With his team's backs against the wall, T.J. Oshie came through for the Washington Capitals with a pair of goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-0 victory that forced Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Oshie extended his four-game point streak while teammate Braden Holtby posted 24 saves in what was the netminder's first shutout of the regular and postseason.
The forward opened the game’s scoring on a power-play at 15:12 of the second period before picking up an empty-netter for his seventh goal and 15th point of the postseason.
"I think the biggest thing there is No. 8 [Alex Ovechkin] in his office over there," Oshie credited his teammates for playing like a unit through 60 minutes. "Everything, how teams play us, all depends on where he is and how they want to play him. For me, it's just a matter of a couple feet here and there to try and find a soft area. Whether it's Nick or [Evgeny Kuznetsov], they're able to get the puck into the wheelhouse, and it's up to me to find a hole."
It seemed that in facing elimination, No.77 and the Caps had the comfort of drawing on experience.
Asked Oshie this morning if Caps play best when their backs are against the wall. "I think that is a situation that unfortunately we tend to get ourselves in and maybe – I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing – but we almost feel a little comfortable there."
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) May 22, 2018
Game 7 goes Wednesday with an 8 p.m. ET puck drop at Amalie Arena to determine who will play the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.