Alex Ovechkin didn’t score a goal on Wednesday. He didn’t get an assist either. Really, the only thing he contributed was getting elbowed in the face. But to Ovi, team success has always been more important than individual stuff. He celebrates harder for his teammates goals than for his own.
And now, this:
“Eeeeeeee!”
Braden Holtby, file photo.
The Caps looked so freaking ready for the playoffs during Wednesday’s blowout win over the Boston Bruins.
John Carlson scored in the first, taking a cross-ice pass from Nick Backstrom and shooting high glove. Backstrom also pinched in on the next goal, a cannon by Matt Niskanen. In the second period, Marcus Johansson scored his 20th of the season off a wonderful pass by Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Braden Holtby looked a god among insects in the third period.
Caps beat Bruins 3-0. Holtby’s league-leading 9th shutout of the season.
By Peter Hassett 8 years ago
Evgeny Kuznetsov just authored one of the most beautiful assists of the season. As he skated around the Bruins’ net, Kuznetsov threw a no-look pass behind-his-body to Marcus Johansson, crashing the net. Tuukka Rask, who was following Kuznetsov around the net, was caught off guard by the play, and Joe Hanson tapped the puck home for his 20th goal of the season– a career high.
Reminder: to be a professional hockey player, you have to be really, really tough. In the second period, Alex Ovechkin took a pass along the boards in the Bruins’ zone. Ovi cut to the center of ice where he was elbowed in the Adam’s apple by David Krejci.
23-year-old Stan Galiev is making his NHL debut tonight. It’s one of the greatest moments of the young Russian’s life, but clearly his Caps teammates didn’t want the promotion to go to his head.
So they pranked him before the game. You know, to knock him down a peg.
Normally, the starting goaltender leads the Caps out for warm-ups. Tonight, it was Galiev.
Since their last game, the Capitals secured a playoff spot. At this point it’s really unlikely they’ll even need a wild card spot. Tonight’s game against the formerly big bad Bruins and Saturday’s finale against the Rangers are really about vying for the home-ice advantage that being a higher seed affords.
If that makes this game less exciting for you, let me remind you that Alex Ovechkin will be playing in it.
Puck drops at 8 PM on stupid NBCSN.
Team | Record | Possession | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
Washington Capitals | 44-25-11 | 51.9% | 100.2 | 25.3% | 81.3% |
Boston Bruins | 41-25-13 | 51.9% | 100.3 | 17.9% | 81.9% |
By Peter Hassett 8 years ago
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