Hurricane Ovy

 BY RED FISHER, THE GAZETTE, JANUARY 11, 2009

Of course, the Canadiens knew that coming into the game against a Washington team that had lost 3-0 at home to Columbus only 24 hours earlier. This was not a night to remember for Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL's best and most exciting player, mostly because the Canadiens did a splendid job of containing him. (Is holding him to eight shots, another eight that were blocked and two more which missed the net add up to 'containing' an Ovechkin?) What happens, though, is when you pay an uncommon amount of attention to one player, there's always the risk of someone else on the ice creating some damage.

Alexander Semin, for example. It was his deflection which opened the scoring early in the first period, and it was all-Semin late in the second period when he separated Patrice Brisebois from the puck and beat Jaroslav Halak for a go-ahead goal.

Having said that, don't get the idea that Ovechkin didn't have his moments. He made a few Canadiens hearts flutter with roughly three minutes left in regulation with the teams locked up 4-4, and the home boys pressing in the Capitals' zone. That's when a clearing attempt went directly to Ovechkin and whoosh! Hurricane Ovy was off toward the Canadiens net. He still managed to get off a shot that was only inches off the net.

The rest you know.