“There was a time when I thought about pulling him, but you know what, the guy’s been very good for this franchise the last year and I thought he earned the right to stay in there and fight through it, and he had a really good third period,” Oates said.

Capitals defensemen John Carlson spoke with the media after the game, about the importance of sticking to their game plan, moving forward.

“No one plays a perfect game, especially against these guys. They have great players and they are going to make you pay. If we stick to what we have been taught, it clearly works,” he said.

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