Game #4 Recap - Capitals 4 Penguins 3

After spotting the Penguins a 3-goal lead the Caps came back with a 4-goal rally to beat the Pens in Pittsburgh. This game was all about momentum and the Caps had it for the first 6-minutes but then with the Pens on a power play a fluke goal shifted it to Pittsburgh. Then with less than a minute left in the first period an awful turnover by the Caps and the lead was up to two. The beginning of the second wasn't much better, with the Cap already down a man for too many men on the ice, John Erskine's attempted clear went over the glass for a delaying game penalty. The Pens scored on the 5-on-3 to make it 3-0.

Editorial note: At this point in the second period Tom Poti left the game with a groin pull. He only played 4:23 on the night and I am sure the decision to sit him down had something to do with the condition of the ice. I know the Caps have taken a lot of heat for the condition of their ice but Pittsburgh's ice last night was downright reprehensible. If Poti's injury was directly attributable to the ice conditions then I would implore the league into doing something about it. Like that is going to happen, not. Sorry for the rant but I just had to say something.

The momentum was squarely with Pittsburgh and the Caps couldn't seem to connect two passes but they kept grinding and Tomas Fleischmann got his first goal of the season at the 5:45 mark of the second period. Following the drop of the puck Matt Bradley was pummeled in a fight and had to go to the locker room for repairs. Pittsburgh seemed content to try and sit on the lead for the rest of the game but the Caps just kept coming and finally broke through early in the third. Michael Nylander won an offensive zone draw and Alexander Semin's wrist shot was in the net before the goalie could even move. That guy's shot is unbelivable. Nylander finished a nice give and go with 10-minutes to go and the score was tied. That set the table for Boyd Gordon. In on a short 2-on-1 with Alex Ovechkin, Gordon faked a pass and shot the puck behind the Pen's goalie but no one saw it. The puck bounced directly off the back crossbar and the teams continued to play until the next stoppage when a replay review awarded Gordon the go ahead goal. The Caps finished off the the game for their first win in Pittsburgh in what seems like forever.

Of Note:

• Congratulations to Sergei Fedorov who participated in his 1,200th career game in the NHL. After Poti's injury Fedorov was pressed into defensive duty again. He also recorded an assist on the game-winning goal.
• With 4 goals and 8 points, Alexander Semin is tied for 2nd in the NHL in both catagories. He recorded a goal and a assist and was named the #1 Star in tonight's game.
  
• The Caps had 4 multi-point players on the night. Semin (1 goal - 1 assist), Nylander (1-1), Tomas Fleischmann (1-1), and Eric Fehr (0-2). This was Fehr's season debut.
• Brooks Laich also recored an assist for the Caps.
• Nylander became the 58th Capital to score 100 points with the team.
• Milan Jurcina participated in his 200 career game.
• The Caps were dismal on special teams going 0 for 4 on the power play and killing only 3 of 6 Pittsburgh attemps.
• The Caps have scored 17 goals in their first 4 games.
  

Official Recap
Game Summary
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