Storm Watch: Caps Take on Hurricanes

So Hockey Mom is rushing home from the gym to catch tonight's contest between the Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes when I must have suffered a moment of hockeymom-nesia and forgot my darn gym bag in the locker. So I had to turn around and retrieve it and listen to the first few minutes of the game on the radio -thank goodness for my XM radio!

Once again, the opposing team scored first at 2:58 into the first period with a goal by Scott Walker. Gabby is mixing things up by featuring the power Russian line of Oveckin, Semin and Fedorov. At the end of the first period, the Caps had taken bunches of shots on goal but the Cane's net minder Cam Ward denied them all. The "Donald" tried to spice up the game and energize his team by taking on Wade Brookbank in a brief heavy-weight fight. I know that a lot of sports fans don't like the fighting in the NHL, but there truly is a legitimate reason for it. I highly recommend the book The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL by Ross Bernstein for all of you new hockey fans.

About 4 minutes into the second period, the Russian line took off and tied the score with a Sergei Fedorov fabulous top-shelf goal, assisted by Ovie. After making a sprawling save against the Canes, goalie Brent Johnson allowed a "big-oops" five-hole goal from Tuomo Ruutu to give the Canes a 2 - 1 lead. The action really started heating up late in the second, with some monstrous hitting going on. Milan Jurcina nearly knocked a Canes player through the boards (in a legal hit, I must add) and Brooks Laich blocked a stinging shot for the team.

The Caps had several power play chances but were not able to score on the man-advantage. Scary moment midway in the third when the Cane's Eric Staal (of the blessed-with-crazy-hockey-talent Staal family) had a breakaway but he was denied once again by Johnny. Yet with 2:43 left in third, our October Star of the Month Alex Semin whipped a sweet goal over the shoulder of Cam Ward to tie the game at 2 - 2. Then the Russian boy wonders put a fork in it with 10 seconds left in the third with yet another phenomenal Semin goal and Ovie assist to win it 3 -2!

Way to go in front of the home crowd boys - another great effort by Brent Johnson and Alex Semin is totally rocking! Next up - New York Rangers...