Under two minutes into the overtime period, with the game knotted at three, Evgeny Kuznetsov connected with Orpik on a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. Washington was aided by Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce, who lost his stick on the rush that led to the goal and subsequently stood in front of goaltender Petr Mrazek’s as Orpik was shooting.
Despite his minimal scoring over his career, Orpik now has two overtime goals in the postseason, an accomplishment he shares with just 10 other defensemen.
The series moves to Raleigh for Games 3 and 4 where the Caps will look to complete the second half of a sweep. The puck will drop for Game 3 at 7 p.m. ET April 15.
