4-1 Tampa after 27 minutes of play.

St. Louis scored #21 and 22, and Ovechkin #23 (he leads the league in goals, with Shanahan, who also scored #23 tonight).

Shots: 22-7 Tampa.

WASHINGTON Capitals

Ovechkin Zubrus Clark
Semin Beech Pettinger
Clymer Sutherby Gordon
Giroux Laich Klepis

Pothier Morrisonn
Heward Eminger
Muir Green

Kolzig
(Johnson)

(Brashear and Erskine replaced by Giroux and... Heward!)

Heward who scores on the PP! 4-2.

3 of Tampa's 4 goals were scored on the PP, by the way.

TAMPA BAY Lightning

Prospal Richards Craig
Perrin Lecavalier St.Louis
Fedotenko Taylor Alexeev
Afanasenkov Tarnasky Roy

Ranger Boyle
Pratt Sarich
Kuba Janik

Denis
(Holmqvist)

Alexeev scores in the last minute of the period. It's 5-2 Bolts at the second intermission.

Trying to watch 3 games here and it seems every tinme I switch to the Caps it is commercial or intermission

 

_____________________________________________
100% of the shots you don't take don't go in."
- Wayne Gretzky

Perhaps commercials are better than the Caps being awfully outshot and outscored.

Jason Blake with a natural hat trick against the Rangers, and now Yashin scores. It's 4-1 Islanders.

Yes I saw the Hatty by Blake

and watched Orr beat Witt up

 

_____________________________________________
100% of the shots you don't take don't go in."
- Wayne Gretzky

Ex-Cap Johnny Oduya scores his first NHL goal against Atlanta and it's 2-1 Devils.

Thought Odulya scored the other night

_____________________________________________
100% of the shots you don't take don't go in."
- Wayne Gretzky

Just learnt what is an "ultimate hat trick": five goals, in every possible situation: even strength, power play, short handed, penalty shot and empty net. Mario Lemieux is the only one who did that. Iginla was not far, on February 23, 2003: he scored four goals (ES, PP, SH and PS). Scoring into an empty net depends on the situation: the opposite team must be down by one or two goals.

BEECH SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!!!

5-3.

SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!!!!! MUIR!!!!

WOW! 5-4.

Assists to Semin and Ovechkin.

Time out.

"Thought Odulya scored the other night"

Perhaps a goal was at first attributed to him, and given to someone else later. He was scoreless two days ago.

Much action now, mostly by the Caps.

Forgot to mention that Hossa also scored #23 tonight, short handed! They're 3 at 23 goals: Shanahan, Ovechkin and Hossa.

Also: Jon Sim scored against someone else than the Caps, for once, and it's 2-2 in the Thrashers-Devils game.

One minute left...

40 seconds, empty net...

Semin... Ovechkin...

Pettinger prevents the Bolts from scoring into an empty net.

Whistle with about 20 seconds left.

Bolts miss another shot at the empty net.

Game over. Caps lose, but never gave up. That's what counts.

Sorry I wasn't around, tonight- went Christmas shopping after I left the game. Left on the Ovechkin goal- told the friends around me I'd stay for 3 goals, or 15:00, whichever came first- Ovechkin got me out of there with :56 to spare.

Got home in time for the Muir goal. From what little I saw they played ok, missing several key guys- Brashear and Erskine among them. Schultz was on the bench, but I missed the few shifts he had while I was there trying to watch other things. Guess I'll have to wait for the next game.

5-4 final.

Schultz?

Oops- it was Giroux.

I was going to say that, from what I saw live, Tampa was taking the center ice away, and Reekie just said that in the post-game show. These guys have got to control the center of the rink if they are going to really get anywhere. Every rush was taken to the outside, and the Caps didn't generate much offense in the 1st- I thinks SOGs were 8 or 9 to 1 at one point.

Another thing I notice now that I've had a chance to look stats over is the Bolts were 60% on the PP tonight- 3 of 5.

Shows just how well Erskine and Pothier had been playing, and how much they were missed in this game.

Perhaps Erskine, but Pothier was playing, actually.

Just saw the highlights. I believe one or two of the goals that Kolzig gave up were stoppable. Anyway, that loss won't disturb the Caps: they're confident, now. They want to make the playoffs, and even do something in the playoffs THIS SEASON. Why wait? Kolzig's last season could be this one. Everyone is having a career year again, so it's now or never. I hope we'll get some help at the trade dead line.

Giroux instead of Schultz, Pothier played...... who the heck did I see? lol