Chimera scores early, goalie makes it stand They may not be on top of the Eastern Conference standings anymore, and their once white-hot rivalry has simmered on the backburner this season.
But a Capitals-Penguins game still means something. And with both teams fighting to stay in a playoff position, their contest Wednesday night at Verizon Center was a pivotal marker as Washington hit the exact halfway point of the season.
Tomas Vokoun finished with 30 saves and Jason Chimera scored the lone goal of the game as the Caps held on for a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh and moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
It was the second shutout of the season for Vokoun, who is slowly starting to flash the kind of game that Washington expected before the season when he signed a cheap $1.5 million contract after the free agent market for goalies crashed.
“I think I faced a lot of shots in the previous two games, too. It wasn’t scrambly,” Vokoun said. “There was no three-on-ones and breakaways and breakdowns. It’s more about playing the right way. Maybe they get a shot off a cycle or something, but you don’t get those grade-A scoring chances, odd-man rushes. And usually when you do that, you have a pretty good chance to win.”
The Caps improved to 22-17-2 and now have 46 standings points. With a game in hand on first-place Florida in the Southeast Division, they trail in that race by just four points. Washington also shook off a two-game losing streak after a rough trip to California with losses to San Jose and Los Angeles. With a four-game homestand starting — three more games upcoming against teams below them in the standings — it was critical to get off to a strong start.
“Every one of the points you lose at this time of year, it gets harder and harder to scrape them up,” veteran winger Mike Knuble said. “These will be just incredibly valuable down the line. Today was a good test.”
Chimera’s goal at 15:25 of the first period stood up. The play started when teammate Joel Ward stripped Pittsburgh star center Evegeni Malkin in the neutral zone. He pushed a pass ahead to Jeff Halpern, who was off to the races. He found a streaking Chimera, who beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (20 saves). It was Chimera’s 14th goal of the season. The Penguins, who had played the night before against Ottawa, have lost six games in a row.
“I think they were tired, and then I think we got our opportunities,” forward Matt Hendricks said. “We had some shots. You hem a team in their [defensive zone], especially playing back-to-back nights, it’s tough. I’ve been there. It’s tough to move your legs. It’s tough to get the puck out. I thought we had some energy there, took advantage of it.”
