- Michal Neuvirth stopped another 29 of the 31 shots he faced this evening, bringing his record as the Washington Capitals starter to 2-1. He's not just a pretty face folks, watch out for Neuvo to improve on his play as he gets more comfortable in the Caps crease. He is consistent and given Varly's penchant for hitting the IR, there's a very strong chance that this will Michal's net to lose. Beyond the obvious, and although it's only been 3 games, it's clear the Caps have a stud in nets. 2 Calder Cups in his back pocket and he appears poised for more success. (Quick bit of advice, if he's available and you haven't already done so, do yourself a favor and pickup up Neuvirth in your fantasy league.)
- Mike Green isn't worth of a Norris Trophy. Mike Green can't play defense. These are words that we may start to hear less and less if Mike can continue to play the way he did tonight. Racking up an astounding 31:53 of ice-time to lead all players in the game, Green finished the night as a +2. Playing 5:42 on the penalty kill, Mike skated nearly an entire minute more shorthanded than any of his team-mates. Likewise on the powerplay as his 8:37 was a cool 1:17 more than Alex Ovechkin. Of course, Green's minutes were more a result of Tom Poti absence this evening(of which I've heard he will be fine, lower body injury), but by playing nearly half of the game while not allowing a goal against, it's obvious he's motivated and focused on the task at hand. Green's had a lot of criticism thrown his way throughout the last few successful seasons, but like Ovechkin, he must overcome it to grow his game and take the Capitals to the next level. Tonight's performance, albeit quiet on the scoresheet, was massive on the ice.
- Eric Fehr has got the hands and wheels to be a top liner in the NHL and with a strong performance tonight he continues to make his case for more time on the Caps top line. With 1 goal and 1 assist tonight in 13:26, Fehr's another Cap who is showing the coach he came into the season prepared.
- Flash and Semin; Tomas showed flashes of brilliance tonight as his attempt to split the D worked beautifully, and would have been a success, were it not for a brilliant save by Pascal Leclaire. Fleischmann is settling into his role as the team's second line center and with almost a minute of shorthanded ice, is starting to play the kind of two-way game required to succeed between Semin and Laich. As for Semin, his quick goal tonight was timely yet with only 2 shots against the Sens, the Caps simply aren't getting the most out of his offense just yet. That said, having skated 3:51 on the penalty kill tonight, nearly as much as the 4:40 he saw on the power play, Semin is playing much stronger two-way hockey than he's usually credited for. In lieu of his slow start on offense, it has been a breath of fresh air to note that the coaching staff will not hesitate to use him in important defensive situations. This only lends to Semin becoming a more dangerous weapon for the team down the line, but for the moment, as we wait for the sniper's game to really kick in, it wouldn't hurt to take a moment to appreciate the fact that his improved two-way game is already paying dividends.
- Captain Ovechkin had a rather mundane game, admitting himself that he didn't play all that well, yet despite all of that, his timely overtime winner was a testament to the never-say-die attitude which makes him dangerous, even when he's not playing up to his standards.
- Nicklas Backstrom had a quiet night despite skating nearly 23 minutes. Nothing to complain about other than the zeroes hanging on the sheet at the end of the night. He'll tell you the "W" is more valuable, and he's right, but he knows just as well as anyone else that he needs to make a difference on the scoreboard every chance he can get.
- Matt Bradley left the game after tweaking his knee, but was feeling fine when asked about it following the game.
- The rookies are coming along.
John Carlson is playing up to par and handling the competition, albeit with a few mistakes here and there. A testament of that were the 21:53 worth of ice that he skated contrasted by his -1 and 1 assist. There will be good and bad, but on the whole it appears JC has jumped in feet-first and is liking the water.
Karl Alzner is following suit, yet on a slightly slower pace. Karl earned 17:07 of ice-time tonight, mostly even strength, and finished with a + 1.
The most unseasoned rookie of them all, the true rook of the bunch, Marcus Johansson, is having the roughest go of them all. With a mere 8:07 of ice-time this evening, MJ90 unfortunately finished with a -1, but as he struggles to find his bearings in his first season of professional hockey in North America it's nice to know that the coaching staff is willing to let him make his mistakes and slowly ween him into bigger minutes and more responsibility. He will take the most time to reach his potential, but once he gains his confidence, it will be clear why the team chose to make him apart of their roster.
All in all, it was a relatively sloppy game by the Capitals. Neuvirth has played compelling hockey thus far and has appeared poised during some of his busiest moments, essentially providing the difference and edge for the team in their last two games. With that kind of edge in nets, the Caps are already beginning to build momentum.
And that's the best part about early season hockey. No one really remembers the first month of the season, but the points teams collect are just as important. Roll the ball one way or the other and as time passes, it simply becomes harder and harder to reverse that momentum. With their win tonight, perhaps one they did not rightfully deserve at times, the Caps can continue pushing their momentum in the right direction.
I will be back tomorrow with much more on the Caps.
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»