The Capitals had an alright weekend in Canada leaving the country up north with a win and loss. It started off with a depressing shutout to the Ottawa Senators 2-0. The Caps had numerous chances on Friday night but just couldn't beat goalie Craig Anderson. Without Alex Ovechkin, Jason Arnott, and many others Washington was bound to lose a game on this road trip. Semyon Varlamov returned from a long absence because of injury to make 21 saves in the losing effort. Varly held his own except for the second goal that went 5-hole that sealed the loss.
On Saturday Caps headed down the street to Montreal and played a much better game all around. Rookie goaltender Braden Holtby was called up once again to start for the Caps because Michal Neuvirth was sick. Braden did it again when he shutout the Habs for his sixth straight win and second shutout of the season. It is amazing how confident this youngster is between the pipes, and he is only improving each contest.
Nicklas Backstrom had the primary assist in both goal on Saturday, the first one to Marco Sturm. It was Sturm's first goal since joining the Caps and definitely took some pressure off #18. Alex Semin sealed the deal in the third period when he tipped in a perfect pass from Nicky B. All three defensive lines played great to assist Hotlby with the shutout.
The Caps will now head back home for the first time in two weeks for a match up vs. the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. They will have three home games in a row in the next week. It was said the Arnott and Ovi could return to the lineup by the end of the week. Can't wait for that! We are only two weeks away from the playoffs starting and the Capitals are taking a turn for the better each week. Keep the faith and as always Rock the Red!
Three Stars for the Weekend
1. Nicklas Backstrom
2. Braden Holtby
3. Marco Sturm
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