“Finally! We are anteaters!”
The Buffalo tank job made a stop in DC, and boy was it fun. The Sabres scored the game’s first goal, and we were scared for a moment, but then tanks gonna tank.
No, really. There was a moment when the 2014-15 Capitals were losing to the 2014-15 Sabres. Johan Larsson actually beat Braden Holtby after the top line lost a defensive-zone faceoff and then got a little careless in their own zone. The Caps took over after that. Mike Green carried the puck all the way down below the goal line and set up Curtis Glencross for his second goal in a Caps uniform.
Jay Beagle ground out a goal in the second period, and Brooks Laich got the monkey off his back before the second intermission. Joel Ward made it 5-1 with a superhuman effort in the power-play paint, and Marcus Johansson got a Swedish wraparound on an uninterested Sabres defense late.
Caps beat Sabres 6-1.
I feel bad for bailamosing the Sabres, but I’m bailamosing the Sabres.
Because look at this:
- Alex Ovechkin might win the Art Ross, the Richard, and the Hart, but on a penalty shot– eek. Everyone knows he’s going five hole. I think he is 2 for 11 in his career. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t granted a PS on an obvious breakaway trip in the third period. No, that was just because Tim Peel is a bad ref.
- Thank goodness for Brooks Laich. Two months after his last goal and 10 minutes after I gave up on the notion of him ever scoring again, Laich hit the back of the net. The Buffalo Sabres are to Brooks Laich’s scoring what the FBI is to Hans Gruber’s Nakatomi heist. If Brooks asks, the defense on that goal was totally fine, yeah, not bad at all.
- This guy is great. Sabres fans in general are great. I hope they’ll be a deadly good team in 3-4 years. They deserve it.
@bryancasto @russianmachine @Steve_Dangle he is two rows in front of me. pic.twitter.com/UaGok1lV4e
— Glen Pendley (@gpendley) March 8, 2015
- For a team that has all but given up on the season, the Sabres were kind of chippy. After Mike Green kneed someone in the butt, Brian Gionta committed a nasty boarding penalty. In the third, Jason Chimera and Mike Weber got in a blindfolded fight.
- Alex Ovechkin scored goal number Orpik tonight, but it was not a typical Ovi Shot from the Ovi Spot (i.e. a one-timer slapshot while the defense is loading up the other half of the ice). Instead, Ovi scored on a sneaky wrister– one of the nastiest I’ve ever seen him release. But I’m not convinced that the PP’s bread and butter is viable without Mike Green‘s shot fake and quick pass.
- Another great effort from Curtis Glencross, who recorded three points. Dude goes to the net and makes PP2 an actual threat– just like Pat wrote earlier today! Ask Ian what his nickname for CG22 is.
- With Johansson’s goal, Nick Backstrom is now one behind Pivonka for the franchise assist record.
Joe B suit of the night + Courage Caps
I wanted more for Ovi tonight in his return after missing one game to a lower body injury. This was a stat-padding game if there ever was one. Seeing what Tavares is doing on the Umbrella Corporation Out-of-town Scoreboard, they coulda used it. But instead of raining down hats, the Caps spread the goals around. I suppose I’m okay with that too.
Rangers up next. Have a good Saturday night, friends.
