Good morning, hockey fans. Thursday’s game between the Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks didn’t start until 10 PM and it didn’t end until Alex Ovechkin said it could.
So, this is weird. Jay Beagle and Jason Chimera combined again for an impressive goal, the first of the night but not Beagle’s last. The Canucks returned fire in the second as the Sedins outplayed Brooks Orpik below the goal line to set up Radim Vrbata. A glut of penalties in that period cost the Caps: the Sedins struck again, sneaking a shot past Holtby to give Vancouver the lead.
In the third, Jay Beagle got greasy to get the game tied again. Alex Ovechkin wouldn’t let it stay that way. He scored with five minutes left in rego to restore the Washington lead and win it.
Caps beat Nucks 3-2!
There were banana people at Rogers Arena. With the strength of twenty nerks.- Not a wonderful outing for Brooks Orpik, on ice for both Canucks goals in the second period. I don’t hold his first-period penalty against him though: like Alan May said, he got penalized for being too strong. During 5v5, Orpik and his D partner John Carlson were stuck at the wrong end of the ice too much, letting Edler and the twins get the best of ’em all night (outshot 24 to 10). I had hoped Trotz and the bench crew would try something new against the top line by the third period, but nope. Thank goodness for the backstop.
- On the flip side of the flip phone: Jay Beagle played a terrific and tenacious game. He helped Chimera score on the rush, got one of his own from the paint, provided a few crucial carry-ins, broke up the Nucks’ o-zone time, harassed the rear of the Vancouver PP, and never looked gassed. Beyond great.
Juggalos, tonights show has been cancelled due to a dispute over Faygo. Were sorry! All tickets and VIP packages will be refunded soon. 🙁
— Insane Clown Posse (@icp) October 22, 2015
- Both goalies were tremendous, but Braden Holtby was better because Holtby is better. Vancouver had a handful of odd-man rushes that forced Holtby to make big saves, but it seemed Ryan Miller saw nearly every puck clearly. It took exceptions to score: Holtby failing to hug the post and Beagle crashing the net.
- Dmitry Orlov. Evgeny Kuznetsov. Alex Ovechkin. What do they have in common? Well, they all love knish, that’s obvious, but also they all got a point on the game-winning goal— a wonderful series in which each successive player desperately threw the puck up to the next guy. This is the new Capitals hockey, and it feels wonderfully like the old Capitals hockey.
- Alex Ovechkin has five goals in five games. He’s thirty years old. He’s no spring chicken. He’s– I dunno– an autumn rooster or something.
- Braden Holtby lost his mask again. Third time this season. My fragile heart cannot sanction this tomfoolery. I think we’re still at zero calls for any contact between skaters and Braden this season. Someone do something.
Joe B suit of the night
Not a perfect game, but at least a perfect result. Now go to bed.
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