BROUWER STINGS FORMER CLUB WITH LATE GAME-WINNER
Troy Brouwer’s goal at 19:47 of the third period gave the Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks, Brouwer’s former club. The 29-year-old Vancouver native was selected by Chicago in the seventh round (214th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with the club in 2006-07. He skated in 238 regular-season and 43 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Chicago over five seasons, highlighted by an appearance in the 2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against Detroit at Wrigley Field and a Stanley Cup championship in 2010. The Capitals acquired Brouwer from Chicago on June 24, 2011, sending Chicago a first-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft
* Brouwer has the distinction of being the only player in League history who has skated in at least 200 regular-season games for both the Capitals and Blackhawks (CHI: 238, WSH: 248).
* Brouwer’s tally with 12.9 seconds remaining was the 10th go-ahead goal in the final minute of regulation in the 2014-15 season and the fourth-latest such goal.
BROUWER’S HEROICS ADD TO WINTER CLASSIC TRADITION OF LATE-GAME DRAMA
Brouwer’s goal marked the fifth Winter Classic decided following late-game drama:
* In 2008, Sidney Crosby’s shootout goal lifted the Penguins over the Sabres at snowy Ralph Wilson Stadium.
* In 2010, Marco Sturm’s overtime goal gave the Bruins a 2-1 win over the Flyers at Fenway Park.
* In 2012, Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped a Danny Briere penalty-shot attempt in the final minute of New York’s 3-2 win over the Flyers at Citizens Bank Park.
* In 2014, the Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bozak notched the shootout winner over the Red Wings in the snow and cold in front of an NHL-record 105,491 at Michigan Stadium.
FEHR TOPS OUTDOOR GOALS LIST
Capitals forward Eric Fehr opened the scoring at 7:01 of the first period. Fehr, who tallied a pair of goals in Washington’s 3-1 win at Pittsburgh in the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, is the first player to score three goals in NHL regular-season outdoor games.
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TOEWS LEADS ALL PLAYERS IN OUTDOOR POINTS
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews earned an assist on Brandon’s Saad’s second-period goal. Toews has five points (2-3–5) in three outdoor games, the most in outdoor game history.
TRIO APPEAR IN RECORD FOURTH NHL OUTDOOR GAME
With appearances today, Blackhawks forwards Dan Carcillo and Brad Richards and Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik became the first players to skate in four NHL regular-season outdoor games. Orpik led the Capitals in ice time (24:44), second among all players today behind Chicago’s Duncan Keith (26:50).
QUENNEVILLE SETS OUTDOOR COACHING MARK
The Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville became the first head coach to direct his club in three NHL regular-season outdoor games.
OVI STAYS HOT
Named the First Star of today’s game, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (1-1–2) recorded his second consecutive multi-point game, scoring his 18th goal of the season to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead in the first period and earning an assist on Troy Brouwer’s game-winner in the dying seconds of regulation. Ovechkin has notched 11 points (6-5–11) in his past 11 games and has collected 11 points (7-4–11) in 10 career games against Chicago.
CAPITALS SECURE RARE HOME VICTORY OUTDOORS
The Capitals’ win on ‘home ice’ at Nationals Park reversed a trend from 2013-14 that saw road clubs post a 5-1-0 mark in outdoor games. Overall, road teams hold a 10-3-1 advantage in 14 NHL regular-season outdoor games.
CAPITALS EXTEND RECENT HOT STREAK
With today’s win the Capitals have earned points in 12 of their past 13 games dating to Dec. 4 (9-1-3). They improved to 19-11-7 (45 points), climbing past the Rangers and into third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blackhawks suffered just their third regulation loss in their past 17 games dating to Nov. 26 (13-3-1).
The Capitals also swept the two-game season series against the Blackhawks, having posted a 3-2 victory in their first meeting on Nov. 7 at United Center.
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
National Hockey League Press Release. Information provided from the NHL that describes various news releases that describe current events in the league.