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.
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.
Junior's November 27 through November 30, 2010 'Reading And Viewing List' includes title links with snippets from items that were published with November 2010 winding down.
Formula One racing's governing body, the FIA, published the first draft of the 2011 championship entry list on Tuesday. Six teams have yet to finalise their driver line-ups, with Sauber's Sergio Perez the...
...TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Capitals have made a trade with the Colorado Avalanche for veteran defenseman Scott Hannan. The Denver Post's Adrian Dater reports that the Caps player is Tomas Fleischmann...
When trawling youtube on a bit of a research jaunt I came across this BBC News footage from one of our open days at New Art Gallery Walsall, where we were collecting fans memorabilia, think Antiques Roadshow for Metal fans. All those artefacts have been included on this website and will help to inform a major exhibition next year at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery - more news coming soon.
The sound of champagne corks may still be ringing in the ears after 2010's title celebrations, but F1 waits for no man. And if one was needed, the recent Pirelli tyre test served as a stark reminder...
Lotus's Heikki Kovalainen is resting in bed on doctors' advice after suffering a heavy concussion during his crash in Sunday's Race of Champions (ROC) event in Germany. He will undergo further tests in the...
For if this were the 1970's, in the heyday of such titans of the keyboards such as Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman and Jon Jord, he would be among that elite circle of players whom were superstars - back in a time when such talent was not only appreciated, but celebrated in popular music...
Following three consecutive mistakes on the WRC rallies in France, Spain and Great Britain, Sebastien Ogier believes his driving is back on track after claiming a trouble-free fifth overall on Rallye du Var in France at the weekend, at the wheel of the new Citroen DS3 R3...
Force India's reserve driver Paul di Resta became 2010 DTM champion on Sunday after finishing second in the season finale of the prestigious German touring car series. The Scot now hopes his success will be...
The Caps and Hurricanes treated us to their usual nerve-wracking conclusion today. Whenever these two teams get together all the makings are there for a dramatic photo-finish and this contest did not disappoint...
...Allied Forces was the fifth album from the trio of Rik Emmett (guitar/vocals), Mike Levine (bass/vocals) and Gil Moore (drums/vocals). Released in 1981, it got to Number 23 on the US charts (the band’s highest position) and 64 in the UK, where Triumph appeared at the first – and only – Heavy Metal Holocaust festival at Port Vale FC. Now you can download the song Fool For Your Lovefor free right here...
Gibson.com is reporting that visitors to this week’s London guitar show Guitar Nation Live voted Eric Clapton as their #1 Guitar Hero. The poll was taken at the booth of instrument insurance company Allianz Musical Insurance...
Junior's 'Reading And Viewing List' for August 22 through August 31, 2010 contains links to some items posted during that time period, which I wanted to share.
Sorry for the delay in posting lately, but there have been many forces working against me, including a malfunctioning Blogger dashboard Reading List utility.
Petter Solberg is convinced he has the pace to win a round of the World Rally Championship before the end of this season.
The Norwegian took a great deal of confidence from the recent Rallye Deutschland, where he finished fifth, but was regularly the fastest of the Citroen C4 WRCs. Solberg admitted he came close to withdrawing from the Trier-based event after a troubled opening day...
In an interview with Spinner.com, legendary vocalist Paul Rodgers (Free/Bad Company/The Firm/Queen +Paul Rodgers) confirmed being approached by Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry to replace frontman Steven Tyler, and subsequently turned down that offer during the period when it appeared Steven Tyler might be leaving the band...
Many teams were cautious in reading too much into their performance, since the rain in the morning disrupted things so significantly and with more bad weather possible, they wanted to preserve their three sets of full wet Bridgestone tyres and four sets of intermediates. And as expected, for once Red Bull were not among the pacesetters. We take a team-by-team look at Friday progress at Spa...
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso took the honours in Belgium on Friday, topping both the rain-swept morning session and the much drier afternoon one. Alonso and his rivals reflect on their early progress at Spa...
There was a nice little ceremony in a packed Williams hospitality area at Spa on Thursday, as Rubens Barrichello celebrated his 300th Grand Prix with all of his friends in the paddock. Everyone who was anyone was there, including most of his fellow drivers with the notable exception of Michael Schumacher… Bernie Ecclestone was there, and presented the Brazilian with a medal...
Eagle Rock has announced two releases from Irish blues rock guitar icon Rory Gallagher. The label will release Ghost Blues 2DVD and The Beat Club Sessions CD on September 14.
The 2DVD set, running 179 minutes in total, is the complete Rory Gallagher experience, both revealing his background as a musical artist and tapping into his dominating stage presence...
Medvedev, 44, has said previously that he likes to listen to classic rock. Russia’s president since May 2008, Medvedev became a fan of Deep Purple as a teenager living in a cramped two-room apartment on the outskirts of Leningrad in the 1970s.
Deep Purple, whose music was banned by Soviet authorities, were flown to Moscow in February of 2008 to be the guests of honor at a concert in the Kremlin and met Medvedev. In a 2007 interview with Itogi magazine, Medvedev said he had the entire vinyl collection of Deep Purple. At school, he also listened to Black Sabbath...
The head of Volkswagen's motorsport division says the manufacturer could be competing in the World Rally Championship as early as 2013 if plans are given the green light in the coming months...
Matthew Wilson believes that the extended test mileage he is accumulating with the new Ford Fiesta WRC will put him in a strong position next year.
Wilson is due to take the wheel of the Fiesta again at a test between the upcoming World Championship rounds in France and Spain, which is when Ford factory drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala will also sample their 2011 car for the first time...
The New York Times reported Thursday that the NHL is involved in preliminary discussions about the possibility of setting up a women's hockey league as parity in the women's game continues to decrease internationally...
Drivers: Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull).
Q: Gentlemen, first of all, what did you do during the break? Pedro, with the family I guess? Pedro de la Rosa: Yes, it has been a very good break. I was always with the family. We went to Majorca, on holiday, where we normally go. Great time I must say, very good...
The world championship fight could not be better poised as it enters its final European stage after the summer break, with only 20 points - less than you get for a win - separating the top five drivers.
In Hungary Red Bull’s Mark Webber moved up to the lead with 161 points after becoming the only driver to win four times this season. He is chased by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on 157, Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel on 151, McLaren’s Jenson Button on 147, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on 141...
Aged 38, Rubens Barrichello’s passion for racing shows no sign of abating - as his wheel-to-wheel tussle with former team mate Michael Schumacher in Hungary proved. Winning out against the 41-year-old German, it was a battle born out of a different era. For Barrichello, who will celebrate his 300th Grand Prix in Belgium this weekend, it was all par for the course, but for his legion of fans it was further proof of the unswerving verve and vigour of the grid’s most experienced driver. We look back on some of the ever-cheerful Brazilian’s best (and worst) F1 moments...
For 11 days in September, Hendrix fans can tour the London flat where Jimi wrote some of his iconic songs, played and entertained.
The first-floor flat at 23 Brook Street (pictured below) will be open to the public from September 15-26. Tickets for visits to the flat (hurry, they’re selling fast) cost £8 and can be booked at www.seetickets.com ...
Kimi Raikkonen says that his first World Rally Championship stage win has given him additional motivation to continue in the sport next year.
The 2007 Formula One World Champion went quickest on the final stage of the Rallye Deutschland, Circus Maximus, to claim a fastest time on only his eighth-ever WRC event in a World Rally Car...
The upcoming 2010-11 campaign will be the sixth in a capitals’ uniform for 26-year-old forward Tomas Fleischmann. The left wing-turned-center arrived in the District earlier this week and he hit the ice with a few of his Washington teammates on Thursday morning in preparation for the upcoming season.
Although Fleischmann’s goal, point and ice time totals have risen in each of his five seasons with the Capitals, and although he totaled 23 goals and 51 points last season, and although he just inked a $2.6 million deal for 2009-10, the Czech Republic native has heard his name floated in recently rumored trades that would reportedly bring a defenseman back to D.C.
Even with "Thor," "Captain America" and "The Avengers" on the horizon, Marvel Studios is looking further into the future with plans for an "Iron Fist" adaptation.
Deadline reports that screenwriter Rich Wilkes has been tapped to write the script for "Iron Fist," based on the martial arts-inclined superhero of the same name...
The Experience, a new book from longtime Classic Rock favourite, photographer Gered Mankowitz, has just landed at the Classic Rock office – and it’s a corker.
The 128 pages are dominated by two historic sessions at Masons Yard Studio, which took place shortly after Jimi had taken London by the throat and changed the rock landscape forever...
Meet Norman Hood. Norman first met Black Sabbath in 1968 when he booked them (as Earth) to play at a pub backroom venue he was running with some friends in Lichfield, Staffordshire about 15 miles north east of Birmingham...
...Norman would later work for Big Bear Music and run an agency called Tramp (named after the band) who had an early version of Judas Priest on their books, before teaming up with Tony Iommi as part of the IMA management agency.
The economic crisis in Greece has affected many facet of the society, including hockey.
The following is an email interview with Hellenic National Team captain Dimitris Kalyvas about the history of ice hockey in the southeastern European country and the lack of financial support for the Greek teams...
At the very top of the hockey media hierarchy here there have been ominous departures this summer — Tarik El Bashir is pursuing new beats within the Post’s sports department, ones which won’t require anywhere near the travel commitments the hockey beat does, while Lisa Hillary is bolting to cover the Flyers for Comcast in Philadelphia. Tarik’s departure came as a bit of a shock earlier this summer, and is disappointing given the volume and quality of product he brought to the beat, particularly in the past couple of seasons. For a lot of hockey fans in this town, Tarik’s commitment and work ethic arrived as a breath of fresh air on a beat that for a generation of editors on 15th St. seemed little more than a way station, a step barely above internship at Redskins Central. Hillary’s departure, however, is more discouraging...
Organisers of next year’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix are hoping that input from Formula One teams into the design of the new circuit will help make it one of the most challenging and exciting on the F1 calendar.
Hermann Tilke, the architect behind several recent new circuits including Turkey and Abu Dhabi, came up with the initial design for the Indian track, but several teams were also consulted before construction began in earnest...
India loves sport and 2011 is set to be a big year for sport in the Asian country thanks to the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Mark Hughes, vice president of JPSK Sports, the Jaypee Group subsidiary charged with constructing the all-new circuit near Delhi, is determined the race will make a major impression on the calendar. With young fans aplenty, a growing Formula One interest courtesy of Karun Chandhok and Force India, a state-of-the-art track in the making, and a passionate promoter, he shouldn’t be disappointed...
Despite a podium lock-out for Citroen in Germany, Ford is upbeat about the pace of its Focus WRC on asphalt, with two sealed-surface events remaining this year.
Jari-Matti Latvala, who generally feels more comfortable on gravel, put in his best asphalt performance yet, challenging for a podium throughout the rally before eventually finishing fourth, just 20 seconds behind Sebastien Ogier...
...I think it’s important to honor the inevitable “oh shit” moments we all have: you’re on the edge of disaster there’s no escape; you’ve stepped in a steaming pile and now you’ve got to clean up the mess.
And the poster reminded me of the song “Oh Shit” by Buzzcocks, which is (perhaps) the best post-breakup song ever recorded...
This 'Reading And Viewing List' covers Thursday, February 18 through Friday, February 19, 2010. It's just a small sampling of what became available over the course of those two days.
This weekend OFB embarks on a roadtrip we’ve sought since our start — to Hershey, but hauling along with us a hearty contingent of D.C. hockey bloggers. We’ve long wanted to take our new media party up to Chocolatetown for a weekend and see if we could just blow the lid off the terrific puck party up there, and given who’s joining us this weekend, when the Bears will host Lake Erie Saturday night and Albany on Sunday, we like our chances...
One of the most memorable moments of director Louis Leterrier's "Incredible Hulk" movie was Robert Downey Jr.'s brief cameo as Tony Stark during a scene with William Hurt's Gen. Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. And while Stark's line about "putting a team together" suggested a carefully worded reference to the "Avengers" movie, Hurt recently revealed that the entire scene was improvised with Downey...
So, after a four month break the 2010 World Rally Championship is finally up and running, and as the snow dust settles after a sensational Rally Sweden, it looks like the year ahead will be cracker.
Of course it's not easy to draw too many long-term conclusions after a rally as specialised as Sweden, but the performances of the top drivers on ice have given us some useful indications about how the season might pan out...
Who guitarist Pete Townshend could be forced into retirement if he can’t find a successful treatment for his tinnitus.
The band recently put in a half-time performance at the Super Bowl – but Townshend says they’re “finished” unless a new treatment for his ear problems does the trick...
..."Ovechkin, Semin and Datsyuk are obviously the best players in the world," Chara said after the game. "It's challenging to play against those guys. But I loved [Ovehckin's hit]. We always battle hard. I was tired and was trying to get the puck out of our zone. I knew he was going to hit me, but I lost my balance and he put me down on the ice. That's what the best players do. We are good friends off the ice but on the ice we compete and go after each other."...
A fortnight ago Ford team-leader Mikko Hirvonen promised a new, more aggressive approach for the 2010 WRC season. And after the opening round in Sweden his new attitude seems to be working pretty well, thank you.
Of course it must be nice to start the season with a win - although for Mikko it's a feeling he'd never experienced before - but to be so quick that the six times world champion Sebastien Loeb gives up before the end? That was something new for everybody...
From what I can determine, the term “marriage strike” was coined in 2002 by columnists Glenn Sacks and Diana Thompson “The US marriage rate has dipped 40% over the past four decades,” they wrote,”to its lowest point ever. There are many plausible explanations for this trend, but one of the least mentioned is that American men, in the face of a family court system which is hopelessly stacked against them, have subconsciously launched a 'marriage strike.'”...
Those that once believed that women can’t play hockey have been proven incredibly wrong by Team USA: Jenny Potter has registered two hat tricks so far in the tournament; former Olympian-turned-Olympics commentator Cammi Granato equated a goal in the game...
The 2010-11 season ticket renewal packets have begun to arrive in the in-boxes and mailboxes for Washington Capitals season ticket holders. Naturally success on the ice has equated into higher ticket prices, but the steep ticket prices have caused for some extreme sticker shock...
Like a good many other American hockey fans, I’ve been underwhelmed by NBC’s hockey coverage during this first week of the Winter Olympic Games. Bumped off the big channel for ice dancing was the first indignity. Then last night, after a particularly long and trying day at work, I sat down to watch Nick Backstrom and his Swedish teammates take on Germany, over on MSNBC, just wanting a game and a bottle of beer or two to salvage my hump day, and right as a 0-0, potential upset intrigue was setting in deep in period one, off went hockey at the stroke of 8:00 and on went . . . Keith Olberman...
Here's the video, via Spinner.com for Jimi Hendrix's Valleys of Neptune,' the title track of the upcoming album of the same name, due March 9, of studio tracks Hendrix recorded in 1969...
While I've been far from glued to NBC's non-hockey Olympic coverage, I've caught my fair share of it and I've seen a sampling of the fluff pieces the network puts together in between events -- you know, the heartwarming tales of some athlete's home town or a mini-documentary on polar bears. (Seriously -- NBC actually popped up a graphic overlay that said "POLAR BEARS...in 5 minutes" during a broadcast. I like polar bears too, but come on.) However, I haven't seen too much about the Olympic hockey tournament other than some programming notes and shots of Wayne Gretzky from the opening ceremony...
...Seriously, it's not like a two-minute package highlighting how Ovechkin has taken D.C. by storm would take a lot of effort to put together -- and it's not like it'd be terribly out of place showcasing an Olympic athlete in an Olympic event. Heck, it might even make more sense than polar bears -- and I LIKE polar bears!...
...Yes, the Caps’ current ticket prices—particularly for my seats in the front row of the upper deck—are not only significantly discounted from face value, but quite a bargain by league standards. According to The New York Times, 20 NHL teams charged more, on average, for tickets than the Capitals did in 2009-10...
The organisers of Rally Mexico have published the seeded entry list for this year's event, round two of the World Championship season, which starts on 4 March.
The WRC event rotation system meant Mexico was absent from last year's calendar, but it returns in 2010 amid a year long fiesta to mark the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and the 200th anniversary of its independence...
Yesterday's game action: Nicklas Backstrom had an assist in defending champ Sweden's 3-0 victory over Germany, and Tomas Fleischmann's Czech's took a 3-1 win over Slovakia...
For Caps fans, Olympic hockey is not all Russians, of course. Two other Washingtonians are playing at the Games as well, and both had their first taste of the sport's premier stage Wednesday.
I was able to catch up with Tomas Fleischmann after his Czechs defeated arch-rival Slovakia in a beautiful, open game that featured lots of scoring chances and a brilliant performance by a certain former Cap, whose first and last names both start with a J...
The Pittsburgh Penguins showed up ready to play a Game 7, while many of the Washington Capitals clearly did not. The lop sided score pretty much says it all.
You certainly can't blame the loss on the obviously biased officiating that has plagued most of this playoff series. The Capitals were hit with four penalties in this game, while the Penguins went completely unpunished by the refs.
One of the biggest mistakes by Washington was that they left Pittsburgh unpunished as well. Starting after about the first ten minutes of the game, the Pens were allowed to hang out in and around the Caps' goal crease without having to fight all that much for the privilege. All but one of Pittsburgh's six goals were scored from close range.
Washington had a similar problem at the other end of the ice too. They just didn't put enough energy into opening up the crease area for a forward to drive to the net, or put a body in front to get a deflection goal. The two goals the Capitals did manage were from close range though. Alex Ovechkin scored an unassisted wrap around about two minutes before the end of the second period. The other came a third of the way through the third period, when Brooks Laich backhanded the rebound of a Tomas Fleischmann shot.
Washington's young goalie Simeon Varlamov didn't have a very good game either, and after allowing four goals, was replaced with Jose Theodore during the second period. A couple of the goals scored while Varlamov was minding the net, he probably should've been able to stop. His having a bad game Wednesday night happens to all goaltenders and was just really bad timing. Unfortunately, two more got by Theodore, putting the game completely out of reach.
We've learned since the stunning end of the Caps' post season, that several of their players were playing with injuries. This may account for defenseman Mike Green having such a disappointing playoff performance level throughout two rounds. It doesn't explain however, why he wasn't replaced by a healthier player after it became clear he couldn't fight through it, the way some of the others were fortunate to be able to do. Whatever the reasoning, you can't blame Green for wanting to play.
The blowout was an odd way for the series to end, after having been so close in every other game. The Capitals will put it all behind them, after some serious grieving. They should be very proud of the outstanding regular season they had, and going as far as they did in the playoffs. Washington will be back next season, a little more experienced and a good bit wiser.
Game 1 of the second round of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, was not the high scoring game many thought it might be. However, the threat was always there, mostly from the Washington side.
With four of the league's top ten point producers in a game (Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Backstrom), regular season or playoff, it would be realistic to expect a lot of pucks to be hitting the back of the net. Luckily for Pittsburgh, four or five shots that beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury hit pipe, just missing adding to the Caps side of the scoreboard.
It was the Penguins' Sidney Crosby however, that scored first. At 13:50 into the first period, Washington's third line guys David Steckel and Matt Bradley, highly successful scoring chance producers in the playoffs, evened up the score with the help of Brooks Laich. It was Steckel's first goal in the playoffs. The Capitals got another goal a few minutes later, while on a rare (for the Caps) 5 on 3 powerplay. Washington cycled the puck around the perimeter of the offensive zone left to right and then back the other way, Nicklas Backstrom to Alexander Semin to Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin, who was left unguarded at the bottom of the left faceoff circle, pounded in the Caps' second goal.
Nearly thirteen minutes into the second period, Pittsburgh's defenseman Mark Eaton got one through the glove of netminder Simeon Varlamov. About five minutes later, Varlamov stopped a shot to the wide open side of Washington's net by Crosby, with a stick save. You've got to see the video of what was immediately dubbed "the save of the playoffs" . If that shot had gone in, the outcome of the game could have been quite different.
Just under two minutes into the third period, Tomas Fleischmann scored the game winner for the home team. Semin sent the puck from the point to Backstrom. Backstrom shuttled the puck to the other side of the net, where Fleischman was waiting at the edge of the crease to send the game winner over Fleury.
The win was Washington's fourth straight in the playoffs. The 21 year old Varlamov remains solid in net, to the surprise of anyone not familiar with him. It feels good to be ahead in the series so far. The Caps always seem to be on the comeback trail, but not this time. At least, not yet. With just one game down, it's not time to get cocky. Not just yet.
In their final home game of the 2008-2009 NHL season, the Washington Capitals win combined both secondary and even strength scoring. With those features, so rare during the second half of the season, they defeated the Atlanta Thrashers and stay two points ahead (with 104 points) of the third place New Jersey Devils (102 points) in the Eastern Conference.
Tomas Fleischmann scored the first goal of the game early in the first period. Fleischman swatted down a bad clearing attempt by Atlanta's Nathan Oystrick, and sent the puck past netminder Johan Hedberg for his first ever goal against the Thrashers and his 18th of the season. Colby Armstrong answered back at 7:48 with his 20th goal of the season, getting one by goalie Jose Theodore, after Eric Fehr turned over the puck in the neutral zone.
Jim Slater put the Thrashers ahead at the beginning of the second period, while the Caps continued to play sluggishly, as they did for almost the entire first period. Just before the midpoint of the game though, they got a little boost when Keith Aucoin tipped in a cross ice pass from Alex Ovechkin, that went right through the crease to Aucoin for the back door goal. About six minutes later, Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk sent the puck over Theodore's glove side and into the net for his 42nd of the season, making the score 3-2.
By the start of the third period, Washington had gotten back into gear. They started heating it up, the red light, that is. Four of their six goals came in the final frame. The only wrinkle in the third was a clearing attempt blunder by Theo, less than a minute before the end of the game. The mistake resulted in Slava Kozlov netting the Thrashers' fourth and final goal.
The rest of the scoresheet for the third period was all Caps. Michael Nylander started the relentless assault, when he fired one in from the top of the left faceoff circle for his ninth goal of the season, and only his second at home. It was an astonishing sight, somewhat because he shot the puck toward the goal on purpose instead of passing. But the most shocking and wonderful thing to see was the rather enthusiastic celebration he exhibited right afterward. Eric Fehr battled hard to get the next one for Washington, thwarting a tripping attempt while making his way toward the net, and then getting knocked down immediately afterward. Alexander Semin put in his 31st of the season at 8:20. I can't help but wonder how many he could've had, if he were able to avoid injury this season. Brooks Laich scored the final goal of the game, with an empty netter 12.8 seconds before the final horn sounded.
The Thrashers looked like they had a good chance at taking one from the Capitals in the first half of the game, but by the third period, Washington had switched into domination mode. They really should try to play more like that for the whole 60 minutes. They can do it. I've seen it before. Focusing on what they're supposed to do, forechecking, backchecking, driving to the net, clearing the crease in front of their own goalie. They will face the Thrashers one more time, when they hit Atlanta on Tuesday.
The Washington Capitals increased their Southeast Division lead to 14 points by beating the second place Florida Panthers in Washington, DC last night. After one of their worst performances this season on Thursday night versus the Los Angeles Kings, the Capitals rebounded with a very respectable hard fought win.
Just 33 seconds into the game, Eric Fehr scored his sixth goal of the season, giving him five points in the last five games. David Steckel got the play started, gaining control of the puck deep in the Caps' end and sending it to Fehr. Eric sent an outlet pass to Tomas Fleischmann, who drew the two Panthers defenseman toward him going into the offensive zone before sending the puck back to Fehr. Fehr's snap shot sailed past netminder Tomas Vokoun high glove side. It took eight minutes for Florida's Keith Ballard to tie the game with a long range slap shot that got by Washington goalie Jose Theodore.
Neither team scored in the second period. For the Capitals, it was the first time in 15 periods that they failed to score at least one goal in a period. The third period started much like the first, though. Washington defenseman Mike Green got his 18th goal of the season 43 seconds into the final frame, matching his previous career high total from last season. As with most of Green's goals, this one came while on a power play. The goal increased his goal scoring streak to six straight games, with five being the former record for Caps defenseman. The league record for defenseman is seven consecutive games.
Unfortunately, the Capitals got into some serious penalty trouble toward the end of the game, starting with a Sergei Fedorov holding penalty at 14:04 into the third. With a very upset Fedorov still in the penalty box, Washington found themselves on the short side of a 5 on 3 for 1:05, when Shaone Morrisonn was dealt a five minute major plus a game misconduct after boarding Florida's Cory Stillman. Of course Stillman was hurt so bad he was back on the ice for the very next shift. The Caps' held the Panthers without a shot before Fedorov was released from the penalty box. Even while they were armed with three forwards and only one defenseman, Washington's penalty killing worked very well. There was a nervous moment when defenseman Tom Poti made a rare mistake, turning over the puck with a clearing pass that was picked off. But it was a very brief moment, as Karl Alzner (Just recalled from the AHL's Hershey Bears), David Steckel and Tom Poti cleared the front of the net.
The Panthers elected to have Vokoun out of the net in exchange for an extra skater for the last 1:48 of the game, including the final 1:47 of their power play. That didn't stop the Capitals from scoring a short handed goal at 18:47. Mike Green cleared the puck from deep in Washington's end, and it ended up in Florida's empty net for the Caps' third goal of the game. It was Green's second of the third period and 19th on the season, keeping him atop all defenseman in the league.
It seems ironic that it was Washington's D man Green putting the game away for the Capitals against the Panthers, who have the highest scoring group of defenseman in the NHL, with 36 goals amongst them. The Caps got some good goaltending from Theodore along with some honest to goodness forechecking, unlike in their defeat at the hands of the Kings on Thursday. Coach Bruce Boudreau also kept rolling the lines quickly while killing penalties, possibly putting the checking lines on the ice more often than he usually does. The Capitals will now hit the road for three games, starting with a visit to MSG in New York, NY to face the Rangers on Wednesday.
The Washington Capitals stopped their recent losing streak at three games by beating the Penguins in a great momentum building effort last night in Pittsburgh. The Capitals kept their focus on winning and left all the media's semi-fabricated bickering hype behind them, off the ice.
Both teams started off looking a little sloppy at first, but play tightened up as the game moved along. Washington netminder Jose Theodore wasn't looking to be at his best early on, even though he made some good saves in the first period. The referees weren't at there best either, calling a four minute double minor high stick penalty on Washington's Donald Brashear, when his stick was clearly not the one that made contact. The offending stick may even have been one of Kris Letang's teammates, from within traffic in the area. Pittsburgh scored on the power play with a slap shot by Evgeni Malkin at 5:45, for his 18th goal of the season. Malkin managed a couple hits on Alex Ovechkin, which thrilled the Penguins fans. They weren't terribly thrilled when he got whistled for interference at the 16:00 mark, after smacking Ovechkin in the head with his stick. Everyone became concerned shortly after, when Rob Scuderi blocked a hard shot by Mike Green with his face. He did not return to the game.
Things looked a little brighter for Caps fans, when Viktor Kozlov sent the puck through Marc-Andre Fleury's catching glove for his 10th goal of the season about a minute into the second period. At 8:13 however, Miroslav Satan put the Pens back ahead by one goal. A few minutes later, the Capitals answered back with Alexander Semin netting his 17th of the season. Tomas Fleischmann got the puck from the side wall to Sergei Fedorov, who sent a perfect saucer pass over a defender's leg to Semin. As Semin reached the other end of the crease, he batted the flying puck into the net. The two Capitals goals, along with increasingly confident and physical play by Washington, were starting to get to Pittsburgh, including their goaltender.
The Caps went ahead for the first time in the game, when Ovechkin potted his own rebound from the edge of the Pens goal crease. Pittsburgh then scored their third and final goal via a slapper from the point by Ryan Whitney, after Sidney Crosby sent the puck to him on a nice rink wide pass. Just after that, a temporarily rattled Theodore got nicked with a delay of game penalty. He misplayed the puck, then unfortunately swatted the biscuit out of the playing area. Luckily, he straightened out afterwards. Pittsburgh's Petr Sykora lost his cool right after a draw, and smacked Fedorov on the helmet with his stick (seems to be a common behavior by the Pens). Washington's Tomas Fleischmann scored his 15th goal of the season on the PP opportunity. He sent Ovechkin's rebound in for the game winner with a wrister, while lunging through the air toward the goal. By this point, Fleury was completely flustered, and his mates were losing it as well. At 11:27, Ovechkin banked the puck off of Whitney's skate, scoring his 29th goal of the season and second of the third period. About a minute before the end of the game, Caps defenseman Jeff Schultz ended his 72 game goalless drought. He cleared the puck from Washington's crease, and it went all the way across the ice surface and into the empty net at the other end. That made it 6-3 for Washington, adding insult to injury. Injury including Pittsburgh's Rob Scuderi, Maxime Talbot and Sidney Crosby.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Capitals throttle the Penguins. It was just icing on the cake to see Washington's players taking turns crunching both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. A totally frustrated and shaky Marc-Andre Fleury is a good sight for Caps fans too. Perhaps the most special moment of the evening was when Crosby tried to check David Steckel into the side wall during the third period and almost completely missed his mark. Unfortunately, that's when he also got hurt. Hopefully, the injured foul get the necessary repairs soon. I don't wish serious injury on any of them, much as I hate them. The first two games versus the Penguins this season have both been wins for the Capitals in Pittsburgh. The last two will be on Washington's home ice. I'm looking forward to the Capitals taking those games as well.
The Washington Capitals won their 20th game of the season at home while facing the St. Louis Blues last night. They managed to hit the mark in just the 33rd match of the current season. Last season, it took until January 17th and their 46th game to get 20 wins. It also gave Washington's goaltender Simeon Varlamov a 2-0 record, after having won in his firstNHL game played in Montreal versus the Canadiens this past Saturday.
The first period went by rather quickly. The stoppages in play during this game were held to a minimum in part by the referees, who only awarded one penalty in the first. You could say they were "economical" with their calls for most of the game. Late in the period, Nicklas Backstrom won a battle for the puck at the sidewall and sent it to nearby Viktor Kozlov. Kozlov put it past Blues' netminder Ben Bishop via five hole, while using a defender as a screen. The Capitals have scored the first goal in 10 of their last 12 games. Nine of those goals came in the first period. Like Varlamov, this is Bishop's first season in the NHL.
Simeon Varlamov makes stick save for Washington.
David Backes put St. Louis on the scoreboard at 9:09 in the second period. Varlamov was set to stop the shot by Jay McClement, but Backes deflected it past a surprised Varlamov. Late in the period, Washington went back ahead for good. Tom Poti sent an outlet pass to Kozlov, who fed the puck to rugged forward Boyd Gordon. Gordon forced his way to the front of the net with a defender all over him. Gordon fired off a shot and Kozlov followed up with his second goal of the game, sending the rebound past Bishop at 17:06. Just 40 seconds later, Tomas Fleischmann put the Caps ahead by two. David Steckel won a draw in the Blues end. After regaining control of the puck, Steckel dropped it to Eric Fehr. Fehr sent a centering pass to Fleischmann, and Flash fired a shot that banked off of both posts before heading to the back of the net. That's 11 goals for Fleischmann this season. He had 10 in all of last season.
Washington started the third period with a full two minutes of power play time because Michael Nylander held onto the puck at the end of the second, during a delayed penalty call. The Caps only needed 13 seconds of it though. After Alexander Semin got a shot off and the big rebound sent the puck all the way out to Kozlov at the point, Viktor passed rink wide to Alex Ovechkin. When Ovechkin got to the faceoff circle, he snapped the puck into the net for his 20th goal of the season.
Tomas Fleischmann scores goal versus Ben Bishop of the St. Louis Blues.
Unfortunately, the referees were suffering from temporary blindness (again) around nine minutes into the third period. It didn't cost Washington the game, but they lost Semin to injury again as a direct result of the refs economizing on calling penalties. I don't understand how all of the officials missed it when Backes intentionally tripped Semin, and then seconds later cross checked him in his recently injured back, sending him awkwardly down to the ice in pain. Semin was helped off the ice and eventually back to the dressing room, but no penalties called on Backes. Sure enough though, when Coach Bruce Boudreau complained from the bench, an official gave Washington a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "abuse of officials". Of course, the Blues scored during their ill gotten power play. The goal was awarded to Brad Winchester, but after the puck happened to hit his stick, it actually deflected in off of Alex Ovechkin's. Washington held on to their two goal lead for the rest of the game.
Alexander Semin wasn't the only player taken out of the game due to injury. Apparently, Mike Green has also been injured again, as he didn't play in the third period. Both players are listed as "day to day".
The win is Washington's fifth straight. They are now 13-1-1 at home. The Caps don't face the Western Conference team St. Louis very often, and this was the first time since December 1997 that Washington beat them within regulation. Viktor Kozlov had a three point night, with two goals and an assist. Brent Johnson may get the next start in net if he's healthy enough, when the Caps play the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
December 18, 2008 Photos by Luis M. Alvarez / Associated Press
