Everyone can take a deep breath and relax because it is just Dale Hunter’s first game behind the bench. He hasn’t even implemented his drills in practice and his styles of play yet. Yes I know all Capitals fans including myself thought the players would be inspired by the coaching change and come out with a win vs. the St. Louis Blues. The first game jitters from Hunter and the rest of the team are in the rear view mirror.
Let’s talk about the game a little bit. The Caps suffered a 2-1 loss to the Blues and were outshot 30-19. Less than 20 shots is just not going to get it done especially when your star player Alex Ovechkin only logged one of those shots. The Great Eight has to start finding ways to score because if he does as captain, the whole team will follow by example. It’s as simple as throwing pucks at the net and crashing. Nicklas Backstrom supplied the lone goal in the first period giving Washington an early lead. Ovechkin assisted on the goal after he beat a few defenders entering the offensive zone. He struggled through most of the game but was the only Washington player with a positive plus/minus (+1).
The Blues’ T.J. Oshie tied it off a rebound that Tomas Vokoun couldn’t control off the crossbar. In the second period Matt D'Agostini would score the game winner on a wrap-around. Vokoun challenged the original shot from the point which he saved, but couldn’t freeze the puck. He can’t make those mistakes beyond the crease. The biggest let down was that this go ahead goal came after a 5 on 3 penalty kill for the Caps. St. Louis had four PP chances that they didn’t convert on. Washington wasn’t man up all game until 20 seconds remaining in the third period. You could almost say it was a pity call from the refs for not getting a power play all game. In the end Jaroslav Halak was just too much for the red sweaters stopping 18 of 19 shots.
One play that angered me towards the end of the game was when John Carlson casually skated back and got beat to the puck which cancelled out an icing. With three minutes left, trailing by a goal, you have the chance for an offensive zone faceoff, and you don’t bust your ass. Not acceptable in my book, and I hope Dale Hunter let him hear it after the game because your better than that Carlson. I’d like to give Dmitry Orlov some credit for playing in his fifth game. He has been physical, defensively sound, and showed us some dangles in the offensive zone tonight which surprised some people.
On a positive not it was nice to see Matt Hendricks drop the gloves for the fourth time this season. The fight was short lived with Hendy barely landing a punch, but we appreciate the effort. I also loved not seeing Jeff Schultz on the blue line because he was healthy scratched. The Pittsburgh Penguins come in Thursday to the Verizon Center for a much awaited rivalry game. Not to mention it will be the first time Sidney Crosby has faced the Caps since the Winter Classic. Ovi vs. Sid is back, and hopefully this game will spark Ovi because he always plays his best game against the Pens. Don’t give up Caps fans! Rock the Red!
Player of the Game: Nicklas Backtrom (1 goal, solid on PK)
Stat of the Game: Blues PP 0 for 4 (Caps PK)
Unsung Hero: Matt Hendricks
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