T.J. Oshie found himself in a familiar position Thursday night -- beating Sergei Bobrovsky in a shootout, just like at the Sochi Olympics.
The Washington Capitals winger was first to go in a shootout with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I thought about it for five seconds, maybe,” Oshie said of his Olympic highlight, before taking his attempt on Bobrovsky.
Oshie remembered his four goals in six shootout tries on Bobrovsky in the memorable U.S. group-play win over Russia three years ago. He also remembered going five-hole on half of those attempts and scoring on all three.
Oshie went five-hole again Thursday after some internal debate.
“I wasn’t going to go five-hole because we faced each other in the Olympics, there, and I went there three times, but I thought I saw something, went for it,” Oshie said. “Luckily, it found the back of the net.”
It was the only goal of the shootout, handing the Capitals a 2-1 win.
Oshie, 30, said he has practiced shootouts since age 10.
“He’s a skilled guy on the shootouts,” Bobrovsky reportedly said. “He beat me again.”
Should the NHL participate in the PyeongChang Olympics, Oshie is a prime candidate for the U.S. roster.
He has scored a career-high 30 goals this season, ranking fourth among American players in the NHL, despite missing 13 of the team’s 73 games.
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Check the whole shootout! Oshie did was he does, Kuzy got fancy, Holtby stopped em all. #Caps Win! #CapsJackets #RockTheRed https://t.co/cYiHYGUOfc
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 24, 2017
