According to some in Vancouver, we Caps' fans can just skip this one.....

article here;

we shall see.

Can Zednik finally get a goal? (Hey, I know he scored last night, but....)

Maybe that guy should ask the "Russian Machine That Never Breaks" :

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=182007&hubname=nhl

 

2:00 in, the Caps have spent exactly zip in the O zone- it's been all Van so far. The time clock isn't working on Comcast, so it's a guess as to how much time has elapsed or is left.

Kolzig with at least 2 good saves so far.....

Van to the PP.

Penalty killed, good work for the most part. Finally a clock.... 13:54 left 1st.

Couple of decent chances for the Caps the last minute or two.

Looks like this might be a physical game- crush hit for the Caps (close to a boarding call, but no call), followed by the same for the Nucks.... some light pushing when play stops....

SOGs are 3-0 Van....

11:00 left 1st.

 

First battle of the young stars won by Loungo, who stops Ovechkin (with a little help from a Dman)....

now the Caps spend a little time in the Nucks' end....

Bulis stopped by Kolzig....

the clock is out again.

Bulis scores- Kolzig got almost all of it, but missed enough for it to get through him and drift over the line.

Cap in the box AGAIN...... (2 penalties already).....

Shots: 7-1 Canucks with 6:51 left. Ovechkin with the Caps' lone shot.

Hits: 7-2 Caps, though.

2-0..... another trickler, on what would have been a 5 on 3.

Hi, Roger. D'you like the new banner?

Yes. Just took a good look at it. Very nice.

I'd bet the Caps haven't spent 4:00 in the offensive zone this period.

After another strong Vancouver shift, Joe B says "This is domination right now...."

I expected Johnson in goal, tonight.

Kolzig: 3.49 GAA, 90.1%.
Johnson: 2.31 GAA, 93.8%.

Johnson deserves to play at least every other away game.

Of course, not recognizing the 6 on 4 (Van had the 6) for what it was, NHL is listing Pyatt's goal as shorthanded, for now.

Clark in the box, now- the Caps' 4th PK of the period.

Ugh.

WASHINGTON Capitals

Ovechkin Zubrus Clark
Semin Klepis/Beech Zednik
Pettinger Sutherby Bradley
Brashear Beech/Klepis Fata

Pothier Morrisonn
Eminger Clymer
Heward Green

Kolzig
(Johnson)

Stat of the night:

17 of the 18 faceoffs in the 1st period were in either the neutral zone, or in the Caps' defensive end....

yikes.

VANCOUVER Canucks

D.Sedin H.Sedin Pyatt
Bulis Morrison Naslund
Green Kesler Cooke
Burrows Chouinard Linden

Ohlund Bieksa
Krajicek Salo
+ Fitzpatrick
+ Bourdon

Luongo
(Sabourin)

SOGs, 16-1

Scoring chances, 18-3

.... kind of says it all.

 

Including tonight's first-period goals:

CANUCKS (11.33 games)
Top line: 13 goals (5+2+6)
2nd line: 10 goals (2+3+5)

CAPS (8.33 games)
Top line: 12 goals (5+4+3)
2nd line: 9 goals (8+1+0)

Nothing to be ashamed of.

Second period on.

Caps finally get a PP, but can't get it in the zone, or keep it there when they do.

Back to ES, but Zubie gets held and it's another PP for the Caps.

From NHL.com's homepage:



Caps go for rare win vs. Canucks
Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals travel to Vancouver in the hopes of beating the Canucks for the first time in over 5 1/2 years...

After tonight, it'll be 8 1/2.

Fight! Clark vs. Bieksa.

Probably sounded better than it looked- no really good punches either way.

BY now you've heard Daniel Sedin is down- got caught with a stick below the visor and a headbutt (Zubrus). No call.

And the Caps go to the PP, the fans boo. I think JB said this is their 120th straight sellout tonight.

From Yahoo's live boxscore:

Latest Plays
WAS - 13:02, C. Clark shot on goal
WAS - 13:10, J. Heward shot on goal
WAS - 13:44, R. Zednik shot on goal
WAS - 13:52, S. Eminger shot on goal
VAN - 14:08, K. Bieksa shot on goal

Looks like the Caps are more often in the offensive zone, now.

Another penalty, and 1:19 of 5 on 3......

got to do it NOW

Zednik dragged another penalty: 5-on-3 for more than one minute.

ZUBRUS SCOOOOOOOORES!!!! 2-1.

Assists: Ovechkin and Pothier.

OVECHKIN SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!!

2-2! Just like that.

That was an ES goal, from Sutherby and Bradley.

Ovechkin taken down by Salo. Caps on the PP again. The crowd is not happy.

Roger's EDIT: Except they called Ovie for the dive.....
My EDIT: Yes, I know. LOL!

Yes, as hard as it is to believe.

This team just doesn't give up- both those goals were the result of hard work and good shifts on the PP.

Both teams get penalties right before the end of the period; 3rd will start 4 on 4 for 1:54 or so.

Oh, shit, Ovechkin called for diving, too. No PP.

Through 2, the Nucks have 27 SOGs, 15 missed shots, and 8 Caps' blocks for a total of 50 attempts at the net.

1 shot in the first period, and 16 in the second! Looks like we started to play well around mid game.

Pettinger (the interview) says "We were pretty awful in the 1st"

He's got people there with signs for him, tonight; apparently he's got folks/friends in Victoria, nearby.

If the boys can play 20:00 of actual hockey, they can pull this one out of their... hat.

Shots were 10-1 Caps in the last 7 minutes.

Second-intermission update: the Canucks' top 2 lines have 23 goals in 11 2/3 games, and the Caps' top 2 lines also have 23 goals, but in only 8 2/3 games.

Third on.

Caps are still down in faceoffs, but they've won 72% in their defensive end and 57% in the offensive end- the only place they've been beat is the neutral zone. Nice.

Back on the PK early in the 3rd.....

(got to stay out of the box, boys.....)

So it was Bulis+Zednik for Linden+Zubrus, but now it's Bulis+Linden vs. Zednik+Zubrus, oddly enough.

Just added a link on the banner: it's now possible to refresh the main page by clicking on the banner.

Olie keeping us in the game with some good saves.

8:12 left to play in the third.

JB and Laughlin talking about how Naslund is having trouble with the puck tonight. They should listen to what they said earlier- several guys with toe picks taking them out of the play. I think the ice is very bad tonight. Just a guess.

Several HUGE saves by the Kolzilla again, on this PK. Best 2 games I've seen him play back to back in at least 3 seasons. He kind of hurt himself on the second one, there, but he'll gut this one out.

 

Caps being outshot again this period, at least 14-2.....

Nucks up over 40 on the SOGs.

Kolzig will get another Star tonight if they win this game- he's been gigantic for minutes at a time.

edit: LeClaire with the shutout and Lidstrom with 2 goals are his only competition, unless Ovechkin pots one to win this in reg or OT.

Kolzig will get another Star tonight if they win this game- he's been gigantic for minutes at a time.

I believe he'll get one even if the Caps lose.

First shot in OT, Kolzig with "A 10 bell stop!" according to Joe B.

1:30 gone....

So, who's going to score in overtime? Someone with a name ending in "in", I guess.

2:05 left in regulation, the Nucks go offside. Caps had 3 real good shots this last shift.

90 seconds left.

Shootout preview: Ovechkin denied, Caps lose.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I'm out. You know what that means.......

Bettman "hockey" again.

Nite.

Shootout. Good night, Roger.

Daniel Sedin... save by Kolzig!
Matt Pettinger... denied by Luongo.

Markus Naslund... shoots and scores. 1-0 'Nucks.
Alexander Ovechkin... GOALPOST.

We need a save by Kolzig.

Brendan Morrison... Kolzig thought he had made the save, but it's in.

Canucks win.

Kolzig was outstanding once again; the defense in front of him was the complete opposite. How hard is it for these guys to flip the puck out of the zone at the first attempt????

This team should thank Olie for the point. Let's hope they can play better in front of Johnny tomorrow night.


________________________

ANNIE
I’ve never even been to a hockey game.

EDWIN
Well you fit into this town perfectly.

Olie got the first star. He made 42 saves.

But Olie got no props at NHL.com on the Stars of the Night- I was spot on, LeClaire first for his shutout, Lidstrom second for his 2 goals.....

who got third? Mikko Koivu, for...... a Bettman "goal". And why?

BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD GET IT IN THE NET.

Ugh. No respect.

edited because I could not spell Mikko correctly in regulation.

That first period was an embarrassment to the Caps fans and org.
Kudos to them for fighting back getting the TIE but their play in the defensive end was abysmal.
They need to get a couple of D men with vinegar in their veins .I swear they lost about 90% of the battles for the puck in the their end .