Caps - Rangers Running Thoughts

Watching the game on the tube, as we get ready to head out to Bryn Mawr where my wife will get her total knee replacement tomorrow. Matt Pettinger is in for Quintin Laing (a healthy scratch); Steve Eminger is in for John Erskine who was hurt in the fight in the Carolina game on Friday night.

17:28 of the First Period: That didn't take long. Power play goal - Alex Ovechkin from Eric Fehr and Nicklas Backstrom in tight on the rebound, a much different kind of goal then one of those all to infrequent, pretty goals the power play has previously gone for. That's Ovechkin's 47th on the season, for the NHL's current leading scorer. The youth movement is working pretty well the Caps power play unit on the ice for that goal and their ages were: Ovechkin: 22; Fehr: 22; Backstrom: 20; Fleaischmann: 23; Green: 22.

16:25 of the First Period: Now we got offsetting roughing penalties (Green & ) and we have a 4-4 for two minutes. A couple of good scoring attempts by both teams and we're back to 5-5,

12:58 Caps turned over puck to Sean Avery and he puts a rolling puck top shelf over Kolzig's left shoulder and ties it up 1-1 just as I was thinking the Caps weren't looking very good for the last 20-30 seconds.

That was humorous - Ovechkin puts a solid hit on Staal and Avery comes over and tries to get Ovechkin to fight. I couldn't tell for sure (my lip reading skills leave something to be desired) but it looks like Ovie's English skills are improving, he must be listening to some more rap music and not just techno any more.

9:28 Caps back on the power play thanks to a Sean Avery unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the Caps go two minutes with a man advantage without any shots on goal.

5:23 Shoanne Morrison off for tripping and the Rangers go to a power play without his or Laing's services. A couple of shots, a couple of blocked shots including one that hobbled Tom Poti (ouch) and everyone is ack to even strength 5-5.

2:05 Jeff Schultz - delay of game - dumb! Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky are really hanging around for loose change but Olie Kolzig is playing stingy with the rebounds, thank goodness. Penalty killed and period ends with Ovechkin taking a long slapshot for a final shot on goal.

Back to the action:

16:56 remaining: Great save by Kolzig on a Ryan Hollweig breakaway, wrist shot.

14:37 remaining: Morrisonn off (again) for tripping. Pettinger has a shorthanded shot on goal that might have scored if Valiquette didn't have such tremendously long legs. Penalty Killed!

10:35 remaining: Chris Drury scores on one that Kolzig and Semin would like to have back that started with a blown face off. I don't know if you can put that on Kolzig but I know he'd certainly like to have the first shot back so he could just smother the rebound. Rangers lead 2-1.

9:47 remaining: Brooks Laich takes a Milan Jurcina slapshot and hobbles off to the locker room.

9:20 remaining: Valiquette robs Ovechkin with a great save. NY comes right back and is denied by a good play by Kolzig but the Caps take a delayed penalty and we play 6 on 5 for almost 20 seconds.

8:36 remaining: Caps take a penalty for harassing Jagr on his way to the net (Shoanne Morrison off for hooking his third minor of the game).

7:54 remaining: Linesman Johnny Muarry down after taking a slapshot in the back, He's back up and still on the ice officiating.

Alex Semin does an awesome move but is robbed by Valiquette.

06:10 remaining: Kolzig leaves a rebound on the doorstop and the D can't clear it instead opting to take a (Brooks Laich - Hooking) penalty and see if the Caps PK unit can continue to frustrate the Hab's powerplay; and the Caps do indeed kill the penalty which featured several good Kolzig saves.

0:14 remaining in the Second Period: CAPS SCORE!!!! Boyd Gordon from Ovechkin and Semin; and the game is tied 2-2 despite the Caps having a laccluster second period.

Third period summary since I missed the first 3 minutes packing for my trip and Comcast decided we needed to spend about five minutes watching the Jim Zorn announcement by Dan Snyder. It was a great period of wild hockey whose highlights are basically some great plays and saves by both Kolzig and Valiquette. The Caps played with purpose but so did the Rangers, the only bad (as in mistaken plays were Kolzig's delay of game as he overzealously cleared a puck over the glass and Ryan Holweig trip at the end of the period.

Overtime 4-4 play which is actually a 4-3 Caps Power Play -

Mike Green steps up, shots a slapper through a screen by Ovechkin and Green scores number 15 of the season for the game winner. Caps get two points, Rangers take home one.

Caps get two power play goals; Alex Ovechkin gets a goal and two assists for three points; Green gets another game winning goal; Olie Kolzig gets win number 20 with and the Caps are back to first place in the Southeast Division. LETS GO CAPS!!!!!