Let me start off this recap by saying that it was an offensive travesty on both ends and not exactly a thrill to watch. The only goal of the game was scored with 2 minutes left in overtime when Vincent Lecavalier fired a shot at the Capitals net leaving Martin St. Louis with an easy tap in ending their 3 game winning streak.
Allow me to vent a little after this offensive disappointment. After the exciting win at Heinz field 3 days ago I thought the Caps were going to come out gunning for Tampa Bay’s heads with the division lead in reach. There was one man that prevented this possibility and it was Dwayne Roloson. In his first game with the club after being traded by the New York Islanders he had the Caps number with a 34 save shutout. The biggest disappointment of the night was a familiar feeling felt over the last couple of weeks by Caps fans. The power play was 0 for 3.
Although we were shutout by one of our division rivals I am going to try and stay positive because it is just one game. Semyon Varlamov was on his A game once again stopping 37 shots despite giving up just 1 goal in extra time. In his last 5 games Varly has 1.50 GAA and .961 save percentage. That is phenomenal! Did I mention this kid is 22 years old and is on the road to becoming the franchise goalie if he keeps this up? Sicccckkkkkkk! Kudos to the all 6 defenseman for keeping rebounds out of Varly’s crease until the final shot of the game.
Another upside of the loss was when Matty Hendricks contributed to the team’s momentum yet again when he scrapped for his 10th time of the year with Lightning team goon Steve Downie. Neither of them landed many shots but it ended with Downie holding an ice pack to his face in the penalty box. What a pussy!!!!! Oh and Hendricks yelled some expletives at him that I am not at liberty to say but I was very proud of him.
Finally Ovi and Semin combined for 14 shots but were just unable to light the lamp with Roloson standing in their way. We simply have to score to win, it’s as simple as that.
Player of the Game: Semyon Varlamov (37 saves,1 GAA)
Stat of the Game: 3 for 3 (Caps Penalty Kill)
Unsung Hero: Matt Hendricks
Check out the highlights (or lowlights) on NHL.com: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010020587
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