By now we all know Matt Hendricks has Serious Shootout Skills. But the shootout is a gimmick, a sideshow that decides games for no good reason except to entertain fans. The shootout never really meant much… until tonight.

Dale Hunter signing Matt’s name on the shootout roster was like signing a new lease on life for the Caps’ season. Maybe Tim Thomas didn’t do his homework on Hendy’s skills, or Hendy used freaking mind bullets. TT froze like a deer and let #26 skate around him. Awesome, twisted, perfect.

Thomas didn’t really recover from that. He stopped Ovechkin’s shot, but Semin’s and Laich’s moves bested him, and the Caps took two infinitely important points away from Boston.

Plus, the Free Citizen looked like a chump, and that’s like bonus points.

GIF’s

Via Chris Gordon

Via Dimagus