The Monreal Canadiens are at Verizon Center to face the Capitals and from high up in the press box, I see that they've brought a couple of busloads of rowdy Habs fans with them. The Canadiens, a team steeped in history, are feeling the injury bug also with Mike Komisarek out of the lineup. Alex Tanguay and former Penguin Georges Laraque are also scratched - darn, a Brashear/Laraque tangle always makes for a great hockey game!
The Caps are still relying on the valuable services of several members of the Hershey Bears including Karl Alzner, Chris Bourque, Sami Lepisto and new call-up Bryan Helmer. D-man Alzner is sporting a new number this evening, donning #27. And as no game that Hockey Mom covers would be complete without a mention of brothers in the lineup, the Habs boast a set of siblings in Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. Keep an eye on those two for sure!
Several minutes into the first period and Jose Theodore, a former Canadien has made several very nice saves, including a shifty one with the elbow. The game is already getting a little chippy with lots of hard hitting between the two clubs. And at 8:57 in the period, Tomas Fleischmann lit the red the light first for the Caps with an assist from Micheal Nylander.
And darn if one of those naughty Kostitsyn brothers didn't end up in the sin bin for hooking with less than five minutes in the period.
So, we're 1 - 0 (Caps' favor) going into the second. During the intermission, they showed a very fun video of several Caps players making gourmet hamburgers. The guys were wearing some really cool Capitals aprons. Hint, hint - I know one hockey mom who would love a Caps apron! Let's get those on NHL.com soon!
Early in the second, Alex Ovechkin had a spectacular breakaway and passed to an open Nick Backstrom, who was denied by Habs net minder Jaroslav Halak. At the other end of the ice, Jose Theodore has played a terrific game against his former hometown club. Maybe it's the new mask, who cares - just keep up the good work Theo!
At the start of the third and it was still 1 - 0, Caps. In the meantime, I got an update from my boys' game, which started at 8:20 (I know, I am being a very bad hockey mom missing a game but I swear it's only the second one I've missed in three years). And from the sound of things, this might have been a good one to miss as they're playing a really big, really fast team who is up by four goals at the end of the first. OUCH! Just keep your heads up and play hard boys!
Back to the Caps, Alex Ovechkin netted a beauty with an assist from Backstrom early in the third to make it a two-point lead. Minutes later, two Canadiens went to the box to feel shame, both for hooking. And man did the Habs goalie face a relentless barrage of shots from the men in red. Despite Price's best efforts, the Caps added another tally at 8:42 from David Steckel with an assist from Sami Lepisto. And as you all probably know, I am always rooting for Chris Bourque to have a great game. A Hockey Mom observation, for a guy who is shorter than the average 6'2 NHL player, this guy has a wicked slap shot!
Theo has played one of the best games he's had in a Capitals uniform. HM high five to the team, who despite the loss of too many players to injury, sealed a nice 3 - 0 victory over the French-speaking visitors from up north. And to coach Bruce Boudreau to become the fastest Capital's bench boss to achieve 50 wins...
Shut outs are good!
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