Tonight was the night that Washington Capitals fans had been waiting for since that devastating Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
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Nobody had a better view of it than Devils defenseman John Moore who was nothing more than a traffic cone for Ovechkin on his way to the net.
The Washington Capitals won their home opener on Saturday. Before the first period was over…next shift goal, blown two-goal lead. All three kinds of goals were scored by Washington (even strength, power play and short-handed) and nine different players from their team scored a point.
Smith shook off a hard collision to stop 27 shots, Jordan Martinook scored his first career National Hockey League goal and the Arizona Coyotes withstood a late flurry to beat the Penguins 2-1 on Saturday night. A little less than halfway through the third period, Ovechkin took the puck end-to-end, dangled a poor Devils defender, and then sniped it top shelf to give Washington a 3-2 lead as the crowd went nuts. “Unfortunately, when the game was on the line, we didn’t respond the right way after that goal”. The 55-second study in keep-away put the Caps’ stickhandling and passing skills on display. Tough as it may be to replicate a playoff atmosphere in October, those in attendance did not hold back in their revelry as Jason Chimera scored a crucial shorthanded goal. Well, at least they will have things to work on.
NOTES: According to the Capitals, Chimera’s opening goal marked the first time Washington’s first goal of the season came short-handed.
New Jersey, a consensus bottom-two pick in the Metropolitan Division heading into the season, answered right back with an Adam Henrique tally in close – 22 seconds after Orpik’s goal – and a slapshot on the power play from Eric Gelinas to tie it. Washington will begin the season without Nicklas Backstrom, however, as the center recovers from the arthroscopic hip surgery he underwent in May. He didn’t fall down, but instead added another goal to his ever expanding highlight reel. He came out for one more 18-second shift before sitting out the rest of the second period.Wilson did return for the third period.
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Alex Ovechkin had a two-point night time inside the Capitals’ apartment opening, a 5-3 win resistant to the Devils on Saturday.
