Like you, when I saw the Caps were down 1-0 on an early power-play for the Rangers, I didn\u2019t panic. After all, we\u2019d just seen Boston go up 1-0 in the first period two days ago.<\/p>\n
Seeing the Mike Knuble goal helped ease any fears I might have had; that was Harlem Globtrotter-esque. You could easily set that play to \u201cSweet Georgia Brown.\u201d Ovechkin comes in on the net from the right; fakes a shot and swings around behind the net. Ranger’s goalie Hendrik Lundqvist slides over to the other side of the net, expecting the wrap around from Ovie and what does he see? Nicklas Backstrom coming in on him from the left front.<\/p>\n
Lundqvist takes the post and commits to blocking the wrap-around from Ovechkin, dropping to his knees with his ankles out (they call that \u201cthe butterfly\u201d). Ovechkin passes up to Backstrom, but Lundqvist sees that he still has a reasonable<\/em> angle on Backstrom, so he recommits (decides not to get back to his feet and take a new position).<\/p>\n Backstrom takes the puck and backhands it between the legs of the defender that is immediately behind him and catches Mike Knuble coming in with speed from the right. The whole play couldn\u2019t have taken more than two seconds, but you know it was going in slow motion for Lundqvist.<\/p>\n As soon as he saw the puck clear his defender and Mike Knuble closing in on it, he knew he was beat, and there wasn\u2019t anything he could do but pray that the next sound he heard was either the \u201cclang\u201d of the cross bar or the \u201cthunk\u201d of the boards.<\/p>\n I do have to admit to being a little concerned when New York made it 5-3 and their power-play looked unstoppable. Personally, I\u2019d rather the Caps be a few goals behind early than jump out to a big lead. My reasoning is that when the Caps\u2019 jump out to a big lead, it\u2019s too easy for the players to start to take their foot off the gas and let a team back into the game.<\/p>\n When the Caps are behind though, they focus on getting the puck into the net.<\/p>\n Ovechkin\u2019s 500th<\/sup> career point is a great example of that. Ovechkin\u2019s coming down the left side. It\u2019s just him, the defender, and the goalie. Alex pushes the puck way right like he\u2019s about to turn to the inside, or maybe try one of his classic shots where he uses the defender as a screen. The defender takes the inside position, but Ovechkin draws the puck back to himself and pushes it between the defender\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n Ovechkin draws his stick in, and slides around the defender to the outside, and picks the puck back up on the other side of the hapless defender. Lundqvist again takes the near-side post but Ovechkin slides the puck towards the middle and flips it up over Lunqvist\u2019s left shoulder for the score.<\/p>\n The Capitals currently lead the league in points, goals, and goals-per-game, yet no single player on the Caps roster has registered a hat-trick (three goals in one game) this season.<\/p>\n New York played a great game last night; their power-play was outrageous. They scored five goals and they still lost the game. There was a lot to be encouraged about for the New York fans, but I know how heartbreaking that kind of loss can be.<\/p>\n ESPN ranked the Capitals 2nd<\/sup> in their weekly power rankings this week. They recognized Washington\u2019s (at the time) 11 game winning streak, but still placed them second behind San Jose. They even mentioned in the rankings about how tough it must be to be on an eleven-game winning streak and still be ranked number two. If I\u2019m Boudreau, I\u2019m showing that ranking to the players today.<\/p>\n \u201cThese people don\u2019t respect you,\u201d I\u2019d say. \u201cEven though you haven\u2019t lost in nearly a month, nobody wants to give you any credit. You\u2019re Washington; you play in a lousy division, you\u2019re not from a \u2018hockey-town.\u2019 The only thing you\u2019ve got going for you right now is this win streak. The best way you can get back at these guys is to keep on winning. The more you win, the more you make these guys look like fools.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know this winning streak must end, but you decide when,\u201d I\u2019d continue. \u201cThe only way we are going to silence our critics is to win the whole-friggin\u2019-thing. Bring the Cup to Washington, and you\u2019ll have earned their respect.\u201d<\/p>\n Caps face Atlanta tonight. This has all the markings of a \u201ctrap-game.\u201d Washington pasted Atlanta 8-1 last time, and Atlanta just lost their best player in a trade to Detroit. The Caps need to go into this game thinking that enough is not enough. They need to keep their feet moving and their sticks down. Don\u2019t win it in the first period, win it in the third.<\/p>\n Yesterday I was wearing my \u201cretro\u201d white Ovie jersey (I still can\u2019t get the hang of \u201csweater\u201d) and today I\u2019m wearing the \u201cretro\u201d black one. Let\u2019s keep the ball rolling and go for the baker\u2019s dozen!<\/p>\nC! A! P! S! Caps! Caps! Caps!<\/strong><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"