There is one thing certain about veteran, forward Mike Knuble, and that’s his uncanny way to put the puck in the net. Tonight vs. the Sabres it took him only 37 seconds to score his 22nd goal of the season. Of course Jhonas Enroth was replacing Ryan Miller in net for Buffalo, so they weren’t as well supported in net. Alex Semin would make the rookie goalie pay off a juicy rebound to up the lead to 2-0 early in the first period.
Buffalo then decided it was their turn to take the offensive when they also scored two quick ones to tie the game. All four of these goals were scored in the first 10 minutes of the first. The two rookie goalies would then step in and prevent another tally until the third period. None of us knew that the flood gates were going to open down the home stretch of the third period.
Paul Gaustad of the Sabres would start it all in the third period when he took the lead with a one on one with Neuvy. Knuble would answer on the power play to tie the game at three with his second goal of the game. Things started to get away from the Caps when Scott Hannan took a bad penalty. This resulted in a Sabre’s power play goal shortly after taking the lead 4-3 with just three minutes to play.
The Caps got their second extra man chance of the game in the closing minutes and pulled the goalie for a 6 on 4 chance. Jason Arnott would tie the game when he easily put away a rebound off Alex Ovechkin’s shot. This would send the game to extra time for the third straight time for the Capitals. In, OT with no surprise Ovi dazzled and scored the winning goal when it deflected off two Buffalo defenseman. However in my opinion the highlight of the night was not his winning goal but his classic dance after he scored. Words cannot explain the dance so check it out on the highlight reel; it is a treat!
Side Notes: Hershey defenseman, Sean Collins, played his first game of the season replacing the injured John Erskine. The Caps are hoping for a Mike Green return to the ice before the playoffs because of the recent leg injury of Dennis Wideman. Wideman could be out a couple of weeks. John Carlson had another good offensive game with two assists.
Despite the exciting end to the game, the Caps did not play a great game defensively. Without Wideman and the others missing the team will need to strap down on D and clean up the mistakes come playoff time. The Capitals will travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Tune in at 7 and as always Rock the Red!
Player of the Game: Alex Ovechkin (1 goal, 2 assists)
Stat of the Game: 2 goals (Mike Knuble)
Unsung Hero: Jason Arnott
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