The Capitals who hit the ice tonight in the first period were everything that fans love about the franchise. Feisty, puck-handling fiends who have plenty of fight in them and a healthy dose of good fortune. Things may have flagged a bit in the second, but the Capitals have earned the right to enter 2012 with a note of confidence at home. A 3-1 win over the Sabres will do that for you.
So what lit the sparkler under the hometown redshirts? It all boils down to the ABCs.
Alex Ovechkin, started things off with a bang, scoring an early (and flukey) power play goal that set the tone for the evening. Later, he provided the insurance that the Caps so badly needed to put the game away, with a second goal that led to Ryan Miller being pulled well before the closing bell. It’s the first time he’s done so since the October 29th loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Nicklas Backstrom scored career goal #100 tonight, coincidentally taking home the game winning honors, as well.
Jay Beagle continues his perfect season with the Caps, moving to 4-0-0 this year when he’s in the lineup.
Troy Brouwer, brought to the Caps in part for his toughness and hard-hitting tendencies developed while with the Blackhawks, saw some of that history boil over in a confrontation with former-Canuck Christian Ehrhoff. The incident was more an altercation than the fight which the awarded 5-minute majors would imply. When asked about the incident after the game, Brouwer spoke well of Ehrhoff’s decision to stand up for himself, but reiterated that he “wouldn’t call that a fight.” Ehrhoff left following the wrestling match/piggy-back ride, and is not expected to return to action for several weeks.
Jason Chimera, however, was most definitely involved in a fight. He and Mike Weber dropped the gloves just over twelve minutes into the first period. The crowd went wild, Miller and Chimera exchanged salutes, and righteousness reigned supreme (or something).
What it all boils down to is that the Caps head off to Columbus on a high note. No matter what happens on the road, the year ended with a bright and shining pair of wins in front of the Verizon Center faithful, and a bitter loss to Buffalo last Monday is vanquished. And it’s all thanks to the ABCs.
Author’s Note: To be fair, Tomas Vokoun was a well-deserving 1st star of the night. He made 25 saves, and skated off for the locker room without ever losing his cool.
