Suffice to say, just about anyone watching the end of the Sharks-Capitals contest Tuesday night probably assumed the game was over in the last few seconds. Heck, even members of the Sharks thought they were about to lose to the defending Stanley Cup champs before Evander Kane scored the tying goal with one second left in regulation.
"I thought the game was over," Logan Couture admitted. "I came to the bench and I changed, and I was frustrated. Broke my stick over the bench. And then I look up and Kane's putting the puck in the net."
You really do have to hand it to the Sharks. They went into Tuesday's game on the back end of yet another back-to-back with travel involved. They were coming off their third straight loss --- not to mention their third consecutive game where they'd given up six goals. Plus, they have a banged up starting lineup going up against a desperate Capitals team looking to snap a five-game losing streak of their own.
Oh, and Alex Ovechkin registered a hat trick. Don't forget about that part.
But the Sharks hung around. Although San Jose was down two goals partway through the third frame, they kept pushing so Kane could find the back of the net at 19:59 to send it to overtime -- where the Sharks would eventually seal the win.
"The guys knew we were in a tough one tonight," Sharks' coach Peter DeBoer told the media after the 7-6 overtime victory. "With the scheduling of it and the way the road trip has gone and some of the injuries we've got. We could've used it as an excuse and mailed it in at a bunch of different points tonight and we didn't.
"I think that's a testament to our character."
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That character helped to catapult the Sharks offense in the third frame after Ovechkin tallied his third goal to give Washington a 6-4 advantage at 5:52 in the period. San Jose kept grinding, with Tomas Hertl capitalizing on the power play halfway through frame and Kane beating Braden Holtby at the final buzzer. The push culminated in overtime when Martin Jones stood his ground in three-on-three play so Couture, Hertl, and Timo Meier could carry the puck the other way. Hertl scored the game-winner, notching his third career hat trick -- which also made him the first player in team history to register a hat trick that included a game-winning goal in overtime.
To top it off, the Sharks didn't just hand the Capitals their sixth straight loss. It was also the first time Washington lost a game in which Ovechkin scored a hat trick.
Kane gave a nod to the team's resilience while being down. "We never stopped thinking we could get back," he said. "As long as we kept getting that next goal and [Washington] didn't make it a three-goal lead. Big win going into the break."
Speaking of that break, the majority of the Sharks get a 10-day breather with their bye week occurring immediately after All-Star weekend. This team has had a crazy schedule and is facing adversity with the injuries. Getting that win over Washington no doubt allows the team to start that break in a positive frame of mind.
"It's been a grind," DeBoer acknowledged. "It's nice to go into the break with a big emotional win like that. Makes the time a little more enjoyable."
