Caps 5, Maple Leafs 4 (Shootout)
Just a typical night at the big barn in Chinatown. The Caps score twice in 53 seconds. They choke away a lead by allowing three Toronto goals in 3:03 – the first two 48 seconds apart – and yet still win thanks to Alex Semin’s soft hands and his shootout goal. Washington really wants to avoid these kind of wins this time around, of course. We saw far too much of it the last two seasons. But two points is two points so a 5-4 shootout victory will do. Read the details in our game story here.
Caps are now 8-4-0 with 16 points. Believe it or not that was tied for most in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings – pending Tampa Bay (15) and it’s game at Anaheim on the West Coast. I’d love to point out that Kings-Caps is my Stanley Cup finals predictions, though by doing so I’ve ruined any chance of that actually happening. Sorry. Washington is 5-1 at Verizon Center, but it isn’t exactly dominating with four of those games one-goal victories. Also, two of the wins were in overtime and tonight they needed the shootout.
Semin tied Alex Ovechkin for the team lead in goals (7) and now has 13 points overall. Ovechkin still holds the team lead with seven goals and eighth assists (15).
“There’s not too many guys in the National Hockey League that have hands like that and can pick it and put it there that quickly,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It’s funny because [Semin] was sick tonight and we didn’t know if he would be scratched or not until after warm-ups. But he said he wanted to play and so he becomes the hero.”
Let’s give some credit to goalie Michal Neuvirth. Yes he allowed four goals on 28 shots. But Brooks Laich said earlier this week the team has noticed Neuvirth’s ability to recover from shaky goals and keep his team in it. The Leafs got three in the third period to take the lead. But they couldn’t advance that total and gave the Caps a chance. They took advantage. Neuvirth is now 8-3 on the year and has started 11 of Washington’s 12 games. He made saves on both Toronto attempts in the shootout.
“We’ve asked a lot from [Neuvirth] this year,” Boudreau said. “We’ve played 12 games and he’s played in 11 of them. If you look, he’s never played more than 45 or 50 games, including playoffs, in his pro career. We’re asking a lot from him right now, for a first-year guy to come in and stand on his head, and he does. That’s why he was rookie of the month and why he’ll probably get more accolades.”
As for special teams, the penalty kill stopped two of three Toronto chances with the man advantage. That group has now killed 6-of-54 power-play opportunities. Meanwhile, the Washington power play was 2-for-4, including Semin’s game-tying tally – that one thanks to Leafs defenseman Brett Lebda’s dumb cross-checking penalty. Mike Green’s first period goal was also with the extra man. That makes Washington 9-for-46 on the season, but 5-for-8 in its last two games. Next up: practice at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Kettler Iceplex and a date with the Boston Bruins on Friday.
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