[Ed. note – Our apologies, but tonight’s game mandates celebration.  We’re going to cut the recap short so that we can celebrate!]

Nicky Backstrom secures his first playoff hat trick

Nearing the end of the second period, the Washington Capitals trailed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1.  But there was still the tiny matter of Nicklas Lars Bäckström.   The blonde swede superstar (who is still waiting on that new contract) made this a historic game all by his damn self.   Sinking his first playoff hat trick, Backy is definitely worthy of the “Nine Million Dollar Man” nom de guerre that Craig Laughlin bestowed upon him.  We’ll be talking about slapshot goal 31 seconds into overtime for months.

Captain America John Carlson scored the tying goal at the tail end of the third period, instantly carving his name into franchise history.  The 20-year old is frankly phenomenal, playing with more consistency than Norris slam-dunk Mike Green.

Also, Alex Ovechkin finally got on the board, tipping in a shot from… JOHN CARLSON.

It seems as if the Caps are writing the mythology of an epic post-season.  This rollercoaster of a game merits more rigorous analysis than we can offer tonight, so we’ll leave you with a few notes:

• Does Semyon Varlamov start in Montreal on Monday?
• Will Tom Poti‘s epic fight with Scott Gomez redeem his preceding gaffes?
• Can Mike Knuble recover his tip-in magic?
• Should our statue to Nick Backstrom be made of bronze or marble?

1 down.  15 to go.