Caps’ Tough Guys Win Big Game

Capitals News

Feb 6

Written By Thom

By Rodger M. Wood Nicklas Backstrom 1 1 After Coach Boudreau’s tough guys, Matt Hendricks, and Matt Bradley disrupted the goaltender and beat down the opposition’s bullies, the Caps played physical two–way hockey, which beat Southeast Division leading Tampa Bay last night 5-2.Once they found out the coach’s strategy of defensemen passing the puck to each other in their own zone worked to force Lightning forwards to make the first move, they broke down the Tampa neutral zone trap, which had been so successful the previous two Tampa games in which they had been shutout.Eight minutes into the game, Matt Hendricks took the final step necessary to make the strategy a sure winner when he crashed the nets, and collided with Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson, who responded by throwing four punches to Hendrick’s head and losing his focus the rest of the game.On the ensuing four on four penalty play, Mike Green set up Nicklas Backstrom for the tying 1-1 goal, and ended Roloson’s two game magical shutout spell over the Caps.Upset by his contact with Roloson, Lightning forward Steve Downie took on Matt Hendricks, in their one fight a game series which they’ve conducted the past three games.While Downie and Hendricks were off serving 5-minute penalties, Matt Bradley took on Lightning forward Adam Hall, who had punished Caps defenseman Mike Green moments before with a hard check behind the Caps nets.The fights energized the Caps offense, which seemed to have been intimidated the past two games by those “tough” guys and Tampa Bay defenseman, Mattias Ohlund.The Caps first line of Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Jason Chimera started skating and checking harder, found more open space, and stood in front of the net disrupting the Tampa goalie the remainder of the game.But it was Brooks Laich, assisted by line mates Mathieu Perreault and the ever hard working Jay Beagle, who broke the tie with his 10th goal at the 6:38 mark of the second period.On a power play two minutes later, Alex O’s hard work paid off with his 20th goal, assisted by Backstrom and John Carlson to make it a 3-1 game.With less than a minute remaining in the second period, Lightning forward Brett Clarke made it a 3-2 game with a power play goal, the first the Caps penalty kill unit had allowed in 27 tries.Midway through the third period, Caps forward Backstrom put the game out of reach 4-2 with his second goal of the night, and at the game’s end, giving up a sure goal for himself, Ovie unselfishly assisted on Jason Chimera’s empty netter making the final score 5-2.Caps goalie Varlamov was spectacular in the nets again, stopping 23 of 25 shots.The win, moved the Caps within three points of Tampa Bay in the Southeast Division first place battle.The Caps meet Pittsburgh at home In their own Super Bowl Sunday at 12:30 PM.