Ovi gets #300 in shootout win over the Leafs

The Capitals entered the game vs. the Maple Leafs with first place looming in the back of their heads. They did not know that by the end of the night they would gain first in the east and clinch the Southeast division title. This makes it four years in a row that the Capitals are champions of the Southeast. It is getting a little old, but I will definitely take a top three spot in the playoffs.

Toronto is already out of the playoff race so they had one thing in mind, and that was to spoil the Caps’ standings situation. Nikolai Kulemin started the attempt of spoiler on the extra man when he beat Michal Neuvirth with a wrist shot. Six minutes later the Capitals were on a 5 on 3 power play for 20 seconds. Alex Ovechkin didn’t waste any time logging his 300^th career goal off a onetime slapper from a Brooks Laich pass. Ovi had numerous scoring chances that were robbed by goaltender James Reimer in this game.

One thing that I would like to take note on was the Caps power play last night where they had a 1 for 4 success rate. In each extra man opportunity Washington moved the puck well and had many good scoring chances. If it were not for Reimer making some miraculous saves, the Caps could’ve notched a few more PP goals.

In the second period, Joffrey Lupul made Jeff Schultz pay with a back door tip-in goal from Phil Kessel. It was simply a breakdown of the Caps’ defense and could’ve been avoided if Schultz had picked his head up. The Caps would not hesitate to answer back with a bizarre goal from John Erskine which tied it 2-2. He hit a slap shot that deflected off a Toronto defender for Erskine’s fourth goal of the season. That would be the last goal of the game and Washington would go to a familiar fourth straight over time game.

There were only two total shots stopped by the goaltenders in extra time. Michal Neuvirth played well stopping 18 of 20 shots and all of the shootout attempts. Mike Knuble would be the only one to tickle the twine in the shootout in the fourth round. He continues to be a force for the Caps this late in the season. After this 3-2 SO win the Capitals headed straight home for a home game vs. the Florida Panthers tonight. Tune in to watch the puck drop at 7. Rock the Red!

Player of the Game: Alex Ovechkin (1 goal)

Stat of the Game: 300^th career goal (Alex Ovechkin)

Unsung Hero: Mike Knuble

Player Profile: Mike Knuble

In 1991 a forward not like any other emerged in the NHL. His name……………Mike Knuble! He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 1991 in the NHL Entry Draft. Mike took his next four years of hockey to Ann Arbor to play for the University of Michigan. As a Wolverine he logged over 170 points in his tenure and scored as many as 38 goals in a season. In 1995, his senior year, Knuble earned NCAA West All-American Team honors. His next three years after graduating from Michigan took place in the AHL where he played for the Adirondack Red Wings which at the time was Detroit’s farm team.

Mike Knuble made his NHL debut on March 26, 1997 and would play nine games for the Detroit Red Wings that season. Detroit would later win the Stanley Cup that season, but unfortunately Mike would not get his name engraved on the Stanley Cup because he didn’t play enough games. However the following season the Red Wings repeated as Cup champions and Mike got his name on the Stanley Cup. ­­Since then he has played for a bunch of teams and scored tons of goals. Before reaching the Washington Knuble played for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

In July 1, 2009 he signed a two year deal for $2.8 million with the Washington Capitals. The team signed him for obvious reasons such as him being a veteran, his uncanny way to score goals, and finally they probably were sick of playing against him.  After watching him for the last two seasons I have never seen anyone able to find the net like Mike “The Garbage man” Knuble. Whether he is scoring from the crease or poke checking the puck past the goaltender, teams simply cannot keep him of the scoreboard.

Since coming to Washington he has paired mostly with stars Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin which has probably added to their success as well. He logged 29 goals and 24 assists in his first season and was a huge contributor to the team’s offense and leadership. His leadership made him an obvious choice for an alternative captain which he has served as for the majority of the last 2 seasons. He is a vital piece to this franchise in possibly winning a Stanley Cup this year. Each game you can see younger teammates taking pointers and advice from him. Mike Knuble is neither the fastest player nor does he have the best shot but he finds a way to score night after night.

I will always be a Mike Knuble fan because he is one player that never hangs up his jersey no matter the score. Remembering back to the 24/7 HBO series for the Caps, Mike Knuble was key in coming out of the mid-season rut they were in. He stood up and insisted he would not be embarrassed anymore during one of the intermissions of the losses they suffered in the show. Even if this is his last season in a red sweater I hope he is rewarded with what he started his career with, a Stanley Cup! God bless you Mike Knuble and keep scoring goals for the Capitals! Rock the Red!

Ovi dances through the Sabres

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 22^nd 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

Caps can't close out the Hurricanes

Well the Washington Capitals were finally back home after a two week road trip to play the Hurricanes. Also to add to the excitement Jason Arnott and Alex Ovechkin returned to the lineup. However in the end it just wasn't enough for the Caps to prevail in a shootout.

No goals were scored in the first period by either team due to the elite goal tending. Carolina did not take long to strike in the second when Jussi Jokinen netted a power play goal. Alex Semin answered swiftly on the scoreboard roofing goalie Cam Ward to tie the contest. On the following power play chance for the Caps, the Hurricanes had a short handed chance turn into a penalty shot. Semyon Varlamov denied Chad Larose with a poke check on the attempt.

After Varly's save the Capitals were on the offensive. Marcus Johansson was the next one on the stat sheet making it 2-1. He took a pass from Semin and deked his way through the defense eventually slotting it passed Ward. Varly's strong play in the first two periods unfortunately didn't carry over to the third. He gave up the tying goal to Jeff Skinner early on in the third when it squeezed through his pads. This turned out to be costly for the Caps and I'm sure Varly would like that chance back. He ended the game with 25 saves while Cam Ward racked up 41.

The game would go to over time where Carolina played back on their heels for the majority of the five minutes. Alex Ovechkin was denied many times by Cam Ward after he dazzled through the defense with line mate Nicklas Backstrom. It then went to a shootout and the Capitals were stonewalled losing 2-0. It was a tough loss in the Verizon Center, but it was Arnott and Ovi's first game back. The team will get back to normal by Thursday vs. Blue Jackets. Tune in on Thursday at 7:30 to watch the Caps get back on track. There are five games remaining in the regular season Rock the Red.

Cap's Canadian Weekend

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