For a team like the Caps, who have a history of turning any opposing goaltender into a Vezina candidate for a night, it’s almost a nice change to be done in by the genuine article. All-Everything goaltender Martin Brodeur stood tall for his team, especially in the third period, and got the visitors the two points.
- While John Erskine had a better game than in Carolina, there was considerable room for improvement.
- Tom Poti continued his stretch of solid play. He’s playing as physically as I’ve seen him (which isn’t bruising, admittedly), and he’s clearly a stablizing force for the Caps. He and Lepisto were very communicative on the ice, which is what you like to happen when you are pairing a rookie with a vet.
- Speaking of Sami, I like his game, though the whistled PIMs need to come down. I particularly enjoyed his releasing from his first penalty and diving to try and check the puck away from the unawares Devils point man. The young Finn shows some solid puck-moving skills, though I’d be interested in seeing him more on the power play.
- The Caps caught a break due to the power of advertising. After Lepisto released for his second penalty and iced the puck, play was stopped for a TV timeout, giving the tired Caps a breather before play was resumed. I didn’t see which commercials ran, but I’m going to say thanks to Pulte homes anyway.
- Over heard from an out-of-town media-type: “Semin seems to be more of a hindrance than a help on the power play.” Washington’s sometimes-woeful power play can improve with work on one facet: passing. It’s not a team strength, but it’s even more notable when the Caps go a man-up. Too many low-percentage bump passes, touch passes, slap passes and flat-out missed passes make setting up in the zone a chore, much less creating serious scoring opportunities. Alexander Semin certainly is guilty of occasionally passing up a simple, smart pass in order to hold onto the puck too long, or a teammate will try to deke through three defenders instead of leaving it to the point man. The Caps’ best power play opportunity of the night was put forth by a unit that didn’t feature either Alex — just smart, simple pass creating decent to very good scoring opportunities. When D.C. keeps it basic, good things happen.
- All that said, that was a helluva goal from Alexander Semin. Not a whole lot of guys in the league who can do that.
- Matt Pettinger had a solid game defensively, but seemed to be a half-step from his usual pace. I wonder if he’s one of the fellas who has the flu bug.
- Some good hitting in the game. That’s always nice. And decision Brashear.
- Nick Backstrom has a talent for avoiding full hits against the boards, maintaining possession of the puck, and being able to continue the play. If I buy a new Caps sweater, #19 is very likely to grace the back.
- It’s cooler in the Verizon Center than it was the last time I was there. An ice-oriented adjustment?
- Quintin Laing has proved that he’s one of the 10 best forwards on the team. At least to me.
- I honestly forgot that Dainius Zubrus played for the Devils until someone brought it up about halfway through the game.
- Brent Johnson won’t hear any complaining from me tonight.
- Travis Zajac had a nice defensive game. Parise and he are a couple of nice young players.
The Caps get a point, which isn’t bad when the other team’s superstar is at the top of his game. A few pings of the iron here, a smarter pass there and things are different, but the Caps do what they need to do: turn those games in hand into a point or points, and try to climb the ladder.
The Caps met Montreal for the second time in three nights. Given that the early headline on NHL.com was “Habs Go for Home-and-Home Sweep,” the Caps had something to prove Thursday night. They also were seeking to avoid consecutive losses in regulation under Bruce Boudreau.
It would be easy to pan the event on the basis of the inclimate conditions — visibility was generally poor for players, spectators, and home viewers; trainers and players dealt with a litany of equipment challenges; Zambonis were on the ice as frequently as fourth-liners; and league Ice Tech Dan Craig may as well have been in the game program as often as he was on the ice. But our sense is that the event’s overall atmosphere earned the game’s first star, and that the league scored an overtime game-winner with this idea and its general execution. The overall effect was one of a compelling Season’s Greeting showcasing sports’ most under appreciated athletes in their embrace of winter’s elements.
Speaking of MSM, WUSA’s Brett Haber has the title of Sports Director. He labors in Washington, D.C. It would be charitable to say that he is seldom seen in the press lounge of Verizon Center. It would be understandable by Washington MSM standards were he to have ignored hockey on his New Years Day evening sportscast and instead directed all his energy at the playoff-bound Redskins. That’s par for the course in these parts. Instead he man-loved Sir Sidney to no end, calling him the best player in hockey. We won’t call this an egregious offense but rather one of breathtaking tone deafness; in legitimate sports towns in which there is a lead athlete credibly creating dispute about such a point, the hometown athlete typically earns the decision.
It’s hard to keep track of knee-jerk notes when you attend the game with your four year old son AND your 3 week old son.
