Capitals 1, Stars 2
Game Summary
It would be a difficult ending for the Capitals to swallow. In a game where they dominated much of the play, outshot the Dallas Stars 38 to 21 and seemed to have every bad bounce go their way, the Capitals could not complete the rally and the Stars stop the Caps win streak at 4 games. Even an apparent late goal by John Carlson was waved off after what looked like Alex Ovechkin hitting a Star defender into the Andrew Raycroft and the Stars survive 2-1.
It looked as if the Caps had tied the game with 7.6 seconds left. John Carlson shot it from the top circle with a crowd in front of the net. The official waved it off immediately and called goaltender interference, after Alex Ovechkin crashed the net. On the replay though, Ovechkin did not push Karlis Skrastin, but instead the Star defender went to hit Ovechkin, missed and took out his own goaltender.
When asked about the waved goal call, Bruce Boudreau was visibly irked.
"What do you want me to say that I can't get fined for," Boudreau started. "If you look at the friggin' call and Ovi doesn't touch the guy. Their guy slides into the goalie and takes him out of the play and the one ref is telling me Ovi is in the paint. Well I want to know when that rule changed where you can't be in the paint."
Boudreau would continue, "Why the two refs [are not] consulting each other and you want to know why I voted for [a] coach's challenge, there it is."
"I just saw the replay, you know, no comment about it," Ovechkin said of the play after the game. "It's unbelievable."
"It was a good hockey game up to that point," Matt Hendricks said to reporters. After another strong game for Hendricks who helped his team get chances by moving his feet, drawing penalties and dropped the mitts too.
The Caps looked as if they dominated the first period, outshooting the Stars 14 to 7. But the second period gave them fits as the officiating missed a slashing call when a Dallas player two hand slashed and broke Jeff Schultz's stick then a phantom interference call on the Caps' defender when Schultz hit him after he had the puck. A quizzical call that baffled Boudreau and buzz killed the Caps good play.
"[Penalties like that] takes a team that is, I think, outplaying them fairly good at that point and takes them out of the game because [you] have to play defense for 6 to 8 minutes," Boudreau said. "It's going to switch momentum pretty quick."
The only Capitals' goal would be scored by Mike Knuble and it would tie up the game at one a piece. But Michal Neuvirth, who had played brilliantly all game, couldn't track a knuckle ball shot just :20 seconds later as the Stars retook the lead.
Hannan Premiere
Scott Hannan saw his first minutes as a Capital and those minutes mounted up after John Erskine took an awkward fall into the boards in the first period. He played just over nineteen minutes and registered 4 blocked shots. He did exactly what he was supposed to do, play a simple shut down game and block shots.
"I think he did his job," Boudreau said of the new acquisition. "He is a good shut-down, stay-at-home [defenseman]"
"It was good," Hannan said of his first start as a Cap. "It felt good out there. I tried to get into it as quickly as I could. But it is a good team here, I am glad to be out there."
Ovi Goal-less Streak
Ovechkin has now tied his career longest stretch with out a goal to now nine games. As the Caps four game win streak comes to an end so does Ovechkin's assist and point streak. While not scoring a goal in the past 4 games he has amassed seven assists.
Coach Boudreau's post game interview:
Alex Ovechkin, Scott Hannan and Matt Hendricks post game interviews:
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