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Washington Capitals Blogger •
Capitals 4 - Thrashers 3
- Alex Ovechkin did what he always does, lighting up Pavelec for his 12th and 13th tallies of the year. OV also added an assist, boosting his season totals to 13 goals and 9 assists, good for 22 points and top spot in the scoring race.
- Brooks Laich had a quietly successful evening, registering 3 assists and bumping himself into the top 30 in scoring in the NHL with 12 points in 12 games played.
- Varlamov was stellar. His play demonstrated confidence and comfort in his crease. He may have allowed 3 goals, but he made a ton of timely saves which are the main reason why the Caps walked away with the victory.
- Zach Bogosian is developing at an extraordinary rate. He is going to be a #1 D-man in this league for years to come and is already displaying serious maturity in only his 2nd season. His two goals tonight were as a result of hard work(and a hard shot).
It was the same old story with the Capitals.
They won their 6th game in a row but not without their usual brain-melting breakdowns.
How they managed to allow a Kovalchuk-less Thrashers team back into the game, the way they did, it just makes you wonder how this team walked away with the "W"?
That is not to say that they didn't play a very strong 40 minutes.
Washington had the game under control through the first 2 periods. Building a 3 goal lead through the 2nd it appeared that the Caps had the game all wrapped up, but that is when the tide turned and the Thrashers began to challenge them.
The Thrashers came in droves over the final 30 minutes, firing 33 pucks at Varlamov in the final 30 minutes of the game, but the Caps held on, and it wasn't because of their defensive work.
It was because of Semyon Varlamov.
Varly was stellar tonight. Despite the fact that he eventually yielded 3 goals.
Semyon faced, and stopped, his first professional penalty shot attempt, stopping Jim Slater.
His poise and confidence seemed to be out in spades as he kept coming out of his crease to challenge shooters as well as maintaining strong rebound control.
Varlamov faced a shot a minute in the 3rd period, yet still managed to make very timely and key saves.
The Caps gave up 33 shots in the final 40 minutes, leaving their coach shaking his head.
It is exactly the type of play which should make a team lose.
Yet, here we are, the Capitals have rolled their way into 6 consecutive victories with the chance of extending it to 7 tomorrow night against the Islanders.
The bottom line with these Capitals is that they find ways to win.
Whether its holding onto leads or coming back from a defecit, Washington always finds a way.
The key now for the Capitals will be to build on their success by developing some consistency to their game. There is work to be done, but they are still winning.
As soon as the system fully sets in and everyone is totally comfortable(and this team learns how to play with a lead!!), they may become the hardest team in the league to stop.
I will be back later with a preview for the Caps vs. Islanders game.
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
- Alex Ovechkin did what he always does, lighting up Pavelec for his 12th and 13th tallies of the year. OV also added an assist, boosting his season totals to 13 goals and 9 assists, good for 22 points and top spot in the scoring race.
- Brooks Laich had a quietly successful evening, registering 3 assists and bumping himself into the top 30 in scoring in the NHL with 12 points in 12 games played.
- Varlamov was stellar. His play demonstrated confidence and comfort in his crease. He may have allowed 3 goals, but he made a ton of timely saves which are the main reason why the Caps walked away with the victory.
- Zach Bogosian is developing at an extraordinary rate. He is going to be a #1 D-man in this league for years to come and is already displaying serious maturity in only his 2nd season. His two goals tonight were as a result of hard work(and a hard shot).
It was the same old story with the Capitals.
They won their 6th game in a row but not without their usual brain-melting breakdowns.
How they managed to allow a Kovalchuk-less Thrashers team back into the game, the way they did, it just makes you wonder how this team walked away with the "W"?
That is not to say that they didn't play a very strong 40 minutes.
Washington had the game under control through the first 2 periods. Building a 3 goal lead through the 2nd it appeared that the Caps had the game all wrapped up, but that is when the tide turned and the Thrashers began to challenge them.
The Thrashers came in droves over the final 30 minutes, firing 33 pucks at Varlamov in the final 30 minutes of the game, but the Caps held on, and it wasn't because of their defensive work.
It was because of Semyon Varlamov.
Varly was stellar tonight. Despite the fact that he eventually yielded 3 goals.
Semyon faced, and stopped, his first professional penalty shot attempt, stopping Jim Slater.
His poise and confidence seemed to be out in spades as he kept coming out of his crease to challenge shooters as well as maintaining strong rebound control.
Varlamov faced a shot a minute in the 3rd period, yet still managed to make very timely and key saves.
The Caps gave up 33 shots in the final 40 minutes, leaving their coach shaking his head.
It is exactly the type of play which should make a team lose.
Yet, here we are, the Capitals have rolled their way into 6 consecutive victories with the chance of extending it to 7 tomorrow night against the Islanders.
The bottom line with these Capitals is that they find ways to win.
Whether its holding onto leads or coming back from a defecit, Washington always finds a way.
The key now for the Capitals will be to build on their success by developing some consistency to their game. There is work to be done, but they are still winning.
As soon as the system fully sets in and everyone is totally comfortable(and this team learns how to play with a lead!!), they may become the hardest team in the league to stop.
I will be back later with a preview for the Caps vs. Islanders game.
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
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