Capitals/Oilers – Winners & Losers

Winners:

Alex Ovechkin.  Ovechkin struggled big time against Vancouver, and he knew it.  The Russian Machine does not disappoint two nights in a row.   Ovi took over in the third by scoring the first two goals of a four-goal tear the Caps went on to defeat the Oilers.

Tomas Fleischmann.  Out to prove that being first in the league in shooting percentage is no fluke, Flash fired a slap shot off a one-timer that Deslauriers never had a chance on.  If I told you Flash has as many goals this season as Alexander Semin, would you believe me?  But 10 seconds after he scores, he flips the puck into the stands gets whistled for hooking and heads to the sin bin? Talk about a buzz kill.

Nicklas Backstrom.  Gotta love Nicky B. showing some emotion.  His goal with under four minutes remaining was the nail in the coffin.  A combined 7/9 in the defensive and neutral zone draws is also a big plus.  Brooks Laich (8/17, 47%) was the only Cap under .500 from the face-off dot.

Michal Neuvirth.  Both goals were soft.  Both goals were not Neuvy’s fault.  Blame Karl Alzner’s good intentions and not hustling back on ‘D’, respectively.  26 saves is no easy task going on the road as a 21-year old at Rexall Place.

Quintin Laing.  Great to see him back on the ice.

Medium:

Chris Clark.  Had a nice fight wrestling match with Steve Staios.  11 seconds later, Edmonton took a 1-0 lead.  Blah.

Brendan Morrison.  He was creating all night but came up empty on the score sheet.

Karl Alzner.  Swear to god if I hear a comparison to this and the Jeff Schultz incident.  Schultz had a chance to save the puck after kicking it (okay, maybe it was a quick reaction) towards the net.  Alzner just stuck his boot out there and bad things started to happen.  Shit happens.

Milan Jurcina.  A few hits, a shot on net, solid play.  Who sits on Wednesday against Buffalo?

Losers:

Jeff Schultz.  Throw a bouncing puck at him and watch a train wreck ensue.  There’s something about #55 and whiffing on pucks that turn into break-aways.  Must be the time zones.

Power Play.  Some how the 5-on-3 Power Play looked really good.  Somehow, they failed to score a goal.  0 for 8 in the past two games alone.  All I want for Christmas is…

Green Lights. Why the heck was full lighting not on until three minutes into the game?  Damn pregame festivities, when the puck drops, lights need to be 100%.

Random Thoughts:

When watching on TV, viewers usually enjoy watching the teams’ benches on the opposite side that the camera is set up on.  Nobody wants to stare at the penalty boxes when the puck is in the neutral zone.  I wonder how many arenas are set up this way.  Hopefully, only one.

Why does Ovechkin fall after every shot?  He does, doesn’t he?

Usually it’s the first period that the Caps score within the first 30 seconds.  Tonight, it was the third period.  Whatevs.  Huge momentum swing that was ultimately too much for the Oilers to handle.