Game about to get under way....

(Courtesy of JB and Locker): Clymer, Sutherby and Bradley line is 4 goals, 3 assists, +6 over the last 3 games.... chemistry?

Kolzig took the morning practice, they think he'll play Saturday against Montreal. Johnson in net tonight.

Dang- went out to catch a smoke, and missed Brian Campbell's goal for the Sabres at 0:37 of the 1st.

edit: Looked like a clean shot off a screen (I was watching through the window....)

And the Caps come right back!

Off a rebound, goal by Chris Clark.

Ovechkin CRUNCHES!!!!! a Sabre, drops him to the ice like the proverbial ton of bricks.... clean hit.

Caps on the short PP.

Killed, and we're ES again.

12:00 left, 1st.

Vanek comes in with some nifty moves, but loses the puck at the last moment.

Back and forth they go, 11:00 left, Willsie (or maybe it was AO) hits the post....

Klepis and Muir seem to be off to hot starts tonight- good shots, creating chances.

Caps to the PK again, at 7:09 left 1st- hooking, by Eminger.

Caps get hit with a delay of game, puck off the rink- 5 on 3 hockey for a while.

Morrisonn, Witt and halpern are the three on the ice..... Sabres score. Kotalik.

2-1, Sabres, and they still have a PP with 5:24 left 1st.

Another penalty, slashing by Witt. Wheels are coming off early tonight.

Locker says it shouldn't have been a slash, Witt didn't even break Pyatt's stick....

speaking of which, on that last goal, Johnson broke his over the goal afterwards. He must have seen Olie highlights.

Vanek hits the post, with 0:03 left in the PP......

Killed, and we're ES in the last minute of the period.

Pyatt gets his second of the evening, gets clear in front and beats Johnson easily with a fake and a 5 hole.

4-1 Sabres, end 1st.

Time for the Caps to re-group.

A few game stats: SOGs are 13-10 Sabres, after 1.

Caps have 2 hits- guess who has both?

Majesky and Morrisonn and each -2 already tonight, Pyatt is +3 for the Sabres- this guy might hit double figures in +/- for the game, if the Caps don't play better in the last two periods....

Caps get an early PP, tripping by Vanek. 18:57 left 2nd.

Grier gets a takeaway, but it's Grier..... taken back.

Wow- a shot by heward decks Drury..... he goes to the bench, hurt. The Sabres kill. ES.

Now the Sabres in the box, Roy for hooking.

AO, Willsie, Halpern, Cassels and Muir are the PP guys.....

Caps have trouble even getting in the offensive zone.... finally in there, and Biron covers with :26 left in the PP.

Sabres get it clear, and Dumont gets in front with a clean shot on Johnson....

ES, Biron covers, and a TV timeout.

Mair and Gaustad have now joined Pyatt in the +3 column for the Sabres....

Trouble with the scoreboard at HSBC Arena, so a slight delay.....

Mair and then Bradley drop the gloves..... both miss some power shots, Bradley gets the takedown- a slight edge to MB on this one. Both headed to the box, of course.

Witt gets 2:00, 5:00, 10:00, and a game miconduct....

the Caps are on a 7:00 PK, and.............. Suts!!!!!!

6-3!!!

Fans are booing the Sabres' PP, as the Caps have killed over 5:00 of it, and got a goal back as well. 3:09 left in the 2nd.

Word is that was Sutherby's first SH goal of his career.

Caps clear again, and again.....

again, at 2:08 left in the 2nd..... Ovechkin makes a couple moves, draws a penalty, and the Caps are going back to 4 on 4, and to the PP shortly.

WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AO, top shelf!!!!

6-4!!!!

3rd on. Let's see if the caps can keep building on that last period- maybe their best of the season so far, in my opinion.

AO in the box already.

I'll wait until they sort it out on the game summary, but they're skating 5 on 5 at the moment- must have been several penalties on both sides.

Dumont hooks Sutherby, but they get Suts for holding the stick as well...... 4 on 4 hockey.

More calls, and Muir is jawing at Grier and others..... JB says "I hope you can't read lips..." .......

Drury heads off to the box, and the Caps get a PP out of it all.

A 4 on 3 PP for the Caps, nothing yet except 3-4 great chances, all blocked or saved by Biron.

Post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Muir.................

cleared at :35 left in the PP...............

just as the penalty comes to an end, the net comes off the posts.... great chances, great hockey, but no goal. Back to ES and a TV timeout.

Around mid-3rd, the SOGs are 30-24 Caps. Klepis had a good chance a moment ago.... hitting iron, but they need nothing but net now.

Still 6-4...

Buffalo goes offside, with 8:02 left 3rd....

7:00 left....Buffalo a hand pass, from their O zone, at 6:16 left...

Didn't wake up in time, sorry. Just took a look at the scoresheet. WOW! Trailing 6-1, and it's now 6-4.

PP for the Caps, now, with 5 something left.

Caps go offside with :31 left in the PP....

Sabres clear with :17 left.....

back to ES- 3:49 left 3rd.

WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clymer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0:25 after Pyatt's goal, Clymer makes it 7-5....

Dumont! 8-5. There are no words to describe this game.

8-5 final.

The score doesn't tell it all- this team really woke up, after Witt put some fire into them. When he left the ice, he raised both arms over his head and victory-waved to the crowd.....

probably the most truly entertaining game I've seen from the Caps in several years. Certainly, some glaring errors (Johnson had at least 3 I can think of, the 8th goal being the worst), but the postgame says the same thing I did-some really low spots tonight, but some really good hockey at times.

Great to see that our guys, even lead 6-1, don't give up and... try to come back to win the game, LOL! Even at 7-5 with 3:06 left, we could still score a goal, then pull our goalie and hopefully score the 7th one. It's only when we gave up the last one that the game was over.

Caps: same lineup as last game, except for Kolzig on the bench.

WASHINGTON Capitals

Ovechkin Laich Willsie
Pettinger Halpern Clark
Clymer Sutherby Bradley
Fleischmann Cassels Klepis

Witt Eminger
Heward Muir
Morrisonn Majesky

Johnson
(Kolzig)

***

Not entirely Johnson's fault, especially on Pyatt's goals.

He doesn't see Kalinin coming out of nowhere on his goal, though.

The Sabres' 7th goal: we have three guys around Dumont, who makes a great pass to Pyatt (who also beneffited from an awesome pass by Mair on his second goal). When Majesky figures out that he left Pyatt alone in front of the goal, it's too late.

The last goal was really ugly. Without that stupid mistake, we were still in the game.