Shop for Washington Capitals Gear at Shop.NHLcom!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Capitals 3 Thrashers 1

The Capitals took the game to Atlanta all night and came away with a 3-1 victory. Events were getting a little unsettling leading up to game time as Alexander Semin did not make the trip and Brent Johnson was scheduled to start in the net. The lines were jumbled and like a Forrest Gump box of chocolates we didn’t know what we were going to get. The opening period was a thing of beauty. The Caps puck possession was astounding as the Thrashers chased the Caps around their own zone for most of the period. It wasn’t just the top lines either. Even the fourth line of Donald Brashear, David Steckel and Matt Bradley were turning circles around the Atlanta defense. Nicklas Backstrom appeared calm and got those nervous jitters out early by stealing the puck and feeding Michal Nylander for a power play goal and his first NHL point. Nylander played an outstanding game. John Erskine was the recipient of a weak clearing attempt and blasted a slap slot into the net giving the Caps a 2-0 lead after the first period. The Caps continued the pressure the rest of the game and kept Atlanta on their heels all night. The Caps finished the scoring with a nice play from Alex Ovechkin. From the bottom of the left circle Ovechkin found Mike Green at the right point. Green fired a slap shot that Viktor Kozlov deflected into net for the third goal. It was an excellent effort for the Caps who face Carolina tonight in the home opener.

Of Note:

  • Alex Ovechkin scored career point number 199 in his career. He is 2 behind Jagr on the Caps all time list and has played in 30 fewer games.
  • The Caps out shot Atlanta 40 to 29. Last season they did not record a 40 shot game. Matt Pettinger and Viktor Kozlov lead the team with 7 shots apiece.
  • On the power play the Caps were 1 for 7 while stopping Atlanta on all 4 attempts. They Caps did fail to score on two 5 on 3 advantages.
  • Brent Johnson was solid in goal stopping 28 of 29 shots.
Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

No comments:

Add This