Before T.J. Oshie destroyed Penguins, his daughter did (Video)

Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie was the hero of Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins after he completed a hat trick with an overtime goal for the 4-3 win. 

“Osh, right from the get-go, had good jump in his game,” said coach Barry Trotz.

Perhaps he took some inspiration from another Oshie and her performance against the Penguins earlier in the day.

T.J. Oshie said a neighbor left a Pittsburgh poster on the stoop of their house. So his wife, Lauren Cosgrove, and 2-year-old daughter Lyla, decided to make a statement with it … by having the young girl punt it 

Now that’s inspiration. Although Oshie admitted that he doesn’t even know how the stars aligned for him in Game 1. 

“Pucks just went in. They usually don’t,” he said.

Oshie’s goal at 9:33 of overtime was his third of the game and a controversial one that needed video review to be confirmed, as the puck appeared to just inch over the goal line past Penguins goalie Matt Murray.

“I originally thought I saw the puck go all the way across the goal line. Just a little sliver there,” said Oshie. “I put my hands up, looked at the ref and he marked it as a goal.

Said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan: “I didn’t see all the angles, but obviously they saw one that they felt it went in.”

The OT goal is fourth in seven playoff games this season – not too shabby when he only had five in his previous 30 playoff games, all with the Blues.

“Just like any player that comes into a playoff situation, some guys have instant success, some guys struggle with it for a while,” said Capitals coach Barry Trotz. “He find ways to keep pucks alive, keep plays alive.”

And in Game 1, he found a way to win it.

“This is what the playoffs are all about,” Oshie said of the thriller. “They’re a good team. They’re hard to play against.”

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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