Maria with her Slapshot stuffed animal. Dad gives thumbs up. (GIF by welshhockeyfan)

Attending Saturday’s Washington Capitals game, Alex Ovechkin’s fiancée Maria Kirilenko got a special treat. Ovi scored a hatty for the first time in over two years.

While CSN Washington didn’t pan to Kirilenko sitting in the lower bowl, the Devils broadcast on MSG drank from the Ovi-Kirilenko well a lot. They zoomed in on her celebrating with Ovi’s father Mikhail (giving the thumbs up) after Ovechkin’s third goal. MSG’s Deb Placey interviewed Kirilenko during the second period, after Ovi scored his first goal of the night.

Warning: The video is adorable. Risk of hurling unicorns and rainbows is likely in some patients.

Does Alex play better when you’re here? He’s already scored today.

Well, hopefully he’s playing better. When he’s on my side, watching my games, I’m definitely playing better. Today when he scored, I was so happy! It’s really nice.

You got engaged on New Years, which is a big holiday I understand in Russia. It was different because he was home for the first time in a long time on New Years Eve.

It was the first time for me as well. For a long time, I didn’t celebrate the New Year at home. It was amazing. Our family was together, you know, and it was a surprise for them. The father of Alex he was crying, and even I was crying. It was really exciting time.

Is it more nerve-racking to play your own game or watch [Ovi]?

Umm, when you play, you’re more relaxed. You just, you can’t help. You just wanna do something. Of course I feel more nervous watching.

Well I don’t think you’re going to be able to leave, since he has the goal today. Thanks so much for the visit. Congratulations to you two.

Thank you.

Placey makes a good point. Maria, please adjust your schedule and attend every game. You are crucial to our plans for the Cup.

Also this.

And this.

“YESSSSSHHHH” (Photo via @lifesamixtape)

The Washington Capitals played their most complete game of the season, defeating the New Jersey Devils 5-1. Their Russian captain played a big part in that.

Alex Ovechkin, using solid positioning and system play, scored his first hat trick since December 1, 2012, and his first NHL hatty since January 22, 2011 against Toronto.

Now let’s see this video.

Goal 1

Goal 2

Goal 3

Shoveling the hats

During the telecast, CSN’s Chuck Gormley shared a quote from New Jersey Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello. The hall of famer explained his success saying, “Your team is like an orchestra. If you want the music to sound good everybody better accept their instrument. When they try to play the drums when they’re a violinist, boy, you’re in trouble.”

Ovechkin made sweet, sweet music today. His three goals came from taking full advantage of his switch to right wing under Adam Oates’ new system. On his first tally, Ovechkin positioned himself on the left circle and fired a one-timer home. On his second, Ovi tried The Move™ — but from the right side and without the predictable curling. And on his hat-trick goal, Ovechkin used Oates’ 1-3-1 formation on the PP to his advantage, one-timing another beautiful Mike Ribeiro pass home from the slot.

Don’t look now: Ovi’s only four goals back of the NHL lead, and on pace for 39 goals in an 82-game season.

What’s wrong with Ovi? Nothing if you ask me.

Video via Max Duchaine

Now throw those hats!

Ovi celebrates his first of three goals.

On Saturday, Alex Ovechkin broke out for three goals against the 7th-worst team in the KHL, Donbass Donetsk. It was Ovi’s first hat trick since January 22, 2011, and his first ever in which nobody threw headwear on the ice. His three-point game also knocked him up into the KHL’s top ten in points for the first time all season.

While Ovi’s awesome accomplishment happened a million miles away from DC in Ukraine *sigh* we as Capitals fans still must celebrate this hatty as our own. And what’s the best way to do so, you ask? GIFs!

GIFs

Ovechkin’s second goal: a perfectly placed slapper.

A great camera angle of the empty-net goal.

BFFs hug.

GIFs created by welshhockeyfan.

Photo credit: Mitchell Layton

When we went to bed on Friday, Dennis Wideman was the possessor of a hat trick. His three-goal night versus Toronto was the first by a defenseman for the Caps in a decade, the first overall by the Caps this season, and the first of Dennis’ career. It was also the first 3 PPG game among defensemen in the NHL since 2006.

No more.

This morning, the NHL updated the game’s scoring (via WaPo’s Katie Carrera), giving that final power play goal to Brooks Laich for his 7th on the season. Nick Backstrom loses his secondary assist, knocking him down to 31 points.

Wideman still takes from the night four power play points (2G, 2A) and the first multi-goal game of his career, but all those hats you threw on the ice are now a fraud. And he’s still minus-1 on the night. Dennis admitted as much on Friday night, but you should still blame it all on stupid old Brooksy.

Here’s video of all three goals:

And– for now– you can look at the still-unedited game summary while your heart grows cold and hard.

Puck commemorating Steve Kolbe's 1000th game as the radio voice of the Capitals. (Photo credit: Wes Johnson)

Alex Semin’s raspberry of hatful determination. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

You know that video game where you fight Dr. Wily, and you think you’ve got him beat, but then he gets some kind of high-tech armor with lasers and rockets and WiFi and megagigabytes. Turns out Wily is way harder when he’s all upgraded. Well, here comes the Tampa Bay Cyber-Lightning, Mark II. Our southeast conference rivals gave the Washington Capitals a hard time last year, and they only got better over the summer.

For naught.

The Capitals, led by curio Alex Semin, had a slow start. As if predestined, they surrendered the first goal of the night to Tampa’s Teddy Purcell. Tom Poti and Mike Knuble each notched goals in the second. The third period found Ryan Malone tying the game on the power play, almost taunting the Capitals to step it up. And step it up they did. Alex Semin recorded back-to-back goals with matching assists from line partners Nick Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. Steven Stamkos returned fire with a frighteningly smart goal, but Ovechkin would strike soon after. An empty net goal in the final half minute earned Semin the hat trick and finalized the question. A crushing win by the home team, their sixth in a row: Caps beat Bolts 6-3.

Desert Eagle .50  bullets

• Alex Semin is the most talented hockey player in the league. There, I said it. That he secrets his talent away for long stretches just adds to his mystique. But tonight Semin shared his skills liberally. 28 created five of the nine scoring chances for which he was on ice. Sasha Minor drew the penalty for the only power play of the night and then took all of 15 seconds to convert it. His second goal was an athletic 30-foot slapshot to Dan Ellis‘ glove side. Semin’s breakaway was rebuffed, but he recovered it and set up the younger/larger Alex for a beauty of a goal. Add to that an empty netter, and you’ve just witnessed an epic game by a virtuoso player. Five points and plus-3 rating. Astonishing.

• Wow, that was a long bullet for Semin.
• Tom Poti returns from #brittlegroin triumphantly. His gorgeous second period tally might salve any remaining pangs.  He was by no means perfect tonight, but the Caps blueline corps just feels better with a 3 out there instead of an 89.
• Alex Ovechkin unleashed a Perun-sized slapshot that would certainly have killed Dan Ellis had Alex not tripped himself up. Alex would later redeem himself with a goal made possible by Alex Semin and viewers like you. Ovechkin has scored points in each of the last eight games.
• How explosive is this game? Nick Backstrom‘s four-assist performance barely gets mention.
• Vincent Lecavalier leaves Caps games in one of two ways: with a game misconduct penalty or injured. Tonight he chose the latter. Lecavalier suffered a hand fracture and will miss a few weeks.
• No blame can be assigned against the Capitals for Steven Stamkos‘ top-shelf goal. The man’s brain was replaced several years back with the same targeting computer equipped on X-wings.
• Carlzner (ugh) had positive scoring chance differentials (JC74 +3, KA +2). Can we chalk it up to the mustaches?
• Mike Knuble did the Mike Knuble thing. He was practically behind the net when he scored. After a too long streak of bad luck, Kanoobs stands poised to humble other NHL vets who wane with the years.
• Boyd Gordon left the ice in the first period with an apparent injury to his foot. But it only takes 1:42 of ice time by BG15 to guarantee a win. The Caps are still unbeaten when he dresses.
• Finally, Matt Bradley delivered a clean hit on Adam Hall Mike Lundin. Adam Hall responded by instigating a fight with my boy. Big mistake. First, Bradley cleaned his clock (and bled not one bit). Second, that’s the very definition of an instigator penalty. Right? Right? Did this stuff not get discussed at the GM meeting? Sheesh.

After a couple of quiet games from the Superfriends and two quiet periods tonight, they showed up something fierce in the third. Alex Semin’s hat trick is the actualization of the warrior spirit we at RMNB adore in this team. Along with Ovechkin and Backstrom, Sasha can summon up in close games some aboriginal will to survive. This spirit, so desparately absent from last year’s playoffs, inflames the fans and infuriates the opposition. Evidence: 8-19-22 racked up 11 points and 4 goals in the final frame alone. If they can invoke that same energy at will–and not just when prodded– they will waltz through the post-season.

The Capitals have won their sixth game in a row. On Saturday night they saunter up to Buffalo, New York, home of the Goo Goo Dolls and gastroesophageal reflux, for a date with the Ryan Miller-less Sabres. We all know that augurs well for the guys, but let’s try to keep quiet about it for now. At least until Boyd Gordon suits up; then we can get totally arrogant.

A final note: Today was Veteran’s Day. It’s one day set aside in the entire year to acknowledge and thank the men and women who serve in our military. When tomorrow comes, any noble gestures and heartfelt gratitude will be gone with it. We’d like to avoid politics at all possible while in the realm of sports, but we should be able to agree that our veterans deserve more than single day of recognition and an overburdened department veterans’ affairs. If you’re able, please donate your time or money to a worthy cause like the (non-partisan) Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

When we talk about hockey players as heroes and warriors, we’re speaking metaphorically. When we talk about the veterans that have volunteered to serve in our stead, that’s not metaphor. So let’s back those words up with deeds.

Ovechkin (9 hits) may not have scored, but the Trashers certainly felt his presence. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

The hat-tricker and the catalyst celebrate their line’s third goal of the night. (Photo credit: Nick Wass)

As the Capitals entered tonight’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Semyon Varlamov could not make his scheduled start due to a flame-up of his #brittlegroin. Caps regulars Boyd Gordon (rest) and Marcus Johansson (hip flexor) could not dress due to nagging pains. And Tom Poti was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury.

The Caps, who had just lost two straight games to the Boston Bruins rather unimpressively, were forced to go with a patch-work lineup which included minor league call-ups Mathieu Perreault, Jay Beagle, & Dany Sabourin as well as a not-at-full-strength Mike Green.

When the puck dropped and the first period came to a close, the Capitals resembled the same struggling team that had lost Tuesday and Thursday. They were down 1-0 and the Thrashers outshot them 13-4..

Things quickly got rectified in the Caps lockerroom, however. “Kanoobs had a little speech,” Michal Neuvirth explained post-game. “[After his talk] we were getting better every minute. …We dominated in the third period. He just wasn’t happy with our effort. …We’re getting outshot on home ice. It just can’t happen.”

The Capitals then came out and outshot Atlanta 40 to 14 the rest of the game. Riding an Alex Semin natural hat trick, two assists from fan-favorite Mathieu Perreault, and a clutch backhand gwg from Flash, the Caps trash the Thrash in OT, 4-3.

To the bullets!

• Despite mounting injury, roster, power play, and systems problems, the Capitals proved tonight that they had the passion to win at all costs. That’s all that we and a rowdy, sold-out Verizon Center crowd could have asked for tonight.

Crucial keep: Mike Green dives head first to keep the puck inside the zone during a Caps powerplay. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

• For the first thirty minutes of the game, Mike Green had the best seat in the house: the Capitals bench. Why? Due to his nagging shoulder injury, Caps brass only deemed him only okay to skate on the power play. When Green finally got his first shift of the game midway through the second period, he played with flair, beauty, and a reckless abandon. He had several crucial keeps in the zone (including one where he dove head-first at the blue line), and scored – what turned out to be a disallowed goal for kicking it in – after the team’s first powerplay.
• Alex Ovechkin was a raging bull tonight. Ovi had nine hits – one of which could have easily counted as 3 or 4. To top that, the Russian Machine also sent Andrew Ladd head over heels into the Thrashers bench during the third period.

• We feel bad for Thrashers goalie, Chris Mason. It was only a matter of time before Alex Semin broke out. And tonight, the young Thrashers goalie got inSEMINated. Semin’s first goal, you know, the one in which he dented the twine and deafened the crowd with a loud PIIINNNNNNNGGGGG, was a heads up play. Sasha intercepted an errant clear by Mason and immediately fired the puck to the top left corner of the net. What a beauty! The next two however were all due to Matty P.
• Perreault was possibly the most consistent player of the night. Semin’s second goal came after Perreault found a hole in the offensive zone and went in alone on semi-breakaway. Semin’s hat-trick goal came on a sick cross-ice pass from Perry. Please Bruce, let Perreault stay in DC. He can crash at my place.
• Coach Boudreau was asked after the game if Perreault’s performance earned him an extended look: “Semin had two goals this year, and [Perreault] comes in tonight, and he gets three. He did a lot of good things. You know, it’s the great thing about having depth. On the other hand, the best game Marcus played was the last game too. And Fleisch got the OT winner. And Stecks won every face-off down the stretch. And Nicky’s Nicky. I think if we put Nicky on waivers, somebody will claim him. It’s tough decisions.” Sigh.
• Sure, Flash got the OTGWG tonight and that was awesome. He also went 2 for 8 in the face-off dot, had two shots, and finished with only 10 minutes of ice time.
• Neil’s notes: MP85 was on the ice for 7 scoring chances for, and ZERO against tonight. The best MJ90 has been is +2 and he has been -4 twice… Only 5 shifts for Ovi over 1 min and only two of those over 2 min. And the Caps won. Weird… Chimera got no offensive zone starts at 5v5 in the BOS game and that continued until the very end of the 2nd vs. ATL, making it 13 straight without an offensive zone start. On the flip side Sloan has started in the offensive zone 63.6% of the time and for some reason was leading head-to-head time on ice against Evander Kane. Guess who got the better of that deal in this Bizarro world? Plus, unless you’re a blueliner whose name rhymes with Bike Cream you should be under 55%… I am no fan of Erskine but he has played OK despite being bogged down in the defensive zone. After his defense of Neuvy tonight I am willing to give him and his -10 scoring chance differential the night off.

Joe B.'s suit of the night

Maybe after tonight, it’s time for us to think this team still has it. Maybe we’ve all been spazzing out a bit too much. Maybe we’ve all gone over the deep end. The Capitals lose two straight games against a respectable team and we all panic. Maybe after last year, we’re spoiled.

The Capitals are off until Wednesday when they travel down to RBC Center and take on the Carolina Hurricanes. At that point, the Caps should have many of their injured soldiers back including Boyd Gordon, Tom Poti, and MG52 at 100%. Hopefully, tonight’s game will be the catalyst to more consistent Caps’ efforts. And hopefully, it’ll mark the end of Mathieu Perreault’s AHL career. At least for the immediate future.

[Ed. note - Our apologies, but tonight's game mandates celebration.  We're going to cut the recap short so that we can celebrate!]

Nicky Backstrom secures his first playoff hat trick

Nearing the end of the second period, the Washington Capitals trailed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1.  But there was still the tiny matter of Nicklas Lars Bäckström.   The blonde swede superstar (who is still waiting on that new contract) made this a historic game all by his damn self.   Sinking his first playoff hat trick, Backy is definitely worthy of the “Nine Million Dollar Man” nom de guerre that Craig Laughlin bestowed upon him.  We’ll be talking about slapshot goal 31 seconds into overtime for months.

Captain America John Carlson scored the tying goal at the tail end of the third period, instantly carving his name into franchise history.  The 20-year old is frankly phenomenal, playing with more consistency than Norris slam-dunk Mike Green.

Also, Alex Ovechkin finally got on the board, tipping in a shot from… JOHN CARLSON.

It seems as if the Caps are writing the mythology of an epic post-season.  This rollercoaster of a game merits more rigorous analysis than we can offer tonight, so we’ll leave you with a few notes:

• Does Semyon Varlamov start in Montreal on Monday?
• Will Tom Poti‘s epic fight with Scott Gomez redeem his preceding gaffes?
• Can Mike Knuble recover his tip-in magic?
• Should our statue to Nick Backstrom be made of bronze or marble?

1 down.  15 to go.