Capitals and Oilers Claim Crucial Playoff Victories in Overtime

WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals evened their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 victory on Thursday night. Tom Wilson was instrumental, assisting on a power-play goal and adding an empty-netter in the final minute of play.

Wilson expressed frustration over his blocked shots being undercounted, stating, “I only had two of them? The guys up top need to pay a little more attention.” His team needed that intensity after losing Game 1 in overtime.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery praised Wilson’s leadership, saying, “When we don’t perform to our standard, it doesn’t sit well with them. Then they take concrete actions to fix it.” The Capitals improved after a disappointing Game 1, where they were outplayed significantly.

In other playoff action, the Edmonton Oilers edged the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in overtime, taking a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winning goal after a controversial non-call on a trip against Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb.

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone voiced his frustrations about the missed penalty prior to Draisaitl’s goal, stating, “It’s a pretty clear-cut penalty in my eyes and I think everybody’s eyes.” Coach Bruce Cassidy also criticized the officiating, insisting, “He blew it. He missed the call.”

Despite falling into a 2-0 series hole, Stone remained optimistic, saying, “I liked our game today; we had a lot of good chances. We put up four goals, and usually when you score four goals, you’re going to win a playoff game.” Game 3 for both series will be crucial as teams look to gain momentum going forward.