Daniel Sedin scored on the power play for Vancouver 6:44 into the second period.
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Ovechkin SilencedWashington sniper Alex Ovechkin, still seeking his 484th goal to surpass former Wing Sergei Fedorov as NHL’s all-time leading Russian goal scorer, fired four shots on goal in the game’s first five minutes, then just two the rest of the way.
Both Petr Mrazek and Braden Holtby were outstanding between the pipes for their respective teams.
The Washington star had five shots in the first period Wednesday, but Detroit kept him contained pretty well after that.
“What happened in the first was AA (Andreas Athanasiou) and Pulkky (Teemu Pulkkinen) didn’t play at all”, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said.
Although calling this a rivalry may be a stretch, the Capitals and their fans do have at least one reason to dislike the Red Wings.
The third period opened with the Senators hot off the faceoff showing signs of competition in the final twenty minutes of play. Goaltender Brayden Holtby is expected to start against the Red Wings.
“They overskated the puck and Nyquist made a great play to get me the puck at their blue line”, Tatar said. Near the midway point of the period, the Red Wings were in their zone fighting away the scoring chances from Washington.
Keeps BattlingMrazek was felled when struck by a hard John Carlson shot in the third period, but was able to get up and continue following a brief recovery period.
After a check from trainer Pete Van Zant, play resumed for Washington who moved around the ice to find a chance for a shot. One came from defenseman Nate Schmidt who drove the puck almost missing the top shelf hitting the crossbar. The Capitals are fifth in the league in scoring (3.1 goals per game).
The Red Wings look to sustain a few momentum after a win in Ottawa as they return home to take on the Capitals at the Joe.
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While Trotz made no guarantees, the coach noted that Ovechkin and Backstrom have “scored too many goals together; for me to just ignore that, that would not be smart on my part.”ABOUT THE RED WINGS (9-8-1): Looking for offense, Detroit unleashed a season-high 37 shots on goal in Monday’s 4-3 overtime win against Ottawa”.
