Jason Chimera was expecting the normal good luck kiss from his wife, Sarah, when he left for Verizon Center on Monday afternoon. Instead, she told him to go out and get career goal No. 100.
“I didn’t even know. I thought she jinxed me,” Chimera joked after he did just that and more with two goals in a 6-5 win over Tampa. “But she didn’t. It was nice. It’s nice when you have kids – my three-year-old son said score a goal for me – so you take it to heart. Maybe it’s my good luck charm because you hope they keep saying that.”
So make it 101 goals for his career and three already this season for Chimera, whose career best is 17 in 2005-06. His first came four minutes into the third period as Brooks Laich drove hard and Chimera cruised into the slot to slam home the rebound. That made it 4-3 Caps. But they quickly gave up a pair of goal to fall behind again. Chimera responded by roofing a shot over Tampa Bay goalie Dwayne Roloson from the right circle with 2:44 left to tie the game.
“Any times you get 100 goals, no matter what league you’re in, but especially the National Hockey League, it’s a privilege to play here and it’s great to get that 100th,” Chimera said. “It’s just one of those pucks you keep and look back and down the road you can be pretty proud of.”
And it isn’t just Chimera. The third line that includes Laich at center and Joel Ward at right wing has three goals and three assists through the first two games. For a group that was also tasked with shutting down Tampa Bay’s top line of Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, it’s been a productive opening weekend.
“I think they’re clicking,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “And it’s a talent to be in the right place at the right time. I know a lot of people have made a lot of money that just have been in the right place at the right time.”
Stamkos, St. Louis and Steve Downie combined for one assist despite their team scoring five goals. And that came from Downie – a secondary assist on a shot by Bruno Gervais from a terrible angle that is stopped by Caps goalie Tomas Vokoun 99.5% of the time* Laich even won 12 of 22 faceoffs (55 percent) and the trio was credited with four blocked shots.
*(stat pulled out of thin air).
Again, from Boudreau: “I think when people were talking about this team they were talking about the depth. And the bottom six forwards in the two games, I think, have been the key. And eventually the top six are going to start doing what they’re supposed to be doing. But right now it’s the bottom six. And again you look at the Laich-Chimera-Ward line. They played against Marty and Stamkos all night and I totally think were the better line. I know I’m a little prejudiced in that situation. But I think if we’re watching the same game that’s what we’re watching.”
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