You can really tell the difference between a playoff team (Pittsburgh and New Jersey) and the two games the Caps played prior to these two. New Jersey was not overmatched against the Caps and controlled the game for the most part. They made the Caps’ power play look terrible (1 for 8). New Jersey is a very good checking and forechecking team. A fluke goal only allowed a tie. And how good is Broduer? He will most likely go down as the best goalie of all time, in my opinion. I never saw Sawchuck play, but Broduer will pass Patrick Roy for most wins this season and has already passed Sawchuck. He is a great goalie.
The Caps were outshot for the first time this season. Green was on the ice an incredible 34 minutes according to the stat sheet. Semin continues to play well, but the Caps need to find a way to get Ovie going. Ovie is going to face the opponent’s best defensive pair and checking line all season. The Caps need to find a way to create space for him. Bourque was sent back down to the minors after the game which tells me that Brashear will be ready to play in Calgary on Tuesday. The next three games will be tough for the Caps. I think a 1-1-1 record is a reasonable goal.
The hero of the night for the Caps was Brent Johnson. He made more saves in the first period than in the entire Vancouver game. He also kept the Caps in it throughout. I thought he played very well. I know Jose was brought in here to be a #1 goalie, but if he keeps letting in softies and Johnson continues to play well………who knows. We’ll see.
Thoughts?
