Caps 4, Coyotes 3
Okay, so maybe things weren’t as dire as last year’s Dec. 19 game at Ottawa, where the Caps were winless in eight games and watching their season rapidly swirl down the drain. They fell behind 2-0 that night, too, before rallying for an emotional victory. That sparked Washington to a 5-1-1 run, including a Winter Classic victory.
But there’s no question the Caps needed a win Monday night against Phoenix. A 3-7-1 record over the last 11 games told us that. It wasn’t pretty – a short-handed goal and a penalty shot conceded on a power play – but they got it anyway. Check out the details in our game story here.
As reporters walked down the hallway towards the locker room the strains of last year’s early-season anthem by MTV reality star Pauley D – “Beat day Beat” – boomed out from the stereo speakers. The media relations staff kindly turned the music down as we walked in only to be greeted from a chorus of boos from the players themselves, who wanted to keep celebrating.
“Yeah, it was a big win. We had to get off the schneid, that’s for sure,” said forward Matt Hendricks. “But at the same time we knew if we stuck with our game plan for a full 60 minutes, stuck with the things that we know that we were eventually going to get out of that and become successful. It was a great game tonight. [Goalie Tomas Vokoun] played well for us and credit to the big guys.”
Alex Ovechkin ended his point drought at four games – though it was thanks in part to a dubious secondary assist. Whatever. He’ll take it. It was only the second time in Ovechkin’s career he had gone four games without at least one point. And coach Bruce Boudreau won his 200th career game.
Washington received goals from John Carlson (3), Cody Eakin (2), Nicklas Backstrom (6) and Brooks Laich (4). Eakin’s was a tad bizarre. As play continued in the Caps’ end of the ice midway through the second period, a solitary red balloon floated just a few feet about the players’ heads. Moments later, Eakin and Joel Ward put some nice defensive zone pressure on a Phoenix breakout. When a breakout went awry, Eakin had a counter chance and his shot deflected off a stick and past goalie Jason LaBarbera. Eakin noticed it. All the players did. No idea where it came from, though.
“It’s pretty wild, but I guess it’s right time, right place,” Eakin cracked.
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