Jets-Capitals midseason showdown of the top teams in the NHL lives up to that billing

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top two teams in the NHL facing off in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of over 18,500 fans on an early February Saturday night in the U.S. capital did not disappoint.

The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets delivered in a thrilling midseason matchup with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game.

“We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said after his team won its sixth game in a row. “You know you’re going against some elite players on the opposite side, and we’ve been watching what they’ve been doing. You’re following them in the standings, watching them on the highlights and when you have a game like that, exciting for the fans, not so much for the coaches.”

Maybe the goalie coaches because even with all the scoring, Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson had some big saves throughout at either end of the ice. Each had 25 saves, or this could have been a double-digit vintage throwback to hockey from the 1980s.

“Both teams obviously have a goalie — goalies — that every time they’re playing you expect to win, they give you a chance to win,” said Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who scored his 21st goal of the season. “The caliber of hockey tonight was high, and they were all over us.

“It was good hockey. I’m sure it was a fun game to watch and guys working extremely hard and trying to get it done. Just (came up) a little short, and I think it’s nice to prove to ourselves that we can play with the top in the league and we belong.”

Washington erased a two-goal third-period deficit when Ovechkin scored with 7:39 left in regulation and set off “Ovi! Ovi!” chants. The moment may have been the loudest Capital One Arena has been all season.

“Two best teams playing, and it was a battle,” Ovechkin said. “It was a hard game at both ends.”

Arniel, who coached Ovechkin for four seasons as an assistant from 2018-22, has seen that kind of shot up close plenty of times before.

“That came off in a hurry,” Arniel said, “And obviously ‘Helley’ didn’t have time to react to that one.”

Hellebuyck has won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender twice and is an overwhelming favorite to make it a third. Thompson has excellence since joining the Capitals in a trade from Vegas last summer and earlier this week was rewarded with a new six-year contract that begins next season worth $35.1 million.

But the goalies weren’t the focus of this one.

“It was a crazy game,” said Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, who scored twice, including the OT winner. “There was a lot of weird stuff going on, a lot of goals. Obviously both teams are known for scoring, but also their defensive game. So I think both teams would probably want to clean some of those things up. But for just one game, a lot of swings. Great energy in the arena, and it was nice to be able to stick it out and get the two points.”

If Washington can get through the Eastern Conference playoffs and Winnipeg through the West, the game certainly showed what a potential Stanley Cup Final might look like. These teams play again north of the border in March, but a best-of-seven series in June could be electrifying.

“Both teams have a lot of pride and want to show that they’re the better team,” Morrissey said. “We found a way to be resilient in the game, and definitely you can see why they’re such a great team.”

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