Capitals 4, Penguins 3
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Pitt Gaz
To be honest, I was pretty concerned for the Capitals in this one when they fell 3 - 0. The Penguins are a team that don't surrender leads all that much, except for tonight. Three unanswered third period goals do the Pens in as the Capitals win their first game against Pittsburgh when Marc-Andre Fluery was in net. And on the road no less.
Jose Theodore looked a bit shaky in the start, but the Caps more than make up for it in the third. Tomas Fleischmann (got the red hard hat for his goal and assist), Alex Semin (his fourth), Micheal Nylander (game-tying goal) and Boyd Gordon (his first and the game winner) all scored for the Caps. Eric Fehr, in his first game this year, played huge getting two assists. Ovi did not get on the score sheet, but he was an impact player that finished with a +2 rating. Crosby finished a -3.
The Caps looked a bit out of their element early. Shaky goaltending and some bad penalties got them behind the eight ball in a hurry. The Pens jumped out to a three to nothing lead. All three Penguins' goals were on the power play and they took a 3-1 lead into the locker room after the second period.
Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin were on a tear all evening long, both were going out of their way to put the hit on one another. These guys really don't like each other, and the antics seemed to work in the Penguins favor as Ovi was kept off the score sheet and Malkin had a goal and two assists. But the Capitals found a way back.
The Capitals special teams were abysmal. The penalty kill allowed three goals while the Caps failed to convert any power play tallies. Credit the Pens though, they did take advantage of the Capitals penalties and played an aggressive PK. In the third the Caps stayed clean and out of the box.
The game turned physical quickly as both sides went at each other. With the Capitals down 3-1, Matt Bradley (the resident tough guy in Donald Brashear's absence) picked a fight with Paul Bissonnette. It's a fight I think Brads would like to have back. He was caught off guard with a few jabs and then Bissonnette landed one that had Brads down and out, cut and bleeding badly in the mouth. Bradley would leave the game for a short time but would return and make his way on the ice in the third. The Caps seemed to rally after Brads efforts.
Tom Poti was also injured leaving the game with a groin pull, he did not return. Sergei Fedorov came to the rescue replacing Poti on the blue line and the Caps benefited from the change. The smooth skating Fedorov seemed to calm things down.
Theodore may have started a bit off, but he did come up with some pretty big saves. The first goal he gave up just looked as if he was stuck between whether to get up or stay in the butterfly. The other two goals were not his fault, just really bad penalty killing by the Capitals.
Once the Capitals had their game on, which was almost the entire third period, they looked unstoppable. They had the Pens scrambling and making bad plays to get the puck out of the zone. Crosby himself was guilty of a behind the back pass to no one that lead to a goal. The Capitals out shot the Pens 21 to 6 in the third period.
While it's unorthodox, the Caps have found ways to win. The battles this team has faced to make the playoffs last year has allowed this team to grow and find a way to get it done. While it isn't a perfect win, I am sure the Caps will take it. At the end of the game, Crosby took a shot at Ovechkin who was looking to score on the empty net. The two had words all the way to the locker room. This is turning into a pretty heated rivalry indeed.
Video highlights courtesy of NHL.com:
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ovechkin, Crosby; Crosby, Ovechkin
The Washington Capitals have a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night. This will be the 11th time the Pens and Caps have faced off with both Sid "the Kid" Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in the line up.
Crosby has 7 goals and 19 points in his career against the Caps (although you could count one of Sid's goals to Nick Backstrom, but I am not really going to get into that), while Ovechkin only has 6 goals and 15 points. So far this year both players have gotten off to slow starts, Ovi has only scored in one game so far (albeit 2 goals and a slew of really good hits) and the Kid has only has two assists through 4 games.
The Penguins are a different team this year. No Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Marian Hossa. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are out of the line up with injuries. If anything, the Pens seem to be a bit vulnerable unlike the past few years these two have met. Even though both Ovi and the Kid down play the rivalry between them, every game has been highly competitive and pretty exciting to watch. The Pens are coming off an emotional OT win over their cross-state rivals.
The Caps are coming off of a big win against the Vancouver Canucks where their team defense only allowed 10 shots against, a franchise record. Viktor Kozlov is out of the line up for at least two weeks with a leg injury. He was cut down in the second period (about 9:04, Rob Davison took out Kozzies legs after he had dished the puck away). If this Capitals play to their potential, then we could be looking at a Penguin/Caps swing in wins between the two clubs with their superstars.
NHL Notes:
In Moscow, thousands came to mourn the sudden passing of Alexei Cherepanov who collapsed during a game in the KHL, the Russian league. While we on this side of the pond didn't really know the New York Ranger prospect well, it is a sad day for hockey everywhere. It brought back memories of Jiri Fischer's collapse on the bench in Detroit. Unfortuneatly this didn't have a better ending.
Okay, I am a little bit over this no commercial break on an icing call. I think the NHL shouldn't have changed this rule. The reason, television broadcasts now are scrambling to put in their commercial breaks later in the period and in the smattering of games I have seen so far it seems like tv was going to commercial at every whistle. I was much happier when I knew that the commercials were relatively balanced through out the game (to time out bathroom breaks, beer runs, etc.). While it's fun to watch nearly 20 to 30 minute of hockey at the beginning, sitting through commercial break after commercial break at the end of the period gets a bit frustrating.
Crosby has 7 goals and 19 points in his career against the Caps (although you could count one of Sid's goals to Nick Backstrom, but I am not really going to get into that), while Ovechkin only has 6 goals and 15 points. So far this year both players have gotten off to slow starts, Ovi has only scored in one game so far (albeit 2 goals and a slew of really good hits) and the Kid has only has two assists through 4 games.
The Penguins are a different team this year. No Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Marian Hossa. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are out of the line up with injuries. If anything, the Pens seem to be a bit vulnerable unlike the past few years these two have met. Even though both Ovi and the Kid down play the rivalry between them, every game has been highly competitive and pretty exciting to watch. The Pens are coming off an emotional OT win over their cross-state rivals.
The Caps are coming off of a big win against the Vancouver Canucks where their team defense only allowed 10 shots against, a franchise record. Viktor Kozlov is out of the line up for at least two weeks with a leg injury. He was cut down in the second period (about 9:04, Rob Davison took out Kozzies legs after he had dished the puck away). If this Capitals play to their potential, then we could be looking at a Penguin/Caps swing in wins between the two clubs with their superstars.
NHL Notes:
In Moscow, thousands came to mourn the sudden passing of Alexei Cherepanov who collapsed during a game in the KHL, the Russian league. While we on this side of the pond didn't really know the New York Ranger prospect well, it is a sad day for hockey everywhere. It brought back memories of Jiri Fischer's collapse on the bench in Detroit. Unfortuneatly this didn't have a better ending.
Okay, I am a little bit over this no commercial break on an icing call. I think the NHL shouldn't have changed this rule. The reason, television broadcasts now are scrambling to put in their commercial breaks later in the period and in the smattering of games I have seen so far it seems like tv was going to commercial at every whistle. I was much happier when I knew that the commercials were relatively balanced through out the game (to time out bathroom breaks, beer runs, etc.). While it's fun to watch nearly 20 to 30 minute of hockey at the beginning, sitting through commercial break after commercial break at the end of the period gets a bit frustrating.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Schedule Looking Better
Three games into the season and I am already loving this season's new schedule. Compared to a year ago where the Caps played the Eastern Conference 8 times before seeing a Western Conference team and played their division foes 10 times out of 15 games in one month (Nov. '07). It's nice to see some of those western sweaters at the phone booth.
Just in the first week of action the Caps have played two Western Conference teams, a divisional foe and now they face off with an Eastern Conference foe in Pittsburgh Thursday night. The diversity is a breath of fresh air. Plus it will be fun to stay up for some late west coast games when the Caps hit the road.
The previous two seasons, the Capitals were forced to play each team within their division a whopping 8 times, the games sort of lost interest after the 20th time they played their close foes. The NHL this year scaled back on the number of division and games and allowed more interconference play. I would like to see the League take it a step further, allowing a team to play the other 29 both home and away.
Caps Notes:
Well if you haven't already heard, Viktor Kozlov is out for a couple of weeks with a leg injury. That puts Eric Fehr back in the line up although Bruce Boudreau had already planned to play the forward this week.
Both Donald Brashear and Alex Semin did not practice today at Kettler as both were taking a day off to nurse some nagging injuries. The line ups for practice were a bit jumbled up, but Boudreau told reporters not to read into any of the changes. Fedorov was back up as a forward, partly because they were short with Semin, Kozlov and Brashear out. Gabby still has not ruled out using the former Hart Trophy winner as a defender Thursday night.
If you were following the red hard hat, Nick Backstrom was awarded the crimson plastic crown in last night's tilt. Although he was not envolved on the scoresheet, he did play a solid game and got a couple of good shots on net. While we would like to see him on the scoresheet more, it's tough when someone has to watchout for Mike Green's position when he too busy moving it up ice by himself.
Also the Caps are thinking about loaning out one of their prospect goaltenders to another AHL squad. Micheal Nuevirth may be lent to another team while Daren Machesney and Simeon Varlamov seem to be gobbling up ice time for the Bears. Tarik has the latest on that.
Just in the first week of action the Caps have played two Western Conference teams, a divisional foe and now they face off with an Eastern Conference foe in Pittsburgh Thursday night. The diversity is a breath of fresh air. Plus it will be fun to stay up for some late west coast games when the Caps hit the road.
The previous two seasons, the Capitals were forced to play each team within their division a whopping 8 times, the games sort of lost interest after the 20th time they played their close foes. The NHL this year scaled back on the number of division and games and allowed more interconference play. I would like to see the League take it a step further, allowing a team to play the other 29 both home and away.
Caps Notes:
Well if you haven't already heard, Viktor Kozlov is out for a couple of weeks with a leg injury. That puts Eric Fehr back in the line up although Bruce Boudreau had already planned to play the forward this week.
Both Donald Brashear and Alex Semin did not practice today at Kettler as both were taking a day off to nurse some nagging injuries. The line ups for practice were a bit jumbled up, but Boudreau told reporters not to read into any of the changes. Fedorov was back up as a forward, partly because they were short with Semin, Kozlov and Brashear out. Gabby still has not ruled out using the former Hart Trophy winner as a defender Thursday night.
If you were following the red hard hat, Nick Backstrom was awarded the crimson plastic crown in last night's tilt. Although he was not envolved on the scoresheet, he did play a solid game and got a couple of good shots on net. While we would like to see him on the scoresheet more, it's tough when someone has to watchout for Mike Green's position when he too busy moving it up ice by himself.
Also the Caps are thinking about loaning out one of their prospect goaltenders to another AHL squad. Micheal Nuevirth may be lent to another team while Daren Machesney and Simeon Varlamov seem to be gobbling up ice time for the Bears. Tarik has the latest on that.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Domination
Capitals 5, Canucks 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Van Sun
It was the second straight game the Capitals had let in a goal on the first shot of the game by the opponent, but just like the home opener, they were able to overcome. The Vancouver Canucks could only muster 10 shots on net as the Capitals shut down what was considered a very high powered offense winning 5 - 1 on Columbus Day.
Scoring for the Caps were Alex Semin (netted two goals), Mike Green (power play goal), Milan Jurcina (his first of the season) and Micheal Nylander (who scored on a penalty shot). Brent Johnson was able to stop 9 out of 10 shots (not bad) for his 100th win. The Caps chased Roberto Luongo from the net after two periods of play, but it's all they needed. Luongo surrendered all 5 goals, but to be honest, it really wasn't his fault.
Semin was all over the place tonight. The puck seemed to follow him around, especially in high traffic areas in front of the net where he scored both of his goals and secured the game's first star. In both goals, which seemed identical in a way, the Caps drove hard to the net and Luongo had a hard time buttoning down the rebound. The puck squirted loose right to Semin's stick both times; once on the backhand, the other on the forehand. With the Canuck netminder down and out, Semin shot to a wide open gaping net high.
What created problems for Vancouver was the Caps' aggressive forecheck that seemed to rattle the Canuck defense. Nylander, who was then only Cap with 3 points (1g, 2a) tonight and the game's number two star, scored on a great deke on a penatly shot that was awarded late in the second period. It was the first successful penalty shot for the Capitals since November 2005.
Sergei Fedorov (who got the game's third star) was positioned on defense and the transition was seamless. He was the only Capital to finish a +3 and added an assist. Putting him back on D kept the speedy Vancouver forwards honest and his offensive skills kept the Caps in possession all night. His ability to move the puck up ice and his calm demeanor with the puck was a confidence booster for the whole squad. Apparently the switch worked perfectly as the Capitals defense held the Canucks to only 10 shots the entire game (35-10).
The Caps didn't need Alex Ovechkin, everyone seemed to be able to contribute. But boy, did Ovie throw his weight around in this one. Three goals were scored by forwards, 2 by defensemen which means the Caps are moving the puck around successfully. Penalties really were not a factor in this game has both teams stayed pretty clean throughout the game. Both teams did net a power play goal however.
Viktor Kozlov left the game in the second period with an injury and did not return. New NHL rules state that a team does not need to divulge any information on an injured player during or after the game. So as you can imagine, the Caps management were pretty tight lipped about what happened with him. I thought Kozzie played well in both home games. He was strong on his feet and his big size and speed helped him with his aggressive forecheck.
I have been hard on Nick Backstrom lately, but I made a point to watch him closely this game. I found out why he gets lost so much and the blame mostly comes from Green. Every time Green streaks up the ice, Backstrom holds back to cover his position. He is actually doing the correct thing. So while he is often slow to join the rush, especially if a defensemen decides to jump up on the play, Backs is being defensively responsible.
This was a very good showing for the Capitals, and if anything it shows how dangerous they can be if they play within their system and everyone works hard. Johnny looked good in net when he needed to be. The Caps kept a very explosive offense from getting no more than 10 shots on net, a new franchise record for the Caps.
In fact the only faults I could find was the only Vancouver goal and the not so sold out Verizon Center which broke it's consecutive sold out streak to 9 which includes the playoffs from last season. 16,847 was the head count, but the crowd was still pretty loud.
Bruce Boudreau is playing his cards pretty closely with Pittsburgh coming, neither confirming or denying that Fedorov would be back on defense. The Caps face off with the Pens Thursday 7 pm in Pittsburgh.
Highlights courtesy of NHL.com:
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Van Sun
It was the second straight game the Capitals had let in a goal on the first shot of the game by the opponent, but just like the home opener, they were able to overcome. The Vancouver Canucks could only muster 10 shots on net as the Capitals shut down what was considered a very high powered offense winning 5 - 1 on Columbus Day.
Scoring for the Caps were Alex Semin (netted two goals), Mike Green (power play goal), Milan Jurcina (his first of the season) and Micheal Nylander (who scored on a penalty shot). Brent Johnson was able to stop 9 out of 10 shots (not bad) for his 100th win. The Caps chased Roberto Luongo from the net after two periods of play, but it's all they needed. Luongo surrendered all 5 goals, but to be honest, it really wasn't his fault.
Semin was all over the place tonight. The puck seemed to follow him around, especially in high traffic areas in front of the net where he scored both of his goals and secured the game's first star. In both goals, which seemed identical in a way, the Caps drove hard to the net and Luongo had a hard time buttoning down the rebound. The puck squirted loose right to Semin's stick both times; once on the backhand, the other on the forehand. With the Canuck netminder down and out, Semin shot to a wide open gaping net high.
What created problems for Vancouver was the Caps' aggressive forecheck that seemed to rattle the Canuck defense. Nylander, who was then only Cap with 3 points (1g, 2a) tonight and the game's number two star, scored on a great deke on a penatly shot that was awarded late in the second period. It was the first successful penalty shot for the Capitals since November 2005.
Sergei Fedorov (who got the game's third star) was positioned on defense and the transition was seamless. He was the only Capital to finish a +3 and added an assist. Putting him back on D kept the speedy Vancouver forwards honest and his offensive skills kept the Caps in possession all night. His ability to move the puck up ice and his calm demeanor with the puck was a confidence booster for the whole squad. Apparently the switch worked perfectly as the Capitals defense held the Canucks to only 10 shots the entire game (35-10).
The Caps didn't need Alex Ovechkin, everyone seemed to be able to contribute. But boy, did Ovie throw his weight around in this one. Three goals were scored by forwards, 2 by defensemen which means the Caps are moving the puck around successfully. Penalties really were not a factor in this game has both teams stayed pretty clean throughout the game. Both teams did net a power play goal however.
Viktor Kozlov left the game in the second period with an injury and did not return. New NHL rules state that a team does not need to divulge any information on an injured player during or after the game. So as you can imagine, the Caps management were pretty tight lipped about what happened with him. I thought Kozzie played well in both home games. He was strong on his feet and his big size and speed helped him with his aggressive forecheck.
I have been hard on Nick Backstrom lately, but I made a point to watch him closely this game. I found out why he gets lost so much and the blame mostly comes from Green. Every time Green streaks up the ice, Backstrom holds back to cover his position. He is actually doing the correct thing. So while he is often slow to join the rush, especially if a defensemen decides to jump up on the play, Backs is being defensively responsible.
This was a very good showing for the Capitals, and if anything it shows how dangerous they can be if they play within their system and everyone works hard. Johnny looked good in net when he needed to be. The Caps kept a very explosive offense from getting no more than 10 shots on net, a new franchise record for the Caps.
In fact the only faults I could find was the only Vancouver goal and the not so sold out Verizon Center which broke it's consecutive sold out streak to 9 which includes the playoffs from last season. 16,847 was the head count, but the crowd was still pretty loud.
Bruce Boudreau is playing his cards pretty closely with Pittsburgh coming, neither confirming or denying that Fedorov would be back on defense. The Caps face off with the Pens Thursday 7 pm in Pittsburgh.
Highlights courtesy of NHL.com:
Time Flies When The Caps Play
Four months with out Caps hockey and we are cramming in 3 games in less than 4 days. I haven't had time to get my season pass up and running on my Tivo. The Washington Capitals play Vancouver tonight at the phone booth. All these games, it's already starting to bug my wife.
It may not be such a bad thing that the Capitals get off to a slow start. I would rather have these breakdowns early than later. It's only two games into the season, calls for axing the coach and the GM and throwing Jose Theodore out of town are a bit premature. These players have had the whole summer off. It's not going to be instant chemistry when they get back. Although there were some pretty amazing plays in the second and third periods of the home opener that look very familiar.
I think the jury is still out on Theo. I can understand the pressure that he puts himself under coming on to a team on the up. I believe him when he said he was trying to do to much. "I said to myself, 'Go out there and play like you can,'" Theodore told reports after his win at Verizon Center. "From there I did my part and the guys did the rest." Once Theo settled down, made simple plays, he was able to master the front of the net and his defensemen played better in front of him.
Nick Backstrom is like a shadow out there. He look much like he did at the beginning of last year. He did show some good flashes with the puck and a nice pass here or there, but I think he needs to step up his game if he wants to stay in either the number one or number two line. But again, it's only two games in.
NHL notes:
I Love, with a capital L, the retro Oilers look. It brought back flashes of Wayne Gretzky breaking down the wing and Mark Messier camped out in front of the net. Instead it was Shawn Horcoff and Dustin Penner but still, I thought they looked fantastic.
Who would have ever thought that Micheal Peca was this big of a goon. I highly doubt that Peca intentionally whacked a ref. I have seen worse actions from refs breaking up fights and getting full on punched in the back of the head. You can barely see the infraction here on some amateur video. Is that worth an indefinate suspension?
Whoa ho ho, look who is 4 and 0. The New York Rangers, although they almost let a 4 - 0 lead get away in Philly, but the Rangers seem to have it going on. Maybe letting Jaromir Jagr go wasn't such a bad thing.
Speaking of the Kontinental Hockey League, former Capital and all around tough guy Chris Simon leads the league in penalty minutes. Also former Cap Jakub Klepis is on the same team as Jagr for the Avangard Omsk. Klepis has 3 goals and 9 assists, 2 of his goals are game winners. It's a small hockey world afterall.
It may not be such a bad thing that the Capitals get off to a slow start. I would rather have these breakdowns early than later. It's only two games into the season, calls for axing the coach and the GM and throwing Jose Theodore out of town are a bit premature. These players have had the whole summer off. It's not going to be instant chemistry when they get back. Although there were some pretty amazing plays in the second and third periods of the home opener that look very familiar.
I think the jury is still out on Theo. I can understand the pressure that he puts himself under coming on to a team on the up. I believe him when he said he was trying to do to much. "I said to myself, 'Go out there and play like you can,'" Theodore told reports after his win at Verizon Center. "From there I did my part and the guys did the rest." Once Theo settled down, made simple plays, he was able to master the front of the net and his defensemen played better in front of him.
Nick Backstrom is like a shadow out there. He look much like he did at the beginning of last year. He did show some good flashes with the puck and a nice pass here or there, but I think he needs to step up his game if he wants to stay in either the number one or number two line. But again, it's only two games in.
NHL notes:
I Love, with a capital L, the retro Oilers look. It brought back flashes of Wayne Gretzky breaking down the wing and Mark Messier camped out in front of the net. Instead it was Shawn Horcoff and Dustin Penner but still, I thought they looked fantastic.
Who would have ever thought that Micheal Peca was this big of a goon. I highly doubt that Peca intentionally whacked a ref. I have seen worse actions from refs breaking up fights and getting full on punched in the back of the head. You can barely see the infraction here on some amateur video. Is that worth an indefinate suspension?
Whoa ho ho, look who is 4 and 0. The New York Rangers, although they almost let a 4 - 0 lead get away in Philly, but the Rangers seem to have it going on. Maybe letting Jaromir Jagr go wasn't such a bad thing.
Speaking of the Kontinental Hockey League, former Capital and all around tough guy Chris Simon leads the league in penalty minutes. Also former Cap Jakub Klepis is on the same team as Jagr for the Avangard Omsk. Klepis has 3 goals and 9 assists, 2 of his goals are game winners. It's a small hockey world afterall.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Welcome Back Home
Capitals 4, Blackhawks 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Chi Trib
The Caps may have gotten off to a horrible start, but they sure made up for things on banner night at the Verizon Center. Brooks Laich broke the 2-2 tie in the third and Alex Ovechkin scored a pair as the Capitals extend their home opener winning streak to seven games, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.
The game started a bit late as the Capitals raised their Southeast Division Champions banner before the game. In their amazing run last season, the game they played against Chicago was the last game the Caps lost. They would go on to win 7 striaght to clinch the division crown.
Ovechkin, Laich and Matt Bradley are your scorers. Each got their first goals of the year. Jose Theodore even got involved in the scoring as well, getting an assist. Ovi, Bradley and Mike Green were all a +2. Sergei Fedorov was a solid faceoff man winning 13 of 17 draws while Nick Backstrom struggled in the circle winning only 2 of 10.
The game started pretty shaky for the Capitals. The Blackhawks took the lead :26 seconds into the game. The Hawks followed that up with a second chance rebound that got passed Teddy halfway through the first. From the Atlanta game into the start of this game, the Capitals just didn't look right. Something was off. They didn't look fast enough and looked as if making a pass was the same as solving Pythagorean theory. It just wasn't Caps hockey.
The energy line consisting of David Steckel, Bradly and Donald Brashear finally brought some energy back to the phone booth when Steckel set up Bradley's goal and from then on the Caps started to look much more familiar. They were forechecking with abandonment, finding the open player, getting shots to the net and, most importantly, dictating the tempo. The Caps kept the Blackhawks on their heels for good long portions of the game.
Maybe the Caps were energized by their energy line goal or by the amazing crowd at the sold out Verizon Center, who were loud even during team warm ups. Even a few M-V-P shouts resonated after Ovi's second goal. Whatever the case maybe, the Capitals looked much better in the second and third periods.
Theodore's play reflected the team's play as well. Even down two nothing, Theo made an awesome save on a wide open net shot from a Blackhawk. A few hit posts here and there, he looked much more comfortable in net towards the end than in the start. While he was not perfect, he did look better at stopping shots in this game than in the previous two.
While Ovechkin took the praise and the game's number one star, it was Laich that was recognized by his team as the hardest working player. Captain Chris Clark gave Laich a hard hat, after which several of the guys poked fun at him, even Ovi. But Laich's hard work gave the Caps the lead and his hard work didn't go unnoticed.
Some quotes from after the game:
Blackhawks head coach Denis Savard on Ovechkin: "Look at him and how he plays - he wins his battles. That's why he's a star player. You want to be a star player, you do it every night, not just once in a while."
Bruce Boudreau on Theodore: "I just felt really bad for Theo. I knew he wanted more than anything the start tonight, and I knew he wanted to redeem himself."
Ovi on the comeback win: "Showed our character. We know we can come back. It doesn't matter what the score is."
Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell on Ovechkin: "You can't defend him with just one guy. Especially when he cuts to the middle, it's hard to gap up on him. You need help from forwards."
Theo on his performance: "It didn't start the way I wanted, even yesterday in Atlanta. At one point, you try to do too much, and it affects your play. Tonight when they scored two goals I said to myself, 'Go out there and play like you can.' From there I did my part and the guys did the rest. I knew that if I allowed only two goals, we would come back. And that's exactly what happened."
Laich when asked about the hard hat given to him by Clark: "It's something new. It goes to the guy who works hard and does something to help the team win. He (captain Chris Clark) also said I have to wear it for all interviews."
Highlights by NHL.com:
And Brooks Laich in his fashionable hard hat from Caps 365:
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Chi Trib
The Caps may have gotten off to a horrible start, but they sure made up for things on banner night at the Verizon Center. Brooks Laich broke the 2-2 tie in the third and Alex Ovechkin scored a pair as the Capitals extend their home opener winning streak to seven games, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.
The game started a bit late as the Capitals raised their Southeast Division Champions banner before the game. In their amazing run last season, the game they played against Chicago was the last game the Caps lost. They would go on to win 7 striaght to clinch the division crown.
Ovechkin, Laich and Matt Bradley are your scorers. Each got their first goals of the year. Jose Theodore even got involved in the scoring as well, getting an assist. Ovi, Bradley and Mike Green were all a +2. Sergei Fedorov was a solid faceoff man winning 13 of 17 draws while Nick Backstrom struggled in the circle winning only 2 of 10.
The game started pretty shaky for the Capitals. The Blackhawks took the lead :26 seconds into the game. The Hawks followed that up with a second chance rebound that got passed Teddy halfway through the first. From the Atlanta game into the start of this game, the Capitals just didn't look right. Something was off. They didn't look fast enough and looked as if making a pass was the same as solving Pythagorean theory. It just wasn't Caps hockey.
The energy line consisting of David Steckel, Bradly and Donald Brashear finally brought some energy back to the phone booth when Steckel set up Bradley's goal and from then on the Caps started to look much more familiar. They were forechecking with abandonment, finding the open player, getting shots to the net and, most importantly, dictating the tempo. The Caps kept the Blackhawks on their heels for good long portions of the game.
Maybe the Caps were energized by their energy line goal or by the amazing crowd at the sold out Verizon Center, who were loud even during team warm ups. Even a few M-V-P shouts resonated after Ovi's second goal. Whatever the case maybe, the Capitals looked much better in the second and third periods.
Theodore's play reflected the team's play as well. Even down two nothing, Theo made an awesome save on a wide open net shot from a Blackhawk. A few hit posts here and there, he looked much more comfortable in net towards the end than in the start. While he was not perfect, he did look better at stopping shots in this game than in the previous two.
While Ovechkin took the praise and the game's number one star, it was Laich that was recognized by his team as the hardest working player. Captain Chris Clark gave Laich a hard hat, after which several of the guys poked fun at him, even Ovi. But Laich's hard work gave the Caps the lead and his hard work didn't go unnoticed.
Some quotes from after the game:
Blackhawks head coach Denis Savard on Ovechkin: "Look at him and how he plays - he wins his battles. That's why he's a star player. You want to be a star player, you do it every night, not just once in a while."
Bruce Boudreau on Theodore: "I just felt really bad for Theo. I knew he wanted more than anything the start tonight, and I knew he wanted to redeem himself."
Ovi on the comeback win: "Showed our character. We know we can come back. It doesn't matter what the score is."
Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell on Ovechkin: "You can't defend him with just one guy. Especially when he cuts to the middle, it's hard to gap up on him. You need help from forwards."
Theo on his performance: "It didn't start the way I wanted, even yesterday in Atlanta. At one point, you try to do too much, and it affects your play. Tonight when they scored two goals I said to myself, 'Go out there and play like you can.' From there I did my part and the guys did the rest. I knew that if I allowed only two goals, we would come back. And that's exactly what happened."
Laich when asked about the hard hat given to him by Clark: "It's something new. It goes to the guy who works hard and does something to help the team win. He (captain Chris Clark) also said I have to wear it for all interviews."
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