Zach Sanford’s first career NHL goal lifts Capitals to a win over the Ducks

Zach Sanford had waited patiently for his first NHL goal, so it was fitting that as he fired a shot from the right faceoff circle, the puck bounced off Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson and then momentarily paused short of the goal line before trickling over it.

“That was like slow motion for me there,” Sanford said. “Like, come on, get going, get going. But, yeah, it made it, which is good.”

Sanford threw both arms up, and the fans at Verizon Center mimicked him. Brett Connolly grabbed the puck as a keepsake for the rookie winger, but Sanford won’t have any trouble remembering the moment, a game-winner late in the third period of a tie game.

Sanford’s shot lifted the Washington Capitals to a 6-4 win, and they tied an NHL record with an 11th straight game at home with at least five goals. The mark originally was set by the 1970-71 Boston Bruins.

[Sanford makes his case to stay a little longer with first NHL goal]

“They didn’t really give us a choice but to score five goals after they tied it up,” Capitals forward Daniel Winnik said.

That the game-winner came from Sanford is a testament to these Capitals. Andre Burakovsky injured his hand Thursday, forcing Sanford into the lineup two days later. Plug and play. The fill-in scored, and Washington rolled on.