Backstrom and his Capitals teammates had already sprayed Thomas with 37 shots on the afternoon, and the 37-year-old goaltender still had only relented on one — a quick poke by Troy Brouwer late in the second period.
While Thomas continued to stonewall every shot Washington put up, Backstrom was finally able to find the missing puzzle piece with a little help from lady luck.
"I was just trying to get it [the puck] on net, so I was pretty lucky that it went in," Backstrom said of his game-winning goal that ended the double-overtime thriller. "The puck was floating a little bit, so whatever — it was nice that it went in."
If that was luck, then it would be a sight to see what Backstrom's serious face looks like. Confidence exuded from Backstrom as the puck went from his stick all the way into the back of the net, making it appear he was almost sure he'd netted the winner from the time it left his shaft.
The 24-year-old looked as cool, calm and collected as the Stanley Cup champion he strives to be on the play, even showing a bit of swagger as he took the shot from just left of Thomas' net.
"There’s not a lot of chances out there, but this is how it's going to be, I think," Backstrom said of the excellent goaltending from both sides. "You have to make sure when you get the chances you put them in. And for us, we got this one."
Backstrom's "lucky" goal helped the Capitals take down the Bruins 2-1 in a chippy double-overtime battle on Saturday. The win was a huge statement for Washington, which tied the series up at 1-1, and can only help provide the team with added confidence as it heads home for Game 3 on Monday.
Backstrom, who missed 40 games this season due to a leg injury, didn't bask much in the glory of his miraculous shot or the importance of this goal in just his sixth game back, though. Rather, Backstrom was completely focused on the win as the ultimate prize.
"Absolutely, it feels good. But whatever I don’t really care who scores in the playoffs, as long as we score and get the win," Backstrom said. "We're a team and we work together and we do everything together. So, yeah, it's great to get the goal, but it’s really great to get this win."
