, he might have stopped it - but because of Wilson's fake pass to the slot, the goalie was leaning that direction and it left just enough space for Wilson to score his 25th goal of the season."

The Capitals defeated the Senators in a game where both teams fought hard despite having less than 10% playoff chances. The decisive moment came late in the second period when Tom Wilson scored his 25th goal of the season. The play developed through excellent passing by Trevor van Riemsdyk, Aliaksei Protas, and Pierre-Luc Dubois before Wilson received the puck at the right dot. Wilson executed a deceptive play, faking a pass to the slot while the goalie shifted position, then quickly firing a shot over the goalie's shoulder into the open space. The Capitals hope this performance signals their top players beginning to heat up as they prepare to face the New Jersey Devils.

Read at Japers' Rink