In front of a crowd of 29,516, the Washington Capitals put on an offensive surge that propelled them past the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in the Coors Light Stadium Series in Annapolis, Md.
The outdoor game was played at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. The game had it all. The Olympic gold medalists U.S. National Curling Team curled the puck to center ice for the ceremonial face-off. Fellow gold medalists U.S. Women’s Hockey Team was also honored during second intermission. From Alex Ovechkin scoring career goal No. 598 to John Carlson’s emphatic celebration to the power outage that briefly halted the game in the third period, the 2018 Stadium Series had it all.
In the end the Capitals picked up a much needed win to improve to 81 points and maintain first place in the Metropolitan Division. Goalie Braden Holtby snapped a six-game losing streak, stopping 27 of 29 shots he faced. The win was Hotlby’s first in the net since Feb. 9.
Hotlby’s counterpart Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen was chased off after allowing five goals on 25 shots in the first two periods. Let’s relive the 5 best moments to take away from Saturday’s festivities.
5. Team USA Curls Puck to Ceremonial Face-Off
.@usacurl's @TeamShuster delivered the puck to center ice like only curling gold medalists should! šš„ pic.twitter.com/0CKcOtcb3D
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) March 4, 2018
4. John Carlson Lights the Lamp
Carly quickly puts Washington back up by 2! #StadiumSeries #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/lxpawoOsj4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 4, 2018
3. Lights Go Out
Every light counts! #StadiumSeries #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/EzaI3ZSz6D
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 4, 2018
2. Alex Ovechkin Deposits Career Goal No. 598
That's number 5ļøā£9ļøā£8ļøā£ for Ovi! pic.twitter.com/OoL6W4b4MM
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) March 4, 2018
1. Jakub Vrana Puts the Game Away
V running away with it. #StadiumSeries #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/soPlfrla0r
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 4, 2018
