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Bravo, Braden: Caps Beat Blues 5-1!

By Margaret Stuart

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April 9, 2016 10:47 pm

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Photo: Scott Rovak

The 2015-16 regular season is about to draw to a close, and the Caps gave us plenty to look forward to as the playoffs rapidly approach. Tonight was also #RMNB9, during which many of you gathered at RFD to drink, cheer, and generally be merry. On behalf of everyone who couldn’t make it (because you live in Siberia or just celebrated your twelfth birthday), I hope you had a fabulous time. I will live vicariously through your Instagram photos (and Chris’s groovy live blog.)

With a three-game win streak under their belt (and the Western Conference title at stake), the Blues were fierce in the first, at first. The first period was a hoppin’ twenty minutes of Russian-sanctioned offense. Despite surrendering the first goal to Vladimir Tarasenko, the Caps rebounded nicely via two fantabulous, consecutive Alex Ovechkin goals.

The resurgence didn’t end there, as the second period was hardly devoid of offense. We witnessed the continued resurrection of John Carlson, as well as Jason Chimera proving that scoring goals is a better antidote to aging than Botox.

The Caps didn’t play a hard, grinding sixty minutes. They didn’t need to. Cruising into the third period with a 4-1 lead speaks for itself, especially when coupled with the Blues’ lackadaisical play. And lest we forget, the Caps have a grueling, bone-crushing series against the Flyers in the not-too-distant future. Although, the pace picked up in the third period, and the Caps began to make Braden Holtby work–just a little bit–for his milestone, record-tying win.

Caps beat Blues, 5-1!

  • The Caps got off to one of their patented “slow starts,” but the tables soon turned. Let’s have a moment of silence for the mega-cynics who changed the channel after the first goal.
  • Braden Holtby has officially tied Martin Brodeur’s record for most wins in a single NHL season.
  • With a 50-goal season and a hat trick on the lines, surely the stars would align for a brilliant, beautiful Ovechkin power-play goal. Right?
  • Not quite. Ovi casually notched a goal late in the third, upping the score to 5-1. With a pass from Nicklas Backstrom, the goal was vintage Ovechkin, completing his quest for 50 goals and his fifteenth career hat trick.
  • You know who else got on the board tonight? Jason Chimera, man. 36 has never looked so good.

  • Whatever unsavory things we might ordinarily say about Brooks Orpik don’t apply tonight. Combined, he and Carlson looked great. If you didn’t watch the game and only scanned possession numbers, you might be inclined to think the same about Mike Weber, who played alongside Dmitry Orlov. DO NOT BE FOOLED.
  • Jay Beagle was barely able to leave the ice midway through the first period. No idea if/when he’ll be back, but a Beagle injury could seriously shake up the lineup.
  • A lot of Caps made a lot of good plays tonight. The third line in particular stood out–in the best way possible.

The ever-wise Craig Laughlin may have summed up the game better than anyone: “This is the Caps team we’ve been craving to see over the past three to four weeks.” Tonight’s victory was satisfying and deserved, although the Blues didn’t look their usual dominating selves. Tomorrow night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks will be a better test of how the Caps might fare against top-notch talent. Buckle up and get ready for the playoffs, friends.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Blues

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