Recipe For Road Win

Capitals 3, Jets 0
Game Summary - Event Summary

It was a perfect road game for the Washington Capitals. A recipe fit for some tasty win against a bitter divisional rival who leads them in the standings. A shut out by Braden Holtby helped the boys in white to a win over the Winnipeg Jets 3-0.

First part of the recipe for the Capitals is to cool a hot Winnipeg Jets. A team that has done well at MTS Centre, the Jets have found success by scoring early. The Caps would have to put water on a team that loves to score early in their home sweaters. That was done with Holtby turning aside 15 shots while the Capitals could only muster 5 of their own. But getting to the first intermission tied at 0-0 was a small victory unto itself for the Caps.

Second, break the hostility tension with a good fight. New comer Aaron Volpatti added that break with a fight with a bigger Anthony Peluso. Although Peluso seemed to have won the bout, the Capitals seemed to play better. Peluso would also leave the game after the fight with an "upper body injury" and would not return.

Add some timely scoring. After the Capitals worked back the momentum from the streaking Jets, it would be a goal by Matt Hendricks that would break the stalemate in the second period. Started by a heavy shot by John Erskine who took out Jets' forward Blake Wheeler. Since the Caps retained possession of the puck, Erskine faked the second slapper and passed it to Mike Ribeiro on the opposite side of the ice. Ribeiro snap passed it to Hendricks in front of the net. Hendricks scored his fourth goal of the season.

That opened the play up for the Capitals, but some fantastic saves by Ondrej Pavelec including a glove save on a certain goal shot by Jason Chimera. The Jets gained some momentum from those saves and Holtby would answer every shot that came his way. He would get his sixth shutout of his career, his third of the season. Holtby was solid in net, calm and cool with every save. Credit his team in front of him keeping a slew of those shots to the outside and clearing the slot so Holtby could see those outside shots.

Add some insurance goals by Troy Brouwer (his ninth of the season) and Mike Ribeiro cleaning up an Alex Ovechkin shot for his seventh goal of the season. With the Jets trying to get back into the game, things opened up in the third for the Capitals and they took advantage.

The Caps were able to kill off all the penalties they took. Their first minor came in the waning minutes of the second period. The Jets would go 0-3 on the power play, the Caps would also go with out a power play goal on the afternoon.

Mix well and you have the perfect recipe for a win on the road. A big win for the Capitals who are looking to climb up the Southeast Division standings ladder. As long as the Caps are able to play their division tough, it should help them to make the playoffs. Mike Green was scratched with a "lower body injury" or groin injury for the rest of us. Wotjek Wolski was a healthy scratch.

Caps Notes:

• Holtby would finish by turning away all 35 shots against him for his career sixth shutout, his second in three games. 
• The Capitals were out shot (35-21) and out hit (32-13) by the Jets. 
• Troy Brouwer scored his 9th goal of the season that now puts him in the scoring lead for the Capitals this season.