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The good, the bad and the gutsy
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The scene Friday night during Semin's winning goal. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Game summary
Amazing win for the Capitals and it seemed only fitting. With two goals in the last three minutes of the game, the Caps effectively made up for 57 minutes of playing hard but just not finishing. Anyway, here is the run-down.
The scene
This was my first time as an “official member of the press,” but unlike the Post, Times and the print version of the Examiner, I did not get a name tag next to my very own downstairs work station. This is not disappointing. This is, in fact, proper. Not only am I a rookie member of the press, but while these guys (and ladies) have their head in their computers at 10:00 pm I can casually go to the Green Turtle and have a pint. While they face daily deadlines I consider it an achievement if I can bring you one article every three to four days! Compared to the real media grinders, these guys are the Feds and I’m nothing but mall security.
***
With three different home team locker rooms for the Wizards, Capitals and Hoyas, as well as a weight room, visiting locker rooms and even production studio, the downstairs area is massive. I try to walk around and get my sense for the place but it’s hard. With the white paint and massively long hallways the place truly has the feel of an underground bunker/labyrinth. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought this could have been where Dick Cheney was hiding. Dick Cheney, though, hates hockey.
Poster in Caps locker room
(Photo credit: DCSportsChick.com)
***
At around 6:30 I take the elevator upstairs in rapt excitement for my traverse into the “situation room,” the press box, the place where the prognosticators and pontificators put it all on the line. To sum it up a little less pretentiously, yeah I was very excited.
It may be at the very top of the Arena, but being so new to the media game, this was akin to being a kid on Christmas. The area is complete with five over-hanging televisions, computer connection slots, and all the coffee refills you can drink. Most importantly at least to me, though -- and unlike the situation in the lower media area - - up here with the bigs, I see a printout of my name next to an assigned seat. Oh yeah, I’m loving it! Next time, though I think I will have to take the advice of the guy sitting to the left of me. You can have all the camera angles and slow-motion replays in the world, but sometimes they are no replacement for a good pair of binoculars. “Never go to a game without them,” the guy earnestly told me.
The bad
The Caps gave up way too many odd-man breaks coming back on defense, and this has been a trend each and every game. It’s hard to single out one guy, but if I had to Michael Nylander for all his work in the offensive zone simply doesn’t back-check. He is one of the guys I notice getting caught on the odd-man rushes.
The Caps gave up way too many odd-man breaks coming back on defense, and this has been a trend each and every game. It’s hard to single out one guy, but if I had to Michael Nylander for all his work in the offensive zone simply doesn’t back-check. He is one of the guys I notice getting caught on the odd-man rushes.
Rod Brind’Amour is no young man any more, but in the first period in front of the net and with very little room he completely skates by John Erskine. This is hardly a new trend. Erskine is serviceable, but quite frankly has very poor quickness, speed and skating ability. He is quite the liability at times.
The good
Brent Johnson deserves to be the starting goaltender, and from all indicators he may be. Coach Bruce Boudreau said he is starting Saturday against the Rangers and he deserves it. After giving up a goal on the first shot of the game on a tip-in by Scott Walker, Johnson played solid the rest of the way, coming out of his net to cut down on angles and in one remarkable play, stretching out his knees to deny Brind'Amour the angle on a breakaway.
The great
Hockey lines don’t have to be flashy or fanciful to be great. The Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich line that the Capitals used to start the game is a great line because it does the ugly stuff so well. They win battles against the boards and dump the puck in the opposing zone (this is exactly what they did during the first shift of the game).
Hockey lines don’t have to be flashy or fanciful to be great. The Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich line that the Capitals used to start the game is a great line because it does the ugly stuff so well. They win battles against the boards and dump the puck in the opposing zone (this is exactly what they did during the first shift of the game).
Sometimes, though, you get three guys who play like they know exactly where the other guy is going to go even before they do it, like they are somehow wired into the other guy's DNA. That is honestly what I think about the Russian trio of Sergei Federov, Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. These guys just play hockey on another level, and Semin’s goal in the last 10 seconds of the game was a great indicator of that.
On that fateful final rush, Ovechkin took the puck up the left side, skated fast and then stopped forcing the defender to stop. With the play seemingly slowing down, and with the defender focusing clearly on Ovechkin, Alex found the guy who wasn’t slowing down, Alexander Semin, who cranked it in glove side against Cam Ward. Game, set, match!
The Gutsy
With all the talk about goals, nameplates and media lounges, on a serious note let me not forget that hockey is about grit and playing through pain. The “tough guy” award for this game goes to Brooks Laich. After getting hit in the knee with a slap shot, Brooks fell to the ice, got up and then visibly limped on the play, skating in short motions before falling repeatedly to his knees. The pain was clearly visible, however Brooks was still able to get on his knees one more time and deflect a pass out of the Caps zone before finally getting to the bench. That right there is heart, folks!
With all the talk about goals, nameplates and media lounges, on a serious note let me not forget that hockey is about grit and playing through pain. The “tough guy” award for this game goes to Brooks Laich. After getting hit in the knee with a slap shot, Brooks fell to the ice, got up and then visibly limped on the play, skating in short motions before falling repeatedly to his knees. The pain was clearly visible, however Brooks was still able to get on his knees one more time and deflect a pass out of the Caps zone before finally getting to the bench. That right there is heart, folks!
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