Okay, NOW Hockey is Back: Caps beat Sabres 3-2

January 27, 2013 6:29 pm

Photo credit: Patrick McDermott

Although hockey has been back for over a week now, the lockout seemed longer to the Washington Capitals and their fans. Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres put a definitive end to that. The Caps were poised, aggressive, and — most importantly– victorious for the first time this season.

And oh yeah, Ovi scored.

John Carlson allowed a bad breakaway that became a goal for Tyler Ennis, but Joel Ward occupied the slot a few minutes later to restore the tie. John Erskine scored a sneaky goal from outside to give the Caps their first lead since the ~~season~~ home opener vs. Winnipeg. Then, Alex Ovechkin scored a glorious powerplay goal with a one-timer that went top shelf on Ryan Miller. Marcus Foligno got one back for Buffalo, feeding at Neuvirth’s trough to make it 3-2.

Caps beat Sabres 3-2!

Welcome back, Alex Ovechkin. That was a monster shot, that game winner, and the kind of one-timer we wanna see more of on the powerplay. It’s like the part in Hook where they have to force Peter Pan’s face into a smile before they recognize him. There you are, Ovi!
But maybe nail that empty netter next time?
Joel Ward scored 6 goals in 73 games last season. We’ve just wrapped up game 5 of this new season, and he’s already got three. He’s definitely getting some luck (his shooting percentage is like 20% higher than it should be), but he’s getting more ice time and doing more with it than he had been in seasons past. Let’s see more.
John Carlson hasn’t missed a game since he joined the team full-time in 2010. After his poor stickhandling gave Tyler Ennis a breakaway goal, it’s perhaps time John ended his iron man streak.
On that breakaway, Alex Ovechkin was on neutral ice. As Ennis and company stormed Neuvirth’s net, Ovechkin coasted into the Caps zone without a quantum of urgency. The rest of his game was energetic, but Washington’s captain casually strolling on the backcheck is a really bad visual. I have a feeling more people will remember that sweet one-timer more though.
The last time John Erskine scored a goal: Obama was president, global mean temperature was increasing, people were still reading news on their phones, Justin Bieber was famous, and the RMNB site had a big gray thing at the top of every page.
Michal Neuvirth‘s save on Mikhail Grigorenko early in the third was a work of art. Neuvy had to go full split to deny the 18-year-old rookie what would have been his first NHL goal. It was a quality start from Michal with smart reads and some groin-defying moves.
Two-point games for Mike Ribeiro, Joel Ward, and Jason Chimera. Secondary scoring is going to be absolutely essential in a shortened season, and these are the guys we need producing.

Joe B suit of the night

I missed much of the last few games (Thanks for the assist, PuckBuddys!), and maybe that’s why I haven’t panicked about the Capitals. Sunday’s game was actually pretty damn encouraging. I liked the shot totals, particularly the volume of shots on the powerplay. I liked Neuvirth’s positional intelligence. I liked Schultz’s physical D, and Jay Beagle playing finesse hockey for a brilliant moment. I liked the Ward-Chimera pairing. I liked the horn guy’s embouchure. I liked Joe B’s suit (look at that stitching!).

It felt like Capitals hockey again.

Don’t get me wrong: I still want more offense, and the Caps won’t truly be back until someone’s groin disintegrates and the Canadian media talks trash about Ovechkin, but this is a good start.

See you on Tuesday!