Caps v. Islanders

Amidst these final few busy days of break, I have not been able to sit down and watch a Caps game from start to finish, so I dedicated tonight to throwing on the Ovechkin jersey and watching the game. With this post I am going to approach things a bit differently. I'm going to write a new post each period to sort of document the chronologically.

1st Period:

The Caps played very well. Chimera started on the top line with 19 and 8, a move I love because of Chimera's speed, which open things up for the Caps two best players. He and Ovechkin took turns on either side of number 19. It paid dividends early. Just four minutes in, Ovechkin flew down the right flank and put a beautiful pass right in front of net for an easy tap in goal for Jason Chimera, his seventh of the year. This is something that the Caps need to do more often. They are currently last in the league in first period goals, something that no one expected coming into the season.

The Caps came out of the gates aggressive. From the puck drop, the boys were all over the Islanders, especially on the forecheck. This is something that Caps fan love to see, but it came with a price. The Caps got sent to the box twice in the game, but the 6th ranked PK unit was able to kill off both. Braden Holtby, the starter due to the injuries suffered by Varly and Neuvirth, saved all 11 shots he faced in the first period.

2nd Period:

This period was named the "Whistle Period" by Craig Laughlin, and for good reason. The play in the middle period never seemed to flow. Three and a half minutes in, the Great 8 flew into the crease and left the puck for Backstrom, who tipped it in to a wide open net. This was the 12th time that Backstrom lit the lamp this season, but more importantly, the goal ended his long scoring drought. Just minutes later, however, Michael Grabner, the speedy Islander rookie, broke away from John Carlson and roofed a backhander into the back of the net. The Caps then faced two more shorthanded opportunities and ended up killing off both. It was a very solid, albeit sloppy, period from the boys from the nation's capital.

3rd Period:

The third period saw sparks fly. The teams almost got into a bench clearing brawl after a huge (and clean) hit on Hillen by Matt Hendricks. Both team played with lots of energy as the Islanders tried to even the score and the Capitals tried to protect their lead. The top line of 8-19-25 played great throughout. The Caps killed off two more penalties and failed to convert on one. In the end, the Caps were able to keep the Islanders off the board in the final period on the way to a 2-1 victory.

My top 3 players tonight are as follows..

3) Braden Holtby- He saved 24 of 25 shots and helped the Caps kill off 6 penalties. A very solid night overall for the rookie.

2) Nicklas Backstrom- Backstrom spearheaded a dominant top line that scored both goals tonight. His passes were crisp all night. He finished with a +2 rating, an assist, and a goal that ended number nineteen's 21-game scoring drought.

1) Jason Chimera- Chimera made all the difference tonight. His speed helped open up the ice for 8 and 19, and he was constantly a force down low. Great game, I hope we see him on that top line more often.