The Capitals really came out and skated in this game. They really seemed faster than TB for most of the game. Two nice power play goals by Gary Roberts gave the Lightning two goals and that was it. The Caps scored all four goals in the net closest to the TB bench. Why do I mention this? Because three of the goals were scored on bad/slow line changes. Green, Fehr, and Poti’s goals were all scored because TB did not get off their bench and backcheck. Usually this sort of mistake is made on the far end of the ice. Not so in this case and they made it three times. Give the Caps credit for cashing in, but TB really did not do well in a simple area. Ovie finally scored on a really nice deflection from Semin. Brashear made a super pass setting up Poti’s goal. So far this season, the Caps have destroyed teams that did not establish a forecheck and/or clog the middle of the ice. Last night was no exception. The Caps were able to clear the zone easily and entered their zone with speed. TB was backpedaling the whole time, especially in the first period. The Caps also were in front of the net which helped create problems. Overall, a well played game.
Kozlov, Federov, and Morrison did not play. I thought Fehr and Steckel played well in their stead. I like John Erskine in that he takes the body and punishes people. I, however, do not like him taking interference penalties. If he is going to the box, it should be for roughing. Period.
Think about this. The Caps are in first place and Backstrom has yet to score or really play like himself and Ovie has just three goals. What are the Caps going to be like when they do score??????? The Caps should thank Brent Johnson for picking up the slack as his goaltending has been phenomenal lately. I hope this keeps up. It is fun to watch the Caps play right now and it is good to see the Verizon Center full. The Caps are also taking care of business at home. That is a good thing. Let’s see what happens in Carolina on Wednesday.
Thoughts?
