Ottawa wins, 4-3, in OT
It has been a common and troubling theme for the Capitals early this season. They head into the third period with a lead and yet struggle to handle that advantage.
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It happened again on Monday night in Ottawa when a 3-1 lead melted away less than eight minutes into the final period. It then took just 74 seconds into overtime for Senators forward Mike Fisher to make Washington pay when he deflected home the game-winner for a 4-3 win.
That concluded a disappointing long weekend for Washington (13-5-6, 32 points), which lost to Montreal at home on Friday, 3-2, and then fell in a shootout at Toronto on Saturday, 2-1.
The Senators held the puck in their offensive zone for a good chunk of the first 15 minutes and took a 1-0 lead on a deflected goal by Peter Regin. But the Caps rebounded on Chris Clark’s tally at 11:19 — a play that was reviewed but deemed acceptable. Washington finished that period strong when Brendan Morrison scored with just 30 seconds left.
The Caps extended their lead with a goal by forward Jay Beagle — the first of his NHL career in seven regular-season games. Beagle knocked down a clearing attempt by Ottawa forward Jonathan Cheechoo and quickly fired a shot past goalie Brian Elliott. But it all fell apart in the third. Chris Neil tipped home a shot 3:18 into the period to cut the lead to 3-2. Alex Picard tied it four minutes later on a power play.
