There is nothing like seven goals and a blowout win on national television to make a team feel better about itself.
Unhappy with a lethargic loss in Minnesota last Thursday, the Caps took out their frustrations on the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night during a “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast.
The 7-2 victory gave the offense a needed boost after Washington (7-4-0, 14 points) was held to three regulation goals or less in nine of its first 11 games last month. It scored six times in the second period alone on Saturday night, one shy of the franchise record for most goals in a single period on the road. But even with minor injuries to Mike Green (shoulder) and Tom Poti (lower body) early this season, the blueline and rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth have fueled a major improvement in the Caps’ own end of the ice. Entering play Monday night, only six NHL teams had allowed fewer goals than Washington (25).
“Their goal, quite frankly, is to be in the top five in everything,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It’s just the categories where you’d think we’d be top five, we’re not and the in other categories we are … But offense shouldn’t have to be sacrificed by playing good defense.”
Neuvirth is 7-3 and has started 10 of Washington’s 11 games already. He also is just 12 victories away from the franchise record for most wins by a rookie goalie and currently ranks eighth among all goalies in save percentage (.926) and goals-against average (2.15). An NHL rookie of the month award this week is a decent bet for the 22-year-old, who led AHL Hershey to the last two Calder Cup titles.
The Caps have allowed three goals or less nine times already this season. Meanwhile, the penalty-kill unit has successfully killed 46 of 51 penalties and is ranked fourth in the NHL at 90.2 percent. It’s just one month of games, but that’s still a huge turnaround for last year’s 25th-ranked unit.
“I don’t know if we were expecting it exactly. But we were hoping it would go this way,” Caps defenseman Karl Alzner said. “And as for [Neuvirth], he is technically just so good. He always seems to be in the right position and as a defenseman that takes some of the pressure off us, too.”
