The Washington Capitals are developing a nasty habit of putting their fans through cardiac arrest before winning. They headed out on the road March 13 with a three game win streak in tow. Their first opponent on this five game trip was the New York Islanders, who have given the team fits this year. It is fair to say that if one watched the first thirty-eight minutes of this game on CSN Washington, chances are the television got turned off.
The Caps looked as dead as a doornail. Could it have been the way that the Islanders scored their first two goals? It made me look to the sky and think it was simply not our night. Michal Neuvirth gave up a goal that flew over the cage, hit the glass, and then popped up in the air. Neuvirth looked up, and it bounced off his chest and in the net. Follow that up with a power play goal that a charging John Carlson deflected into his own net, and this game had the makings of an ugly outcome.
The second period got even uglier for most of the stanza. At one point, the Islanders ran their advantage to 4-1, leaving some Caps fans to mark this one down as a loss. The Islanders were playing super, especially with the seven on five advantage. I do not care which team a viewer was a fan of, the officiating in this game was downright horrible. The Islanders played well, but did have several infractions that were not called. I think a five to none ratio in penalty calls sums up the joke that was the refs on this night.
The Caps would not die on this night, no matter how hard the Islanders and the refs tried. I sensed that the Capitals got pissed after the Islanders went up 4-1. Alex Ovechkin tapped in a goal in the final minute of the second to make it 4-2, and suddenly the team had energy. That energy level shot up even further in the third when Dmitry Orlov went Bobby Orr on Evgeni Nabokov. He put a sweet move on the goalie and beat him to make it 4-3.
From that point on, it was just a matter of time. The Capitals were going to tie this game up, and it was fitting that Ovechkin did. He took two shots and then took two whacks at the rebound. The second attempt went top shelf, and the game was tied. The Caps had made an astounding comeback, but they almost blew it.
They seemed to go into safe mode, trying to preserve their one point. The strategy almost cost them, but Neuvirth and some defensive zone blocks saved the day. The Islanders controlled overtime, and they peppered the Caps goalie for five minutes. Luckily, we withstood the onslaught and got it to the shootout. That usually means a loss for Washington, because we stink at those.
That is until tonight, Caps fans. Against a goalie that owns the Capitals, this team came out and stole the extra point. John Tavares tallied for the Islanders in round two, but Ovie matched him to leave it tied. It would go to a fourth round, where Matt Hendricks could end the contest. Hendricks put on two moves that left Nabokov with a broken ankle and no pants! It gave Hendricks an empty net, which he filled with the game winner.
The Capitals started this crucial road trip with a win and did so in heart stopping fashion. I hope that they can play a full sixty minutes against the Winnipeg Jets on March 17, the next stop on the trip. The win puts the team back up by four for the number eight seed in the Eastern Conference, and one point behind the Florida Panthers for the Southeast Division lead.
John Atchison is a fervent supporter of his hometown Washington Capitals. He has a passion for hockey and someday hopes to have a role in the Capitals organization so he can raise the Stanley Cup! Follow him on Twitter @John_Atchison.
Sources: CSN Washington
washingtoncapitals.com
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