The Caps celebrate Boyd Gordon's shorthanded goal in the first period. (Photo: Associated Press)

Mike Knuble's goal on a goalmouth scramble with 1:09 left in overtime gave the Washington Capitals their eighth straight win as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Center. The winning goal was a piece of sheer magic from the veteran Knuble, who took a pass from Marcus Johansson at the edge of the crease, switched the puck from his backhand to his forehand, and flipped a shot over Chicago goalie Corey Crawford.

Washington thought it had won the game in regulation on Brooks Laich's goal with 13:37 left.  The goal was disarmingly simple as a centering pass by Eric Fehr from behind Crawford's net was deflected by Matt Hendricks into the path of Laich, who had set up camp in the slot. Laich's one-timer gave the Chicago goalie absolutely no chance.

But the Blackhawks tied the game on the power play with 38.5 seconds to go as Jonathan Toews stuffed the puck past Braden Holtby in a scramble down low. At the time, Chicago was playing 6-on-4 as Johansson was serving his second hooking penalty of the game and Crawford had been pulled for an extra attacker.

The Blackhawks drew first blood just 4:46 into the game when a shot from the point by Nick Leddy appeared to deflect off of John Carlson in front and slipped through the pads of Holtby, but the Capitals leveled the score just 1:25 later.

With Johansson in the penalty box after being called for his first hooking penalty, a shot from the point by Chicago's Brent Seabrook rebounded out to the left point. Patrick Sharp whiffed on his attempt to keep it in the zone and Boyd Gordon was off to the races on a shorthanded breakaway. The fourth-line center reached the top of the left face-off circle before slapping a shot past Crawford for his third goal of the season.

The Capitals took the lead into the first intermission after Jason Arnott's power play tally at 19:06. After a flurry of action in front of Crawford's net, the puck came back to Arnott at the point and his slap shot found the back of the net, but not before taking a couple of deflections in front of the net and off the goal posts.

Washington's lead didn't last long, however, as Chicago equalized just 3:09 into the second period on a rather fluky goal. Tomas Kopecky, after holding the puck in the corner to Holtby's right, fired a knuckling wrist shot from below the goal line. Improbably, the puck grazed off Holtby's back and nestled into the net at the goalie's left post to tie the game at 2.