Photo: Alex Brandon

It’s the Winter Classic! Hosting the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationals Park, the Washington Capitals played maybe their most important game since the 2013 playoffs. It was a terrific affair: Two great teams on a great sheet of ice, in front of 42,831 fans and one guy in a Crosby sweater, playing wide-open hockey punctuated by all the hockey nonsense that makes this game so compelling. The result of the game is almost secondary, but I bet you might care.

NHL outdoor goal-scoring leader Eric Fehr struck first, converting an early breakaway. Alex Ovechkin crashed the net, exploiting chaos to put the Caps up 2-0 in the first period. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: that lead did not hold. The Hawks won a power-play faceoff shortly before Patrick Sharp got a sun-drenched shot past Braden Holtby. John Carlson’s turnover in the second period led to Brandon Saad tying the game, which is how it stood after forty minutes.

Then, with twelve seconds left in regulation and the Capitals on the power play, Troy Brouwer swatted a loose puck behind Corey Crawford.

Caps beat Hawks 3-2! The Caps are undefeated outdoors!

Let’s celebrate! Pump it up.

• First things first: the Capitals, the NHL, and the city of DC did a great job. Aside from some questionable musical decisions, this was a perfectly executed Winter Classic. The introduction was beautiful, Caleb and Bob killed the Anthem, Wes roared the PA stuff, the uniforms looked stunning, and fans reported to us that spirits were high at Nats Park. Well done, everyone.
• That game could not have started any better. Eric Fehr, whom we took to #thebank, scored his fourth goal in three games as well as his third Winter Classic goal— again on a breakaway. In the pregame, I asked for new memories to be made today. Fehr delivered. He’s bacon bits.
• Alex Ovechkin’s goal at the 2011 Winter Classic got washed out because apparently you’re not allowed to shove the goaltender (who knew?), but he got paid back today with a crash-the-net goal, aided by Hillen and Green. Things were looking pretty excellent at that point in the game.
• But then the penalty parade commenced. Some were good calls, some were not– though they overwhelmingly went in the Hawks’ favor until the waning minutes. Nick Backstrom‘s hold before Patrick Sharp’s goal was legit, I suppose. I’m more upset with how Laich, Brouwer, and the rest of the Caps PK played after losing that defensive-zone faceoff than I am with how the refs blew the whistle.
• But the second period certainly got out of hand and got the Caps away from their game. After Alex Ovechkin rang the post twice early on, the Capitals’ game got sloppy. Passes rarely went tape-to-tape, turnovers flourished, and the penalties flowed like overpriced, watered-down Miller Lite. Chimera, Wilson, and Carlson all got busted in the second, and they all deserved it (Chimera might’ve deserved two on that sequence). Credit to a superlative penalty kill for holding the Hawks to not a single shot during an extended 5-on-3.
• But yes: the refs missed a good number of Hawks penalties. Holds, trips, slashes– the Hawks got away with a bunch today. Andrew Shaw got away with a nasty trip on Marcus Johansson one shift before he drew a rather soft boarding call from Matt Niskanen. Jonathan Toews‘ hook in the final minute was clearly a make-up call though, and that one mattered. So I guess I’m done whining.
• My preferred alternative to Lee Greenwood:

• So, about the camera angles. I was pretty dubious about sightlines at Nats Park, which is part of why I’m writing this from my couch, but the broadcast looked splendid. The mobile hanging cameras were disorienting at first, but they grew on me. They sorta communicated the flow of the game better than the static, panning cameras and sporadic cuts to close-ups. I love it.
• The Capitals’ top line was better than whatever Chicago put against them, as Alex Ovechkin and company had 60 percent of the shot attempts during 5-on-5. To my eyes, this was a particularly spirited performance from Ovi– though I must admit Patrick Sharp (10 shots on goal) was the best player on the ice. I giggled a bit at Pierre McGuire’s “when he wants to be” routine about Ovi, which is probably the lowest form of hockey analysis and I’m not sure why we tolerate it. Ovi rules.
• Quick shout-out to our friend, reader Patrick Wong, who bought a ticket and flew all the way to DC for today’s game– but missed it due to a delayed flight. PWong is a boon to the RMNB comments, and I feel terrible that this turned out badly for him. If you see Patrick in DC tonight, buy him a beer or something.
• Kris Versteeg appeared to injure his wrist early in the third period. It did not look good. He left the game.
• The penalties situation will be discussed for awhile. For starters, there were just too many of them. That late power play for the Caps was a gift in many ways. Troy Brouwer, whose always been a battler in the slot, seemed to effortlessly put that game-winner in the net after Ovechkin got slashed. Huge play from a clutch player.
• No Joe B Suit of the Afternoon, so please take a moment to appreciate Karl Alzner with me. Also, Mike Green‘s hand tattoo.

I enjoyed the heck out of this game. We got some explosive offense from the Caps in the first period, some chaos in the second, and a tense back-and-forth in the third. Even without the last-minute fireworks, this was a fun hockey game on a big stage in a beautiful setting. Or maybe I just like high-event hockey.

It was a treat to hear from all our friends at the stadium who sent us photos and tweets and text messages. It sounded like a party, like a great big family enjoying a day out.

Aside from some doldrums in the second, your Washington Capitals played a great game against the best team in the NHL. That’s your team; they’re one of the best.

What a great day.

Full RMNB Coverage of the Winter Classic