This playoff year, NBC has introduced a new quirk into their coverage of the NHL playoffs: they allow one player from each team’s top line to introduce his linemates in a short segment videotaped in the locker room. Earlier in the Caps Bruins series, we were treated to Brad Marchand introducing his trio. Today, Alex Ovechkin had the chance to rock the mic. And he brought the awkward.
Photo credit: Patrick McDermott
With 1:17 to go in the second period of Thursday’s win, Alex Semin gathered the puck at his customary spot along the side boards and looked to create some offense on the Capitals’ third power play of the night. As the Bruins defense sagged, Sasha skated in to the left dot and unleashed a 71 MPH wrist shot past Tim Thomas. Scoar!
Video of the game-winning tally is below, as well as a goal celebration that doesn’t involve any belly patting whatsoever.
Credit: welshhockeyfan.tumblr.com
Because this is apparently A Thing now, and because our comments are inundated with semi-literate Boston fans, here’s an animated GIF of Karl Alzner taunting Milan Lucic.
As an antidote, Beccah at Japers Rink wrote a very smart article about how playing the pest won’t work against the Bruins. And there’s a special treat behind the jump for The Alz-Stars (which is our new name for Karl’s fan club).
By Peter Hassett 12 years ago
Here’s how the Caps celebrated Nicky Backstroms ECQF2OTGWG. Follow us past the jump for a massive GIF.
Five minutes into the second period of the Capitals’ first playoff game in Boston, Alex Ovechkin skated the puck into the neutral zone looking to make a play. As he did, Dennis Seidenberg made a decision he might regret.
The Bruins defenseman thought he could catch Ovi napping at the red line and destroy him with an open-ice body check. Instead, the Russian machine got his arms up and this happened.
By now we all know Matt Hendricks has Serious Shootout Skills. But the shootout is a gimmick, a sideshow that decides games for no good reason except to entertain fans. The shootout never really meant much… until tonight.
GIF by welshhockeyfan.tumblr.com
While the glove kiss remains Alex Ovechkin’s first reaction to scoring, we’ve seen him add new flourishes over the years. There’s jumping into the glass and the hot stick fiasco, and now it’s time to add a new item to the list: the belly pat.
We like to think of it as the gestural companion to “attaboy”, something that a four year-old boy who just learned how to eat with a fork might do when he’s pleased with himself. It’s a thing of joy, of bravado, of that precise brand of smugness that makes Ovi so lovable to his fans and so infuriating to everyone else.
Photo credit: Bruce Bennett
With eight games left in the regular season and the Capitals struggling to hold onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, every standings point matters. So when the Caps were unable to break a 1-1 tie with the Flyers after 60 minutes of regulation and a five-minute overtime, the shootout carried high stakes.
Enter Matt Hendricks.
Dale Hunter selected Hendy as the Capitals first shooter. The Blaine, Minnesota native did not disappoint. Hendricks used his patented move, this time baiting Ilya Bryzgalov to pokecheck. Bryz missed, allowing yet another highlight-reel shootout goal for the team’s leader in penalty minutes. Video is below the jump.
Photo credit: Nathan Denette
During the second period of the Capitals-Leafs game, Michal Neuvirth denied Toronto’s Carl Gunnarsson with a flashy glove save that deserves a spot on this week’s highlight reel. Video is below the jump.
It’s difficult to pick out just one low point of Washington’s 5-0 blowout loss to Carolina on Monday, but if there’s any sight guaranteed to make a Caps fan’s heart sink, it’s Alex Ovechkin limping to the locker room.
There was a great deal of confusion as to what actually happened that night, but Dale Hunter set the record straight Wednesday morning — Ovechkin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
