A look at the slate of opponents before the Anaheim Ducks 5-game road trip could have been worrisome for a team struggling to find its identity. Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, and Washington would undoubtedly be a steep hill to climb for any team, let alone one with the struggles Anaheim has faced this season.
But a wild Sunday matinee tilt in the nation’s capital would instead prove to be an epic and triumphant statement that Anaheim would not go quietly into lottery.
Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Oveckin put the Ducks on their heels early off a 2-on-1 that most people probably saw the greatest goal-scorer of all time shooting on.