Orlov and Max Pacioretty fight for the puck. (Photo credit: Richard Wolowicz)

Way back on November 23rd, Dmitry Orlov registered his first NHL point in his second NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets. That night he also made his presence felt physically with two monster hits. On one, he hit Evander Kane so hard into the boards that his stick flew into the crowd. On the other, he laid out an unsuspecting Blake Wheeler with an open-ice hip check.

“I really like the physical element of the game,” Orlov told RMNB’s Igor Kleyner a few days later. “Always have, since I was a kid. One of the reasons I came to play here – there is more hitting. I like that.”

Well, here’s a hit you may not have even known happened. On January 13th against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Orlov caught Steve Downie with a hip check after the pest rifled a shot on goal. The hit flipped Downie end-over-end to the ice in hilarious spectacular fashion. Video is below the jump.

The animated GIF is even better.

When Dima was called up, it was assumed that the six-foot, 200 pound Russian defenseman would be more of a contributor on the offensive end. Yet, Orlov has found his niche as a rugged, puck-moving defender. This year he has dished out 50 hits, which ranks him eight on the Capitals despite playing in 18 fewer games.

While many NHL defenseman have taken the hip check out of their repertoire due to the high risk:reward nature of the play, we’ve seen Orlov perfect the art in his time with the Capitals. In a league that’s watching high hits closely these days, a well delivered hipcheck can be the best way to send an opposing player – legally – head over heels, and if Orlov keeps this up, it looks like teams facing the Caps in the future are going to get a taste of what Lars Eller did tonight.

Video courtesy of VazorProduction

S/T to @broflacco who initially posted the Orlov hit on Downie and inspired this post.

Photo credit: Francois Lacasse

On Saturday afternoon The Washington Capitals got to feed at the trough of the league’s sideshow, the Montreal Canadiens. That doesn’t mean this game was zany and fun or anything, just kind of sad.

Dennis Wideman scored off the faceoff, firing a weird knuckle puck that dropped behind Peter Budaj. The Caps held Montreal scoreless through a sloppy second period. Matt Hendricks swept in a goal on a yawning net to make it 2-0. Alex Semin drew a penalty shot and slapped home the three-spot goal. Caps beat Habs 3-0.

• Tomas Vokoun recorded his 3rd shutout of the year, but…
• The Capitals were outshot by second worst team in the east. 29-23.
• Returned hero Alex Ovechkin mustered up only 1 shot (from 36 feet out). Ovechkin used to average more than 6 a game. Maybe he’s getting the rust off, or maybe this is the New Normal and our expectations are all out of wack. Every day a few more fans jump from the former group to the latter.
• Dmitry Orlov caught a puck with his nose in the first period. The disc jumped off his stick, broke his visor, and made him bleed his own blood! Orly seemed okay afterwards and even delivered some of his patented hefty hipchecks. (Video courtesy of VazorProduction)

• Wow, this game was light on content. Let’s talk about things that DIDN’T happen. No one fought Rene Bourque, despite all the pageviews and ad impressions on articles that said otherwise. Also not happening: Nick Backstrom playing hockey, the poor Swedish baby.
• Hey, it’s snowing! Is it snowing where you are? Okay, back to hockey.
• Brooks Laich took 23 faceoffs. That’s a 2 with a 3 after it. In second place, MJ90 took twelve– which kinda tells you a bit about who Hunter trusts and doesn’t trust to start shifts.
• Two penalty shots. You don’t see that often. Errr… ever. CSN tells us this was the first time in history the Caps got two regulation penalty shots. Troy Brouwer blew the first one right into Budaj’s armored five-hole, but Alex Semin went weapons free from like ten feet out– releasing a terrific slapshot that hit the top shelf. Beautiful.

Joe B suit of the night

This game was dreary. The Capitals will be fighting for their postseason life from here on out, but they played disinterested for the full hour. Montreal’s hopes for the playoffs are probably already dashed, and they still dominated possession. “Domination” should be considered a relative term as few shots came from under 30 feet out.

But a win is a win is a win is a win is a win is a win. And a road win for the Capitals is even more precious as it helps adjust their crummy record away from Verizon Center.

Verizon Center, by the way, is where the team is heading now. Thanks to the Canadiens’ sad trombone version of hockey, the Caps will be delicately wafted into tomorrow’s nooner by a breeze both favorable and favonian. But waiting for them in DC will be the Boston Bruins, who are super duper mondo walloptastic this year.

But we beat ‘em last time– even without Ovi. We’re gonna do it again.

Crash the net.

By this point you know the drill: Doug. Puck Buddys. @PuckBuddys. Read their Zach story; it’s incredible.

The Pre-Game:

“If you get down and quarrel everyday, you’re saying prayers to the devil, I say.” -  Bob Marley, 1977.

The Caps, I sense (with my wee fey antennae) are quarreling with themselves. And it’s not good.

Last season we saw a command from on high to shift the squad to a different balance of offense/defense play on ice, and the turmoil that resulted. That was Bruce. This is Dale. And now one begins to sense a new struggle to shift the team’s fight/play ratio. A struggle I again – one of the PuckBuddys who anticipated this Friday’s FBI Freakout with Anonymous, but we’re not bringing that up – fear is not going to go well. (#AnonOps knows to kiss our ass; we dare you to mess with the Russian hockey mafia.) (haha Ian, good luck!)

Are the Caps a quarrelin’, fightin’ team? Depends what sort of fight. By measure of comebacks from 1st period losses, we’re champs. By measure of fists on faces, we rank lower in the bottom 50% of the NHL. At the top of that list is Boston; at the bottom is Detroit. I know which team I’d rather be. Which fight I’d rather have. The Caps now face the same question: what, exactly, kind of team are we?

The Puck Drop

“In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty.” Bob Marley, 1976.

Fighting, skating, blocking shots and, most important, playing all-out: none of these exclude a pugnacious play. But look, people; everything is budget. You have X minutes of hard back-check play; it’s going to come out of a certain bank account. Other players on the ice: maybe they’re defense czars and can turn lead into gold. But no alchemist can got off scott-free.

PK Subban (Photo credit: Greg Fiume)

The point: I sense the Capitals have the raw minerals to mine and forge a most mighty play…but that is a total team effort. Nicky, Greenie – and we’re sorry to say again or perhaps forever, Poti – they’re out. Key holes on O and D. But still: we’ve seen O and D step up heartily of late. With a focused play, we can move pucks into their blue zone and on net. Easy said. But some physical things are easy done, if you just share the same focus.

We have the deep pool of talent to weld this team together. It’s not just coming from Lords-On-High decries, or coaching staff moods. If you’re going to forge a sword, you begin with your ingredients. Ours

Washington Capitals: please consider your ingredients. You have an abundance of quality; a deep pool of quality. Our ingredients aren’t Hunter-style fighters (except, um…you know who)  because our ore is tempered different; more sizzle than slash.  Mixed together appropriately, they will slake your thirst, and make a most unbreakable sword. Otherwise…

Hot…Or Not?

“When the race gets hard to run. It means you just can’t take the pace.” - Bob Marley, 1979.

Today we’re not offering the same list of hockey-stat bleaugh you’ve seen and read and regurgitated before. We’ve all seen our previous battle with the Habs, and our last two games of three on the road. No one serious needs reminding of this.

All you need to know about the Habs is that PK Subban is nasty, Scott Gomez‘s last goal is two days away from its birthday, and team is tied for DFL in the East.

It’s this simple. Capitals: no more motivation problems. Replace that with this. “This”, as in the singular view of your coach, becoming the stick you will chase. Chase, catch, and break.  The shot-gun, snipe from the center, audacious play we remember. “That” is the calculated, sterile play that keeps you in your own zone, offering spittle as shots-on-goal, and open invitations to opponents to crash our net. Without “this” you are just a bunch of incredibly talented athletes circling around on the ice for an hour while the rest of us eat, cheer, drink, boo and fall asleep. That’s what “that” is.

Journalists – the corpulent ones – like to tag particular games as “defining moments.” This game is not a defining moment. (Arguably the last game was, but that’s a matter for statisticians to parse.) But this game can be a moment to define what kind of team we are, and how we run this last half of the race.

Prediction

“Wake Up and Live!” – Bob Marley.

We’re not at all clear why we landed on Mr. Marley as a muse tonight. You may speculate at your leisure.

We’ve seen the Habs once before (3-o) this season; tonight marks 2 of 4. They are not a team that has key determining factors of whether we get to the playoffs, but they are the Habs. And every win represents points we desperately need. CAPS: Wake Up and Live!

Habs 2, Caps 4.

Meme of the Night

Photo credit: Scott Audette

After spending time on all four lines and becoming a regular in the Caps’ shootout line-up, Matt Hendricks was signed to a two-year deal worth $1.65 million last season. Coming into this year’s training camp, Hendricks’ singular focus was to hit double digits in goals. “I had nine my first year in the NHL with Colorado,” he told the Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir. “I played 56 games that year. Last year, I played in 77 games and had nine goals. I need to figure out a way to get over that hump.”

For a player that accumulated 110 points in 43 games during his prep career and was named a finalist for the 2000 Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award, tallying ten or more goals seems to be well within reason. Unfortunately for Hendy, the red light has come on less frequently this season. In fact, it took 30 games for the 6’0’’, 215-pound winger to score his first goal of the year. And another 15 to get goal number two.

But complaining about Hendricks’ goal output and continuing the negative story train on RMNB is not why we’re here. On Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hendricks — full of determination — opened the game’s scoring with one of the most unlikely and beautiful goals of the season.

Let’s review shall we?

A Photo Recap of Matt Hendricks Goal

After a center ice face-off, Brooks Laich pressures Victor Hedman along the boards.

Hedman’s intended pass to Lecavalier deflects off Laich’s skate…

…springing Laich and Hendy on a 2-on-1.

But Bruno Gervais is going to get to the puck first! Time for the SUPERMAN DIVE!

It worked?

It WORKED!

Hendy aims high glove-side, which is where momma hides the cookies.

MONDO WHIFF!

Uhhh, now what?

Maybe the spin-a-rama will buy me some time here.

How about…

…a no-look backhander!

PING!

DOUBLE PING!!

That went in?!

Brouwer knocks the puck across one more time just in case.

Just how Dale drew it up.

Video of the Goal

BONUS: PTI Grades the Hendy Tally

Screengrab via @pikappkaz

Full audio via Caps’ Radio Announcer John Walton.

For transparency purposes, I enhanced the final few Hendy screenshots to make the puck easier to see.

Centers, centers, centers, everyone knows what the Capitals need right now, and Keith Aucoin is the latest attempt to fix the problem, or at least to temporarily plug the hole. Most of you should know a little more about Aucoin than most call-ups – he’s a lifetime AHLer, a future AHL Hall of Famer, and from what we’ve heard an all-around great guy. We haven’t seen him much in the big leagues, but he’s been part of the organization for awhile now. He’s not going to look nearly as flashy in the NHL as he does in the AHL, but you can bet that he will do his job.

Name: Keith Aucoin
How to Pronounce That: AH-COYN. Like a coin you put in a pinball machine.
Nicknames: Coiner
Age: 33
Hair: Dad hair.

In a Nutshell: At 5’8, Keith Aucoin is small for the NHL, but the other skills have always been there. He’s a sturdy playmaker who passes extremely well and can put it in the back of the net, though it’s doubtful that will be his role here.
Not His First Rodeo: Aucoin is pretty used to being an emergency fill-in. He’s even got 3 goals and 11 points in his 21 overall games with the Capitals, as well as five goals with the Carolina Hurricanes before us.
Why He’s Getting a Shot: Since the Capitals are have been struggling offensively, maybe the the AHL’s leading scorer and former MVP can lend a hand. Keith Aucoin leads the NHL’s development league with 70 points – his line mate, Chris Bourque, has 69, and the next closest player is Peoria’s T.J. Hensick with 53. Unfortunately, much like former teammate Alexandre Giroux, Aucoin is a tweener who’s size and lack of consistency will forever keep him from cracking an NHL roster full-time. That said, Aucoin will bring energy, skill, and a savvy that is sorely missing at center with Nicklas Backstrom out.

Unexpected: He’s not afraid to drop the gloves, even though he’s teeny. We are sensing a theme here.

Maybe Don’t Worry About: His size–at least not for this game. For the same reason that less developed players like Perreault and Eakin weren’t hassled too much when we last played Montreal, this is not a team that’s going to press the issue. The Habs’ lineup has gotten bigger overall but they still don’t play a terribly physical game, so Aucoin should do all right. With Perreault, Johansson, and Aucoin down the middle, though, the Caps now may have the shortest center corps in the league–stack them up, and they make one Nicklas Backstrom.
Awww: Aucoin’s wife is having a baby.

He’s On Twitter: Follow him, or just go say congratulations!
Question of the Day: Upgrade, or downgrade?

Photo credit: Kyle Mace

Known fighter Joel Rechlicz has played 5 minutes and 25 seconds of Capitals hockey this year. In his six shifts, he saw one shot go on his net and zero at the other. He has amassed no penalties and recorded no turnovers. He did ice the puck once though. That was fun.

Rechlicz’s one-year contract is for $525,000– which will count towards the Capitals’ already stressed salary cap. Rechlicz is a pure fighter, a dying breed in pro hockey. Adding him to the roster of the Washington Capitals (whose woes include a lacking offense, malformed defense, and poor road performances– but not fighting) seemed like an arbitrary acquisition– one that does not improve their prospects for winning and fritters away precious salary cap space just before the trade deadline.

But for all his detractors, Wrecker also has some defenders. On Wednesday’s edition of the Capitals Report podcast, Mike Vogel of WashingtonCaps.com and radio play-by-play guy John Walton discussed and defended the value of Rechlicz.

Mike Vogel: Rechlicz got two shifts [Tuesday] night. I think he would have got more ice if that game had been a little different score-wise, if it wouldn’t have been tight all the way. . . .

John Walton: Some of the media that were openly questioning the Rechlicz decision: “If you were gonna call someone up for two minutes, well why would you do it?” Well, there’s a very good reason. Because he’s not playing doesn’t mean his specter isn’t sitting over there.

And Steve Downie had a terrific assist on their first goal when Purcell scored. He was a choir boy last night. You didn’t see anything except the high stick that he had, which I don’t think there was any intent behind. Boy, there sure wasn’t much going on there. I think that changed the game from Washington’s perspective for the better. I think there absolutely was a reason [Rechlicz was there] and it was to negate Steve Downie…

Mike Vogel: Downie defintiely wasn’t running around trying to fight Karl Alzner last night. And he had one hit in 18:43 seconds of work.

John Walton: What does that yell you?

Mike Vogel: That was far below his numbers from a hit-to-minutes ratio.

John Walton: Number 54 [Rechlicz] might have had something to do with it

Steve Downie vs. Karl Alzner

Steve Downie is a noted pest in the Southeast Division and one of the least liked guys in the league. He has has 5 fights this season and more than 100 penalty minutes. On January 13, Downie hassled Karl Alzner until he submitted to a fight.

Vogel and Walton’s apparent assertion is that the threat of violence from Rechlicz was enough to discourage Downie from bad behavior, and that his 1 hit in 18:43 of ice time was evidence of this.

I’m not sure a guy with 34 career fights can be dissuaded by ominous threat of one more, but I’m not a fighter, so what do I know? Instead, I’ll dispute the part about Downie’s hit total being proof of good behavior.

Steve Downie averages 15:23 on ice during home games this season– during which he averages about 1.4 hits. On Tuesday, Downie recorded 1 hit in 18:43 of ice time. It was the 12th home game (out of 21) in which he delivered one hit or none.

I’ve got three thoughts, or one-tenth of a Friedman:

• Downie’s performance was not markedly different from the past.
• The assumption that Rechlicz’s presence had any effect is specious.
• $525,000 is a lot of money.

There is obvious value in keeping a team linchpin like Karl Alzner out of a fight, but I don’t see any reason why having Joel Rechlicz in a sweater helps avoid that fight. I also don’t see how a hit– which the NHL defines as a body check that removes the opposing player from the puck– correlates with the naughty behavior that Wrecker’s mere presence supposedly discourages.

We’ve discussed this before, but the peace-through-strength argument is ludicrous. Fighters fight to protect their teammates. When there are no teammates to protect, they fight to protect their jobs. The result of hiring a fighter is escalation and self-fulfillment.

It’s only been two games, but there’s no reason for us to think that Joel Rechlicz a) has something positive to contribute to this team, and b) will even have the opportunity to prove us wrong. And his presence diminished the ice time of Cody Eakin and Joel Ward and shortened an already short bench. The signing of a single-function goon while the Caps are already dysfunctional is absurd.

Perhaps his tenure with the big club will be temporary, but that would mean his presence was just another distraction for a team that has not yet mastered its new man-to-man defense and cannot sustain enough offense to outshoot opponents.

It’s unfair to make conclusions about the intent of decision-makers within the Capitals organization. So instead of casting aspersions and making guesses, we’re just bewildered.

Photo credit: Alan Diaz

The Washington Capitals have three dates with the Florida Panthers in February, and these games will determine their chances for a postseason. This one was a so-called “four-point game”, and the Capitals came up tragically short.

After a scoreless first period, Mikael Samuelsson faked a hardaround and then fired a shot to Neuvirth’s far side– hitting the post then net. It was a fluke-y, no-look shot from almost 90 feet out, but it caught Neuvirth being lazy, and that’s what matters. Brooks Laich tied it up with a feisty top-shelfer from the crease during 4-on-4 play. Samuelsson got his second of the night with the go-ahead goal on a third period power play. After a long adjudication, Stephen Weiss was awarded a goal that had been washed out at first.

John Carlson made it a one-goal game with a leisurely slapper from the high slot, but Shawn Matthias grabbed an empty netter a few moments later. Panthers beat Caps 4-2.

• Mikael Samuelsson‘s 88-foot trick shot was stifling. Neuvirth blatantly misplayed it, and the Caps’ offense sort of retreated afterwards. After firing a respectable 11 count on net in the first period, they had only 7 in the second period. If you’re looking for continuity in the Capitals’ narrative arc, it’s that their offense meh-ness is still happening.
• Brooks Laich earned his goal by beating Samuelsson’s stick check.
• Then Samuelsson earned his second goal by beating Brooks’ block.
• Jeff Schultz returned to active play for the first time since December 31st, but played a quiet game. No shots, no goals against, 9:48 TOI, and stout defense throughout. It seems there were no nibbles on the line when McPhee went fishing, so is Schultzy here to stay? It’s not like any other defenders are doing superbly under the new system…
• No one will dance with Joel Rechlicz. He earned a lot of money for less than 3 minutes of play. Quick: what are some better ways to spend half a million dollars?
• A for effort: Troy Brouwer (5 shots) and Brooks Laich (4 shots, 1 goal). And somewhere in the tri-state area, there’s a goat dreading the return flight of Mike Knuble (3 shots).
• If you’re scouting against the Capitals these days, you’re probably saying stuff like “Stay mobile and quick in their zone. If you keep moving, they will lose you.” That’s the way it goes lately, the reason why our goalies have to perform superhuman feats to keep these games competitive. And that’s why we have close games despite the Capitals getting outshot by miles (70 attempts to 51).
• Tomas Fleischmann has had a tough go of it lately, but he was dominating on-ice tonight. One assist, plus-14 Corsi, one crucial breakaway.
• The Capitals’ road power play is 4th worst in the NHL, and they proved it tonight. John Carlson spoiled their first opportunity with a bad penalty after just 10 seconds. Poor puck control made the second one seem more like a Panther’s PP.
• Carlson redeemed himself with some late-game heroics, but he choked just a minute later when he set up Matthias for the empty netter. The kid is in trouble, and there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel just yet.

Joe B suit of the night

The Capitals are no longer in the conference’s top 8; they have dropped from 3rd to 9th. If they don’t change– significantly and soon– they will not regain that spot.

But here comes Ovi, who just served the third of his three-game suspension. And each new morning brings us a little closer to the Comebackstrom and what will be Mike Green’s Third Comeback of the season.

We’re not cynical, but we’re not quixotic. We want more from our team and their coach and their management. Every player on the roster has been a disappointment at some point, but there are 32 more opportunities for redemption.

Montreal on Saturday. It’s Hockey Early Afternoon in Canada and Ovechkin’s comeback, so, ya know. Prepare.

Crash the net.

The PuckBuddys have been memorably called the Russian mafia inside the Russian Machine. For the well-being of the operation, we’ve deliberately kept our pasts hidden. It’s been suggested that we’re former-Blackwater mercenaries, Watergate burglars or even Romney moles inside the Gingrich campaign (mission accomplished!) None of those are true, but we do admit to having relationships with some of the more subversive and extreme hockey organizations.

One such group is Capsonymous, a shadowy hive of anarchist Caps fans that operate off the grid, under the radar and over the top. Misunderstood by the mainstream hockey world, media and law enforcement, it’s been said that their methods are unsound. We judge them only by their record of mischievous achievements: the Crosby – vampire rumors, the Sabres’ implosion, Dustin Penner and Pancakegate, and getting Ryan Kesler to pose naked (again, mission accomplished.) Unofficially, on behalf of the home team, Capsonymous is responsible for DC winning the 2014 Winter Classic, convincing Ovi to skip the All Star Game, and getting Ted to blog and tweet about us.

Call them hacktivists or hocktivists; we call them allies in the greater struggle. The struggle for the Cup. Earlierthis week, they seized the PuckBuddys video channel to release a communiqué with a long list of grievances aimed at hockey’s 1%.  Advocating for the 99%, Caps fans who have been wronged by the hockey establishment, their message is clear:

“We are Capsonymous. We are Legion. We Rock the Red. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us – to crash the net.”

While his teammates in front of him were having a bit of a vacation hangover, Tomas Vokoun was brilliant in net during the Capitals’ 4-3 (OT) loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday. Vokoun made 27 saves, including stoning Steven Stamkos on a breakaway in regulation. The Czech netminder’s best stop however came in overtime, when — down on the ice and out of position — he stretched out and caught Vincent Lecavalier’s shot from the crease with his glove. Check out the video below the jump.

Unreal. Vincent Lecavalier’s reaction? Priceless.

So much almost. (Photo credit: Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Whew, what a relief that the All-Star Weekend is over! We’re all so sick of watching haphazard, sloppy, firewagon hockey that turns over pucks and gives up chances every few seconds, it’s such a relief to get back to the responsible, disciplined team we all missed so much.

Hahaha! Let’s all have a good laugh at that one for a minute, and then to the recap. I am pleased to inform you that the curse of my recaps was broken tonight. Actual goals were scored.

Matt Hendricks opened the scoring with the ol’ Brooks-Laich-diving-poke-check-pass, fan-on-the-initial-and-then-wildly-backhand-it move. Classic. Teddy Purcell scored two shifts later on a feed from Steve Downie, who mysteriously hadn’t had his face punched in yet at this point. All Martin St. Louis had to do was skate past Hamrlik lying face-down on the ice to make it 2-1. Nate Thompson banged one in on a good cycle from Tampa in front of the net. Mathieu Perreault was in the right place at the right time to take credit for a hilarious own goal off Thompson’s stick. Good pressure from Laich forced a puck loose for Troy Brouwer, who put it in the back of the net. The game went to overtime, and Steven Stamkos scored on a defensive breakdown from John Carlson. Caps lose, 4-3.

• Tomas Vokoun’s head was extra shiny tonight. It was a sign. Like most of the team, he built and built as the night went on and peaked with an unreal save on Vinny Lecavalier in OT, reaching back on a sure thing to snag a puck out of the air even though he was feet away the moment before. Our goalie is a human Slinky. NBC broadcast team were too busy talking about Lecavalier to notice.
• The whole game was a bit of a mess, on both sides. All of these guys have been laying around on beaches for the whole weekend and eating their wives’ cooking. No more vacations for anyone. The Bolts sent the puck down. We sent it back. Carlson stopped our hearts multiple times. None of this looked much like actual hockey until about the third period.
• Alex Ovechkin was attending the game, and there were a few shots of him in the pressbox with Olaf Kolzig. Olie and Ovi. Now there’s a sitcom we could get behind.
• Person who had a little too much vacationing: Roman Hamrlik. He gave Steve Downie ten miles of space on the first Tampa goal, and then fell down, facedown, on the ice, for St. Louis to dance past him for the second goal. I was all set and ready to institute #Hamrlikdown, but on the replay minutes later we discovered that first look at the play was a bit mendacious. Class act Vinny Lecavalier actually kicked his skate out from under him.
• The refs were Bolts in disguise tonight, so this didn’t get called. Want to get even more angry about that second goal? It was offsides.
• Things that are not attractive: The PP without 19, 8, and 52. The Caps got a 4-minute power play in the second when Lady Byng candidate Steve Downie clipped Perreault with his stick and made him bleed. Most of this four minutes looked like the team having a seizure. The medics were all ready to rush onto the ice, but it was just the Caps trying to score on a power play. Please come back, somebody.
• For all the talk of bad trades and bad additions this summer–how about that Troy Brouwer, huh? He scored his 15th of the season tonight, and as the season’s gotten tougher, he’s just gotten better. What a hero.
• I’m sure you’re all wondering what happened to all the Joel Rechlicz hype. I am too. He played 1:49, all in the first period, and mysteriously didn’t throw a single punch. This wasn’t what we expected after Coach Hunter’s assertion that he was brought in because “he’s a big guy and he’s a physical guy. He’s physical and we’re on the road so we need a physical guy.” Why sign him and not use his scary, famous fists? Then again Steve Downie was dodgy earlier in the day about whether he’d even step up to the plate if Recker asked him. Draw your own conclusions.

Person Sitting Behind the Bench Shirt of the Night

We’re famous!

This is a stretch of games specifically created to teach the Caps how to overcome adversity. It is a good thing, because this is something that they really, really needed to know. That game got messy, and there were huge mistakes, but the Caps cared tonight. With the construction of this team being what it is right now, they are on the edge of disaster at any given moment, and yet they haven’t completely fallen over. Never a dull moment.

They worked hard tonight. They got physical. On the road. On the road you need physical guys. Physical.

WARNING: After not seeing this video in 10 years, we forgot how many blatant crotch shots there are. Consider yourself warned.