Bruins Vs Capitals March 5, 2013 Game Review

Capitals' Eric Fehr celebrates OT goal with Nick Backstrom, in Washington, DC on Mar. 5, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo

Boston Bruins 3 Vs Washington Capitals 4 = Home Game OT Win

The Washington Capitals returned home from a short two game road trip, which they split, to face the Boston Bruins at home on Tuesday night - March 5, 2013. With a hard fought win at home, the Capitals earned their second straight victory.

The game really didn't start off so well for Washington, as the Bruins scored three straight unanswered goals in the first 18:30 of play. Brad Marchand (LW) - penalty shot, followed by team captain Zdeno Chara (D) and finally Dougie Hamilton (D) were the three that managed what would turn out to be wasted, and short lived success.

In the second period of this game, there were a few firsts, that were very much welcomed by Caps fans. Included in those firsts was a first NHL assist (also first point) for the new guy, Steve Olesky (D). Then, Tomas Kundratek scored his very first NHL goal for Washington.

Olesky's assist came in the first period, when he and winger Alex Ovechkin set up a goal by center Mike Ribeiro. It was also his very first NHL game. Meanwhile, winger Eric Fehr and center Nicklas Backstrom provided the helpers on Kundratek's goal.

Wojtek Wolski (LW), assisted by Fehr and Backstrom, tied up the game at almost three quarters of the way through the third period, sending it into overtime. Fortunately, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby didn't have to block a single shot on goal during OT, which ended in dramatic fashion.

Defenseman Tomas Kundratek gained control of the puck while in the Capitals' end, and passed it to Nicklas Backstrom (C), who carried it up through the neutral zone. Just before entering the Bruins' end, Backstrom passed the puck to winger Eric Fehr, who held off two defenders while driving to the net. Fehr's wrist shot sent the puck by Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask, for the game-winning goal, at only 37 seconds into overtime.

The hometown fans went crazy, and their appreciation was rather noisily expressed, as they haven't seen such a comeback for quite some time. The Capitals have got another winning streak going, and if they want to squeak into the playoff race, they'd better keep it going for a little while.

Game Highlights: Boston Bruins At Washington Capitals On March 5, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 03/05/13: Caps players Steve Oleksy, Tomas Kundratek, Matt Hendricks and Braden Holtby address the media after a 4-3 OT/win against the Bruins.

Adam Oates Postgame 03/05/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 4-3 OT/win against the Boston Bruins.

Capitals Vs Jets March 2, 2013 Game Review

The game got a little physical as the Capitals beat the Jets in Winnipeg, CA on March 2, 2013.
Photo © John Woods / AP Photo / Canadian Press.

Washington Capitals 3 Vs Winnipeg Jets 0 = Road Game Shutout Win

On Saturday - March 2, 2013, the Washington Capitals played the Winnipeg Jets in a mostly high paced and very physical game. Hoping to win, and gain two standings points, Washington ended up doing well against a team that had won five of their last six games.

The Capitals were without their often injured defenseman Mike Green for the fourth time this season. Green has only played all 82 games of a regular season one time, and has missed 100 of the last 183 games.

Gritty 6'0" 215 Lb left-wing forward Aaron Volpatti played in his first game for Washington. The Capitals had just picked him up off of waivers. He came in with four fights so far this season, and quickly added another one. Volpatti found himself in a tussle with Winnipeg tough-guy Anthony Peluso (RW) near the end of period one.

Matt Hendricks has been playing well for the Caps, though it had been several games since he got a goal. Hendricks usually takes on a grinding role on the third or fourth line, but was rewarded with a start at first-line left-wing position for this contest. He showed his thanks for that assignment by scoring the first goal of the game, with the assistance of center Mike Ribeiro and defenseman John Erskine, about eleven minutes through the second period.

During the zone time in which that goal came, Winnipeg right-wing Blake Wheeler went down after blocking a hard shot from Erskine. Many Jets fans loudly voiced their anger that play was allowed to continue. Officials did not stop the action, because Washington was in possession of the puck, and were able to safely play around Wheeler. Had he been more seriously hurt it would've been different, and Wheeler did return to the game shortly after the incident.

Early in the third period, Troy Brouwer put the puck in the net right off the face-off, for his ninth of the season. He did so with the help of second-line center, and draw winner, Nicklas Backstrom. Less than a minute later, flanked by wingers Alex Ovechkin and Eric Fehr, Mike Ribeiro batted in a rebound from an Ovechkin shot for the third Capitals goal.

Although he had made some rather sparkling saves for Winnipeg during the game, the losing goaltender was Ondrej Pavelec, with 17 saves out of 20 shots on goal. Maybe, he didn't get enough action overall to be completely into the game for 60 minutes? I don't think that was the case, myself.

Fortunately for Caps fans, netminder Braden Holtby was solid again, in his ninth straight start, with 35 saves. The 3 - o win is Holtby's third shutout of the -2012-2013- NHL season.

It was also great to see all the energy that Washington brought to the game. The forechecking and production of scoring chances got their offense going. We got strong defensive play, even from some of the players who sometimes don't put in the effort. Overall, the Capitals played as a team, and they need to continue to do so.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Winnipeg Jets On March 2, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 03/02/13: Caps players John Erskine, Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, Mike Ribeiro address the media after a 3-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets.

Adam Oates Postgame 03/02/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 3-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets.

Capitals Vs Flyers February 27, 2013 Game Review

Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals were overstretched in Philadelphia, PA on Feb. 27, 2013.
Photo © Tom Mihalek / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 1 Vs Philadelphia Flyers 4 = Road Game Loss

Things did not go well for the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night - February 27, 2013. While trying to build on their two game win streak, Washington's fortunes took a downward turn, and they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Twenty-three seconds into the game, Philadelphia right-winger Claude Giroux got first strike, when his wrist shot sent the puck by Capitals starting goaltender Braden Holtby. Holtby was looking sharp at this point in the game, but he wasn't getting the best efforts from some of his teammates, in front of him.

Washington's special teams didn't show up for this game. They failed to kill off two of their five penalties, with right wing Wayne Simmonds scoring on the man-advantage in the first period, and left wing Simon Gagné about four minutes into the second. The Capitals were also unable to find success on any of their five power-plays.

Braden Holtby had lost his effectiveness by the midpoint of the game, if not by the time Gagné scored the third Flyers goal. He would later be replaced by 21 year old AHL call-up goaltender Philipp Grubauer, right after Holtby let in a fourth goal. That one came from center Maxime Talbot, about five minutes before the end of period two.

Thankfully, Philadelphia got nothing through Grubauer in his just over twenty-five minutes between the pipes. He stopped fourteen shots, while playing solidly in his first NHL hockey game. However, Washington didn't mount much of a comeback.

The Capitals wrecked any chance of a shutout for Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, when they finally got one in on late in the third period. Centerman Joel Ward was the lone Caps goal scorer, on the night. Ward, whose line had more energy than any other Washington trio, was aided by defenseman Tom Poti and the always hard working forward Jay Beagle.

It sure would help the Capitals, if they could be a little more consistent. Perhaps, they were tired. They didn't seem to have very much edge or grit during this game. What happened to their checking? What happened to their power-play and penalty-killing? Washington has to bring these elements every game, to be consistent, and to win.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Philadelphia Flyers On Feb. 27, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/27/13: Caps players Alex Ovechkin, Philipp Grubauer, Joel Ward and Karl Alzner address the media after a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/27/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Hurricanes Vs Capitals February 26, 2013 Game Review

Nicklas Backstrom scores game winning goal against Cam Ward in Washington, DC on Feb. 26, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo.

Carolina Hurricanes 0 Vs Washington Capitals 3 = Home Game Win

The Washington Capitals picked up a much needed two points on Tuesday - February 26, 2013, when they shutout the Carolina Hurricanes. The win was Washington's second in a row, and made only the second winning streak so far in the -2012--2013 NHL season, for the Capitals.

Nicklas Backstrom (C), who averages more than a point per game playing against the Hurricanes, scored first. Backstrom was the one who had brought the puck into the offensive zone to begin with. No assist for the guy that starts the play, if he's also the guy that finishes it. Mike Ribeiro (C) took a pass from Alex Ovechkin (LW / RW), and sent the puck to Nick who was on the front doorstep, waiting to bang it in. The goal, which came on a first period power-play, made it the eighth straight game where the Caps have scored first. It also ended the 'Canes penalty-kill streak at fourteen.

Backstrom also had a hand in the play that produced the second goal, relaying the puck from defenseman John Carlson into the mighty slap shot of newly re-signed John Erskine (D). Goaltender Braden Holtby (also newly re-signed) didn't have to work too terribly hard, with Washington taking most of the shots on Cam Ward, at the other end of the ice. Defensively, this turned out to be one of the Caps' better second periods.

Eleven and a half minutes through the third period, John Carlson scored the third goal for the Capitals, with the help of Mathieu Perreault and Joel Ward. Carolina was able to keep Washington's shots and scoring chances down the rest of the way, but they couldn't manage any sort of comeback.

Amongst other offensively talented Carolina forwards, Holtby and Washington were able to keep former teammate Alexander Semin off the scoreboard. That's a good thing. All the jerks in the stands that booed him every time he had the puck? That's a very, very bad, classless and totally embarrassing thing.

In the end, Braden Holtby was perfect in his seventh straight start, in net. The offense was there to back him up, including another power-play for the Capitals, who started the game ranked second (46%) in the league. Overall, they outshot their opponent again, and again beat their opponent. They still need to string together several wins, if they are going to climb out of the basement.

Game Highlights: Carolina Hurricanes At Washington Capitals On Feb. 26, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/26/13: Caps players John Carlson, John Erskine and Joel Ward address the media after a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/26/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Devils Vs Capitals February 23, 2013 Game Review

Capitals players celebrate Alex Ovechkin hat trick against Devils in Washington, DC on February 23, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 5 Vs New Jersey Devils 1 = Home Game Win

The Washington Capitals bounced back into winning form, in a big way, on Saturday afternoon - February 23, 2013. Facing the New Jersey Devils at home, for the second consecutive time, the Capitals' offense came alive.

The offense of superstar winger Alex Ovechkin definitively came alive. Though he had been starting to create scoring chances more often in recent games, he had "only" five goals in the first 16 games of the -2012--2013 NHL season.

Ovechkin scored his sixth goal, the first of this game, five minutes into the second period. He would then go on to score another at the beginning of the third, and then yet another goal about five minutes before the end of the game. The hat trick, the eleventh of Alex's NHL career, is his first since January 22, 2011. It's also the first time he has scored a hat trick on home ice in over three years.

Capitals center Mike Ribeiro and forward Jason Chimera assisted on the first goal of the game, while forward Matt Hendricks and defenseman Jeff Schultz helped out on the next one. Ovechkin's eighth goal of the season came about with the assistance of Ribeiro again, along with fellow centerman Nicklas Backstrom.

Ovie's three goals (on seven shots) would have been enough to beat New Jersey's lone goal, which came from the Devils' own superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk, but Washington also got a nifty wrap-around short-handed goal from Eric Fehr (RW), early in period three. About three minutes before the end of the game, Alex Ovechkin and young Caps defenseman Tomas Kundratek combined to help Troy Brouwer (F) score the fifth and final goal for the Capitals.

Special-teams came up big for the Caps, at both ends of the ice. Not only did they get a shorty from Eric Fehr (RW), while killing off a penalty, but the last two goals came while on power-plays. In the end, Washington killed off four penalties in all, while scoring on two of their three power-play chances.

While the Capitals were blasting Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg, they kept the Devils to only one tally, and minimized their opponents scoring chances overall. Washington outshot New Jersey 26 to 22. The Caps had been outshot in 11 of their first 16 games. They had also lost 11 of those games. Maybe there's a connection, well with most of those games, anyway.

Braden Holtby was excellent in net, for the Capitals. He only failed to stop one shot, out of 22, including a penalty shot by Steve Bernier (RW). After a shaky season start, much like last season, he seems to be well settled in now.

Mike Ribeiro may be the current scoring leader in Washington, with (6 G, 15 A) 21 points, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Alex Ovechkin (8 G + 6 A = 14 points) catch up with him real soon. Meanwhile, offensive defenseman Mike Green, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury, would surely like to just get back in play.

This was the last time the Capitals and the Devils were scheduled to meet, for this regular season, anyway. That's really too bad, since this win marks the only time Washington has beaten a top eight, playoff contending team this season.

Game Highlights: New Jersey Devils At Washington Capitals On February 23, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/23/13: Caps players Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward address the media after a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Alex Ovechkin Postgame 02/23/13: Caps captain Alex Ovechkin addresses the media after scoring a hat trick in the Caps 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/23/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Devils Vs Capitals February 21, 2013 Game Review

Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk scores GWG on Capitals' Braden Holtby in Washington, DC February 21, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo.

New Jersey Devils 3 Vs Washington Capitals 2 = Home Game Loss

The Washington Capitals hit the one-third mark of the short 48 game -2012--2013 NHL season with another tough loss. It was the sixth straight game that they had scored the first goal, but as usual for the Capitals, that was not a good indicator of how the game would go.

This was also the sixth straight start for Caps' goaltender Braden Holtby, as they faced Martin Brodeur (G) and the New Jersey Devils. Washington had won three of their last four games, while New Jersey had lost three of their last four.

The Capitals have done well on the power-play, recently. Over the last seven games, they had scored eight goals on their last nineteen chances, making them fourth in the league. About nine-and-a-half minutes into period two, the Caps got the first goal again, and it came on the power-play. Troy Brouwer (F) had his shot blocked, but Mathieu Perreault (C) was right behind him, and Perreault's wrister got through Brodeur.

Unfortunately, the Devils' Patrik Elias (LW) scored a short-handed goal about a minute-and-a-half later. So much for New Jersey not doing well on the penalty kill. Shortly after that, with Washington on the PP again, center Mike Ribeiro scored his sixth goal of the season. Again, Troy Brouwer with the primary assist, while Caps' centerman Nicklas Backstrom provided the other helper.

The third period was just plain ugly. Washington has had penalty trouble in a lot of their games, this season. Like in a few of those games, the referees were more than a bit "helpful" in adding minutes to the Cap's penalty stats. The Capitals suffered seven of the eight penalties called, including the last six straight.

Andrei Loktionov (C) scored an even-strength goal for New Jersey in between a couple of those penalties, about nine minutes through the period. With Washington trying to kill yet another penalty a couple minutes later, Ilya Kovalchuk (RW) scored the game-winning PPG for the New Jersey.

There is both good news and bad news for the Capitals. The bad news is that one-third of the season is gone, they are still committing far too many penalties, and they have to face the Devils again on Saturday. The good news is they still have two-thirds of the season to go, and they face the Devils again on Saturday.

Game Highlights: New Jersey Devils At Washington Capitals February 21, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/21/13: Caps players Jay Beagle, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby and Karl Alzner address the media after a 3-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/21/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 3-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils.

Capitals Vs Rangers February 17, 2013 Game Review

Rangers block Capitals path to fourth consecutive win in New York, NY on February 17, 2013.
Photo © Kathy Willens / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 1 Vs New York Rangers 2 = Road Game Loss

On Sunday - February 17, 2013, the Washington Capitals ended a three game winning streak, when they lost their game versus the New York Rangers. In what some may describe as a flat performance by both hockey teams, the goaltenders for both teams might be the only players deserving any praise.

Just over a minute into the game, Washington defenseman John Carlson scored the lone Capitals goal. New York had trouble clearing the puck from their end of the ice. Eventually, it ended up on the stick of winger Eric Fehr, who sent a pass out to Mike Rebeiro (C) from below the goal line. Rebeiro slid the puck over to Carlson at the point, who collected it, and then fired a slap shot into the back of the net. When your team scores that early in a game, it sometimes gives you false hope.

The Rangers scored one goal in each of the other two periods. Carl Hagelin (LW) just barely eluded defenseman Tom Poti, and deflected a shot in during the second period. Then, in the third, John Carlson totally missed his defensive assignment during a penalty kill. Center Derek Stepan was left sitting by the goal cage during the Rangers power-play, all by himself. The puck eventually came to him, while Braden Holtby (G) was protecting the opposite end of the goal mouth, and he easily deposited the puck.

Holtby might have been a tiny bit slow to react, but he was nearly perfect the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist (G) wasn't making life easy for Washington at the other end of the ice. The Capitals, on the other hand, didn't make things as difficult for Lundqvist as the the Rangers were doing to Holtby.

Washington managed a few good scoring chances after their one goal, but couldn't finish, and were outshot 40 to 28. At the same time, their recently mildly powerful power-play was powerless. Meanwhile, some of the guys who have been producing offense for the Caps, spent some time in the penalty box instead. When you're a man down, it's hard to gain zone time and make shots.

Washington had better get back into another winning streak, and make that a real habit, real soon. They have the least amount of points in their conference, and the second least in the entire league. Other teams that had started off poorly, like the Capitals, are now staying ahead in the standings.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At New York Rangers February 17, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/17/13: Caps players Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom and Wojtek Wolski address the media after a 2-1 loss against the New York Rangers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/17/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 2-1 loss against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Capitals Vs Lightning February 14, 2013 Game Review

Capitals celebrate second period goal by Eric Fehr against Lightning in Tampa, FL February 14, 2013.
Photo © Mike Carlson / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 4 Vs Tampa Bay Lightning 3 = Road Game Win

The Washington Capitals hockey team that played in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 14, 2013 was a very different group of guys than the bunch that played there in the -2012--2013 NHL season opening game last month. Technically, it was pretty much the same roster, but they were a good bit more disciplined, physically fit, generally focused and tighter unit this time around. Well, for about fifty minutes, anyway. Well, maybe for 45 minutes. Well ... most of them.

Washington were penalized eight times in that first game, but only three times in this game. Now, Tampa Bay also dropped their penalty count from five down to two, but the Capitals scored the only power-play goal. That PPG came two minutes and fourty seconds into the game.

It was the seventh goal of the season for Troy Brouwer (F), making him the goal scoring leader of the team, for now. Centers Mathieu Perreault and Nicklas Backstrom notched the assists on the play. Just under six minutes later, Martin StLouis (RW) answered back, with a goal for the Lightning.

Eric Fehr got his second goal of the season about five minutes into the second period, after some solid forechecking. Mathieu Perreault had the primary assist on this goal too, while the secondary came from Joel Ward (F).

When Eric Fehr (RW) scored his second of the game for Washington at the beginning of the third period, it was Mathieu Perreault again, who got the puck to him, earning Matty a three point night. This time, defenseman John Carlson was credited with the other assist.

What would turn out to be the game winning goal, would come from a wrist shot by forward Jay Beagle, that found it's way past Lightning netminder Mathieu Garon. Defensemen Jeff Schultz and Tomas Kundratek teamed up to help Beagle get his first goal of the season.

Up until this point, most of Washington had played a very good game, but Tampa Bay wasn't giving in. In the last eight minutes of period three, the Bolts backhanded the puck by Caps goaltender Braden Holtby twice. This brought on an uh-oh moment for Caps fans. We were probably all thinking, "I thought we were done with this kind of -shit- (I mean) breakdown". Thankfully, the boys were able to clamp it down, the rest of the way.

Things had looked so bad a couple weeks ago, but now Caps fans are once again hopeful. Still at the bottom of their conference, they've got a bit of a ways to go. Recently though, Washington's offense has really started to pick up.

In eight games played, Perreault has two multi-point games. Within all fourteen games played, the Capitals have four players with at least five goals each, and also four players with points in double digits. They are only four standing points away from the final playoff spot. Washington have just won three straight, and thoughts of an entry draft lottery spot are starting to fade.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Tampa Bay Lightning February 14, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/14/13: Caps players Eric Fehr, Mathieu Perreault and Braden Holtby address the media after a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/14/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a the Caps 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Capitals Vs Panthers February 12, 2013 Game Review

Capitals' Troy Brouwer (F) scores game winning goal against Panthers in Sunrise, FL February 12, 2013.
Photo © Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 6 Vs Florida Panthers 5 = Road Game OT Win

The Washington Capitals jumped to a quick lead in this game, but the Florida Panthers showed they weren't going to be a push-over at home in Florida on Tuesday - February 12, 2013.

With a sparkling shutout performance against the Panthers in the Capitals' previous game, goaltender Braden Holtby earned himself the start versus Florida. The Panthers however, were out to make up for their lackluster effort in that one. Like the Capitals, the Cats have had the better record in their own house, and they were determined to keep it that way.

Washington's best offensive player so far this season, center Mike Ribeiro scored first, four-and-a-half minutes into period one. The Capitals were in the offensive zone, during the first power-play of the game. Ribeiro seemed to show up in front of the net out of nowhere to send the puck, which came to him on an errant cross-ice pass from defenseman Tomas Kundratek, into the goal cage.

Washington had been relatively mistake free until halfway through the first period. Then, a couple breakdowns led to goals by Florida's forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Shawn Matthias. The Fleischmann goal was a deflected shot, and Matthias' shot may have been slightly screened, but could possibly have been stopped by Holtby.

Defenseman Karl Alzner scored his first goal of the season, off a face-off win early into the second period, on a scorching slap shot. Assists by forwards Eric Fehr and Joel Ward helped Alzner tie up the game at two apiece. Jonathan Huberdeau (C) and his line took advantage of missed defensive assignments by the Caps, scoring two fairly easy goals. Luckily, Washington's Matt Hendricks got another goal in between those, on a nice play involving fellow forwards Alex Ovechkin and Mike Ribeiro, keeping the Caps within one goal of the Panthers.

Huberdeau's line was at it again, a third of the way through the third period, when his linemate Drew Shore tipped in (reviewed for stick height on shot) his first of the season. It took eight-and-a-half minutes before Eric Fehr (F) matched that tip-in at the other end of the ice. Mike Green (D) and Joel Ward (F) both earned their fifth assists, for the season, on that one.

Another power-play strike by the Capitals came less than three minutes before the end of regulation. Alex Ovechkin (F) tied up the game with a slap shot goal, right after a face-off win, from the left-wing point. Ribeiro gained his third point of the game (1 G, 2 A), with his assist, while the other helper came from fellow centerman Nicklas Backstrom.

It took just 32 seconds of overtime for Washington to take the win. The play started with a bad Panthers' pass in the Capitals' end. Nicklas Backstrom (C) grabbed the puck and sent a beautiful breakaway pass to Troy Brouwer (F). Florida netminder Scott Clemmensen stopped his first try, but Brouwer tipped in his rebound for the game winner.

Finally, the Washington Capitals get a win on the road, even if it was ugly. They, also finally, now have a genuine winning streak. Hey, two in a row is a streak, and we'll take it. It's always good to beat a divisional rival, and to take two in a row from them is so sweet. Hopefully, the Caps are finally turning things around.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Florida Panthers February 12, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/12/13: Caps players Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby and Eric Fehr address the media after the Caps 6-5 overtime win against the Panthers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/12/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after the Caps 6-5 overtime win against the Panthers.

Panthers Vs Capitals February 9, 2013 Game Review

Braden Holtby (G) and teammates celebrate win over Panthers - Washington, DC February 9, 2013.
Photo © Nick Wass / AP Photo.

Florida Panthers 0 Vs Washington Capitals 5 = Home Game Shutout Win!

It was like someone flicked a switch, turning on the real Washington Capitals. They did pretty much everything right, shutting out the Florida Panthers on February 9, 2013. Washington has had a history of beating Florida at home in Washington, DC, and they continued with a similar result on Saturday night. Everything was working well for them.

Goaltender Braden Holtby played his best game of the -2012--2013 season. That's not saying much with those outings being mediocre to poor, but it is when you can also say it was Holtby's best performance since last season's playoffs, when he did amazingly well. Braden held the Panthers scorless, with 27 saves.

The Capitals did a better job defensively, keeping the cats from developing a lot of quality scoring chances, than they had been doing against most other teams so far this season. Any shots that did get through to the cage, weren't penetrating the backstop.

At the other end of the ice, Florida netminder Jose Theodore wasn't getting much help from his teammates. Though Washington didn't score until a couple minutes before the end of period one, the goal by forward Troy Brouwer was just the beginning, for him personally and the team as well. Brouwer deflected in a slap shot from defenseman John Carlson. Shortly after, George Parros (RW) tried to get his team going by engaging in a punch-up with Caps big guy, John Erskine (D). This did not work.

Troy was back at the well again three-and-a-half minutes into the second period, for his fifth goal of the season. This time his long and quick feed pass actually came from an alert Braden Holtby (G), on a Caps power-play. A couple minutes after the midpoint of the game, Joel Ward (F) got his fifth of the season, with the help of forwards Mathieu Perreault and Eric Fehr. Ward's goal put Washington ahead by three, for the first time in any game this season.

About a third of the way through the third period, Alex Ovechkin scored goal number four in the game. It was also goal number four of the season for Ovechkin. Assisting this time were winger Jason Chimera (6) and center Mike Ribeiro (10). Finally, halfway through the third period, Perreault scored his first goal. Credited with the helpers were Jeff Schultz (D) and Joel Ward (F). Florida were obviously feeling pretty down and out, and were pretty lackadaisical the rest of the way.

In the end, four Washington Capitals earned their first points of the season. Three Caps had a multiple-point game. It was the first time the team had scored more than three goals in a game this season. It appears that the Capitals' offense has finally been awakened.

This is no time to get too excited though. The Florida Panthers are not a very good team so far this season. This wasn't a really big test of improvement. Still, this commanding win can only boost the Capitals players' confidence, and that can't hurt. It will be far more meaningful if the Caps beat the Panthers again, when they visit their house for a game on Tuesday.

Game Highlights: Florida Panthers At Washington Capitals February 9, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/09/13: Caps players Jason Chimera, Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer addresses the media after a 5-0 win over the Florida Panthers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/09/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 5-0 win over the Florida Panthers.