Cats Come Calling: Capitals/Panthers

As predicted, the Florida Panthers came in hungry with claws bared to tonight's Southeast showdown with the Capitals. The Caps didn't waste any time putting on the red light, with an Eric Fehr goal less than one minute after the first puck dropped.

The Panther's Keith Ballard returned the favor later on in the first. The Caps' defense for the most part seemed to shake off the malaise that was hanging over their heads during that ugly loss to the Kings on Thursday. Speaking of Capital's d-men, Mike Green had another stellar night with 2 goals. The Norris Trophy (the award for the League's best defense man) candidate has been gleaning accolades left and right. Green leads NHL blueliners with a career-high 19 goals and 46 points this season, despite missing 13 games. He's currently second in the NHL with 14 power-play scores. Hockey Mom can't wait to see more of Green's new crib on Capitals Red Line Monday, but more on that later.

Tonight's contest wasn't always smooth sailing for the men in red however, as a check from behind and game misconduct call on Shaone Morrison resulted in the Caps having to kill off a 5 on 3 (this seems to be a recurrent theme in the third period, eh?). Mo joined his team mate Sergei Fedorov, who was chillin' in the sin bin after a hooking infraction. But this time the stars aligned and a brilliant effort by the penalty kill unit (led by Tom Poti) kept the Panthers off the board. Mike Green netted his second of the evening into an empty net and the Caps left the ice cheered on by a rocking crowd of red with 2 points in their pocket! Tom Poti was rewarded with a star of the night for his dazzling contribution to dousing the 5 on 3 power play, thus stumping the cats' attempt at clawing their way back into the game.

Final score: Caps 3 - Panthers 1

So a huge Hockey Mom toast to the boys for hanging tough, though they still haven't eliminated the number of silly penalties. The guys played with consistent energy and were ready to battle and the results paid off tonight!

HM has never been so excited for Monday night t.v., as this Monday (February 9th) marks the debut of Capitals Red Line Monday at 9:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet.

Here's a look at some of the fun story lines featured on the first episode:

Caps Bling
Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at Mike Green’s newly renovated condo in the first of a three-part series. Green designs on his own dime as he completely rips out his entire penthouse. Viewers will even see his hot tub lifted from the street to the top of the building to get installed.

Who I Am
Presented by The Front Page
Alex Ovechkin gives viewers a first-hand look at one of the NHL’s most dynamic personalities.

Caps Classic
Highlights from the June 4, 1998, playoff Game 6 versus Buffalo that the Capitals won 3-2 in overtime to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Fanatic
Presented by The Greene Turtle
A sit down with the one and only “Goat.” You’ll learn what gets Goat’s, Goat. Why he is a superfan and what makes him want to get the crowd cheering for the caps.

Forces of Hockey
Presented by Jones-Rogers a Lennox premier dealer
Professor Matt Bradley explains to the audience the physics behind the force of a body check. See open ice hits and hits along the boards in the crushing segment of the science behind the check.


Mites Minute
Presented by Geico
Warrior: a tongue and cheek video about kids preparing for battle, including action throughout the game.

Hockey Insider
Presented by 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
Features WashingtonCaps.com producer Brett Leonhardt, who became a cult hero when he suited up as backup goaltender for the Capitals in December. Since his 15 minutes of fame, Leonhardt has been in Sports Illustrated and other publications but the biggest shock for him was walking around the concourse at a game and seeing fans wearing his jersey.

Ted’s Take
Owner Ted Leonsis on his list of 101 things to do to make his life fully actualized.

Ask A Cap
Presented by American Service Center/Mercedes-Benz of Alexandria
A couple of the Capitals players answer questions about their style and what is hot today.

Original show listings dates and times:
Monday, Feb. 9 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, Feb. 16 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, Feb. 23 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, March 9 7 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, March 16 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, March 30 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Monday, April 6 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Tuesday, April 14 9:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet


So finally - a reason to look forward to Mondays!