Utter Domination: Caps beat Pens 4-0!

Photo: Patrick McDermott

RIP The Great Losing Streak of 2015. Early on, the Caps played an even game against the Penguins, but Washington had a secret weapon in its captain. Alex Ovechkin positively lit up Marc Andre Fleury in the first and second periods, which was way more than Pittsburgh and their erstwhile star player could offer.

Ovi’s first-period goal came at even strength, deflecting Alzner’s shot with a little net-front presence. Ovi’s second-period goal came on the power play, set up by Mike Green.

Eric Fehr and Mike Green interrupted Ovi’s party in the third, crashing the net for Fehr’s goal and scoring Green’s while on the rush. The game dissolved into chaos late as Holtby helped kill penalties to secure the shutout.

Caps beat Pens 4-0! Losing streak over! Two shutouts in a row against the Pens! BAILAMOS!

Oh hell yes, here’s Enrique!

The Capitals have outscored the Penguins 7-0 in their last two meetings. Braden Holtby has two shutouts in a row against ’em. The Caps have absolutely outplayed the Pens in these last two.
Let’s talk about Jay Beagle. I like Jay Beagle. I’m the world’s biggest booster of beagle.jpg after all. I just don’t like him on the top line. That said, results matter– and Beagle contributed to Alex Ovechkin‘s opening goal by carrying the puck up the ice. Sure, their line got smoked in shot-differential, but most of that came after the Caps had a lead.
Beagle took a nasty stinger to the back of the leg from Matt Niskanen in the second period, but he returned to play soon after, simultaneously allaying my worries and spoiling a bunch of snide fancystats I could’ve shared had he stayed off the ice.
The Penguins are a paper tiger on the penalty kill. They’re fourth overall in kill percentage going into tonight, but they were 26th in shot suppression. They owed their success to Marc Andre Fleury’s amazing save percentage, but ain’t nobody stopping Alex Ovechkin’s signature Ovi shot from the Ovi spot.
Christian Ehrhoff dove like a swan following a hit on Alex Ovechkin in the third period. Ovi is just bigger, better, and badder than Ehrhoff, which I suppose is why Ovi went to the box. Stupid refs. Pretty sad embellishment by number 10 in white unless he’s got some kind of rare bone disease. If that’s the case, I will apologize later.
I made a bet with my friends at Talk the Red that Tom Wilson would get in a fight before the second intermission. I overshot it by 34 minutes, since Willy dropped mitts with Zach Sill just 7 minutes into the game. I like blue cheese.
My brother-in-law Rob was at Verizon Center tonight, his first NHL game ever. He texted me in the third period with this picture and this message: “I’m a FAN!” Good work, Washington Capitals.

The Capitals are ferocious on the penalty kill lately. Beagle was good while a man down, but so was Eric Fehr, who nearly got a shorthanded goal again. Fehr was also a face-off master, taking a few tough ones in the defensive zone. And Fehr also scored that back-breaker in third period by crashing the net and being brave. Fehr is good pretty much everywhere. It’s like he makes everything better. I wish I had a metaphor for that.
Your girl @cpo5d pointed out that Fehr’s goal was assisted by all of the Brookses in the whole league. I think that’s the first time that’s happened.
On the flip side, I don’t know what was wrong with Sidney Crosby, but something was wrong with Sidney Crosby. Maybe he rushed back from injury? He was virtually incapable of winning a faceoff (7 for 24) and looked merely four times better than any other non-Ovi player on the ice instead of his usual ten of fifteen.
Michael Latta made a welcome return to the lineup, transforming the bottom line from a liability to a strength by his mere presence. I remember Hawks players calling Latta a loser during EP:RttWC, and I’m comforted in the knowledge that I know better than they do. I hope Latta holds onto his spot.
I hate doing this, I really do. The refs blew tonight– like it seems they do every time these teams meet. They missed a Pittsburgh interference in the second period and a Pittsburgh hold in the third. And then the whole Christian Ehrhoff fiasco, which is an embarrassment to the officiating trade. Tim Peel, man. What a hack.
Thick and proud work by Troy Brouwer and Michael Latta and Troy Brouwer and Alex Ovechkin late in the game.. The Pens got cranky, so the Caps put them in their crib.
I loved how Pierre McGuire’s microphone kept picking up salty Penguins players slamming the bench door shut. It’s the little things that make life fun.
No hatty for Ovi. Sad fans.