Nick Bonino scored an overtime, series-winning goal against the Caps on this date nine years ago.
Nine years ago today, Nick Bonino and his partners on the HBK Line sent the Washington Capitals home with a thrilling, series-winning, overtime goal during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
During the 2016 playoffs, the Penguins and Capitals were facing each other in the postseason for the first time in seven years and the series certainly didn’t disappoint.
From a series-opening overtime win for the Capitals featuring a T.J. Oshie hat trick to three straight wins for the Penguins and a Patric Hornqvist overtime game-winner, the series featured plenty of fireworks.
The Capitals staved off elimination at home in Game 5 and sent the series back to Pittsburgh for a sixth game, where it seemed like the Penguins and the HBK Line were in cruise control — up until they weren’t.
Phil Kessel opened the scoring in the first period before Kessel and Carl Hagelin extended the Penguins’ lead to 3-0 in a matter of 33 seconds. Then things started to go a little sideways.
In matter of just over 2 minutes, three different Penguins players set pucks over the glass for delay of game penalties, a moment that still to this day feels like an alternative universe.
Somehow, Pittsburgh came away from it relatively unscathed, only allowing a tying goal and not worse.
In overtime, Nick Bonino put the game and the series on ice when he scored one of his biggest goals as a Penguins player.
What a goal and what a moment.