Ann 2Game 29 Review: Capitals Grab Late Winner To Top Canadiens 2-1
December 16th 2008 20:15
No matter how well your goaltender plays, if your forwards can't score then you don't really stand much of a chance, do you? The Montreal Canadiens' offense has gone MIA once again and they could only score one goal against the Washington Capitals who had shut them out a couple of weeks ago. It is inconceivable to think that a team that was number one in scoring overall in the 2007-2008 season now needs its defensemen to score goals in order to stay in the game. Even worse, their last two goals have been scored by a veteran defenseman – Patrice Brisebois - who's been only brought in as insurance in case of injuries. And it's not like they were facing the cream of the crop going into the game, no sir. Between the Washington Capitals' pipes was a young man playing his first ever NHL game, and he took everything the Habs threw at him.
The contrast between the two teams' attack was made apparent in powerplay situations. It took the Capitals nine seconds on their first powerplay of the game to score the opening goal. At the other end, the Canadiens couldn't take advantage of eight powerplays including a four-minute double minor penalty given to Alexander Ovechkin early in the second period. This time around, the Habs can take solace that it hasn't been for a lack of trying. Indeed, unlike the game against Tampa where most of their shots were straight at Kolzig, they hit countless posts and crossbars against the Caps in a way that was very reminiscent of their series against the Flyers this past spring. Funnily enough, it was a fluke goal that led to the final score when Michael Nylander simply redirected the puck towards Jaroslav Halak's net where the netminder inadvertently pushed the puck past the goal line with the blade of his skate. The Habs tried to rally for an equalizer in the last minutes of the game but they were unable to go past the neutral zone as the Capitals exerted excellent pressure on the puck-carrier.
The game was also the first for Hamilton call-up Ben Maxwell. The young center was brought in to replace Koivu and had a decent game. After a disastrous first period, he slowly found his bearings as the game progressed, creating several scoring opportunities. He only needs to pass the puck faster to start up his points tally.
My 3 Stars:
3. Michael Nylander
2. Simeon Varlamov
1. Jaroslav Halak
The contrast between the two teams' attack was made apparent in powerplay situations. It took the Capitals nine seconds on their first powerplay of the game to score the opening goal. At the other end, the Canadiens couldn't take advantage of eight powerplays including a four-minute double minor penalty given to Alexander Ovechkin early in the second period. This time around, the Habs can take solace that it hasn't been for a lack of trying. Indeed, unlike the game against Tampa where most of their shots were straight at Kolzig, they hit countless posts and crossbars against the Caps in a way that was very reminiscent of their series against the Flyers this past spring. Funnily enough, it was a fluke goal that led to the final score when Michael Nylander simply redirected the puck towards Jaroslav Halak's net where the netminder inadvertently pushed the puck past the goal line with the blade of his skate. The Habs tried to rally for an equalizer in the last minutes of the game but they were unable to go past the neutral zone as the Capitals exerted excellent pressure on the puck-carrier.
The game was also the first for Hamilton call-up Ben Maxwell. The young center was brought in to replace Koivu and had a decent game. After a disastrous first period, he slowly found his bearings as the game progressed, creating several scoring opportunities. He only needs to pass the puck faster to start up his points tally.
My 3 Stars:
3. Michael Nylander
2. Simeon Varlamov
1. Jaroslav Halak
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