The NHL world has reacted to Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring 26 seconds into OT against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which gave the Washington Capitals their 27th win of the season.
The Capitals are fourth in the Metropolitan Division. Their goals against the Blue Jackets came from Trevor van Riemsdyk, who scored twice, Garnet Hathaway in regulation time, and Kuznetsov, who bagged an OT winner. Kuznetsov also assisted Van Riemsdyk's second goal.
Captain Alexander Ovechkin had a quiet night, managing only one shot on goal, which was saved by goalie Korpisalo. On a night where their most lethal scorer was unable to be of much offensive help, his teammates stepped up big time.
Here are the reactions from the NHL universe on Kuznetsov's dramatic OT winner:
"So many great players in the history of the Capitals, but I don’t think there’s any as effortlessly smooth on the ice than Evgeny Kuznetsov. Dude is so much fun to watch when he’s on top of his game. #ALLCAPS" -@Loh-rider
"Evgeny Kuznetsov on what he's doing during the Capitals' long break: "I'm probably going to be with the kids 24/7. Been missing them a lot. We've been on the road a lot the last month. I'm probably going to shut my phone down and enjoy some time with my wife and kids."
Evgeny Kuznetsov post-game thoughts
After the game, Kuznetsov was asked about his winning goal and what was going on in his mind before he took the shot. He said :
"Yeah, it was unexpected. No, it was a nice faceoff, and I gotta say that and especially having Gus on ice, we know that we are not going to throw the puck away, and we are going to wait and if nothing opens up, we are going to change, but eventually we held on to the puck, and I decided to shoot the puck."
Kuznetsov also said that it was an important win for the Capitals, as they had suffered a 5-1 thrashing from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the last game. He added that the win against the Blue Jackets will be a big mental boost for the team going into the All-Star break.
It was Kuznetsov's eighth overtime goal. Since his rookie season in 2013-14, his tally of overtime goals rank second for Washington, behind only Alex Ovechkin's 13.