As the final seconds of the third period ticked away, Karl Alzner retreated behind the Capitals net and held onto the puck until time expired. It was a thrilling moment, and 18,506 roaring Caps fans rose to their feet to salute the team for the achievement. After struggling through most of the season, the Capitals finally clinched a playoff berth, ensured by a backhand goal from Alex Semin.

So how did it feel to be on the receiving end of that ovation?

“Want me to be completely honest?” Karl Alzner asked DC101’s Elliot Segal.

I was thinking, ‘there’s a couple seconds left, I could maybe get my second goal of the season [on Florida’s empty-net],’ but I knew if I messed that up it would be pretty bad. The backlash wouldn’t be worth it. So I was just sitting here thinking, ‘You know what? This is awesome right now.’ It’s nice that we’re able to do this and prove to everybody that we can battle back the way we did.

If you ask me, he should have tried. Alzner continued:

When they showed the score of the Buffalo/Philadelphia game and everybody went wild, that was a pretty neat moment. And at the end of the game, that was pretty unbelievable. That’s what we really, really like to see. That [noise] really helps us more than all the fans really understand. It’s a pretty important part of the game for us.

Alzner went on to talk about how proud he is of the Capitals’ current play, how hurt Michal Neuvirth actually is, and who he thinks would be the emergency goaltender if Braden Holtby got injured.

You can hear Karl’s full interview with Elliot in the Morning here.