The image of Jakub Vrana holding his head down said it all. Sunday, the Washington Capitals forward had a perfect opportunity to redeem himself after his blundering turnover in Game 2 that led to the game-winner and his benching. But instead, his misfortunes once again led to the game-winning goal for the New York Islanders. Now, the Capitals are on the brink of elimination in the first round, facing a daunting 0-3 series hole.
With the game tied 1-1 in overtime, Vrana got loose for a one-on-one breakaway. As he charged Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov, victory seemed inevitable. Instead, Varlamov dropped down and blocked Vrana’s 5-hole attempt. Vrana got the rebound, but Varlamov was there to shut the door again.
The Islanders defense recovered and out of the scrum, turned Vrana’s whiff into a breakaway of their own. Unlike the Capitals, the Islanders finished the break with a goal, as Mathew Barzal beat a sprawling Braden Holtby for the goal and win.
Vrana had a career-year during the regular season before COVID-19 pandemic halted the NHL season. He had a 25 goals, 27 assists totaling 52 points — all career-highs. However, his season will be remembered by his two gaffes in the NHL restart bubble.
Vrana and the Capitals have to picked their heads up, as they get at least one more try to rewrite the series. Game 4 will be Tuesday night with the Capitals looking to avoid the sweep.
