Knuble’s Playing Like A Youngster

By Rodger M. WoodWatching the way veteran Mike Knuble has played hockey the past ten games makes you think the 39-year old forward is drinking from the proverbial fountain of youth.With Alex Ovechkin, Jason Arnott, and Mike Green out of the lineup, he’s picked up additional ice time and made a strong mark on offense.Against the Flyers Tuesday at the hostile Wells Fargo Center, he and rookie line mate, Marcus Johanssen engineered two goals and three assists between them.In the fight for Eastern Conference first place, Knuble scored a goal in the first period, set up Dennis Wideman’s power play goal in the second, and Marcus Johanssen’s tying goal late in the third to help the Capitals comeback to tie the Flyers 4-4 and meet their arch enemy in overtime.The goal in the first was his 20th of the season, and his 8th consecutive 20 goalseason.The Caps went ahead 3-0 at the 1:12 mark of the second period, but then forgot how to clear the puck from their zone.Playing great hockey down low, and creating several turnovers, the Flyers scored four unanswered goals to go ahead 4-3 and certainly looked like sure winners in regulation.But then Knuble again saved the day, streaking down the ice to set up line mate Marcus Johanssen for the tying goal at the 16:41 mark of the third period.Both teams played a stalemate in overtime.It came down to a shootout in which Caps shooters, Matt Hendricks, Niklaus Backstrom, and Alexander Semin put three straight shots past goalie Brian Boucher to make the Caps 5-4 winners.The win marked the fourth consecutive season the Caps has clinched a playoff position.Capitals rookie defense pair, Karl Alzner and John Carlson, continued to eatup monstrous 26:15 and 27:19 ice time.