4 point night for Ovechkin

 Bolts 3, Caps 5. Alex had 2 goals, 2 assists, total ice time 27:04(!), average shift 1:17, 7 shots on goal, 3 hits. For comparison Mike Green had 27:39.



WASHINGTON - MARCH 27, 2009: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his first period goal (52nd) against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 27, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


Alex also reached 100 points mark of this season and scored his 52nd and 53rd goal. He was all over the place in the first period:

 6:49 PP WSH  8 A.OVECHKIN(52), 19 N.BACKSTROM(59), 21 B.LAICH(24)
11:17 PP WSH 19 N.BACKSTROM(20), 8 A.OVECHKIN(46), 52 M.GREEN(38)
19:38 PP WSH 19 N.BACKSTROM(21), 52 M.GREEN(39), 8 A.OVECHKIN(47)

The second goal was an excellent pass by Ovie. Instead of shooting the puck he saw Backstrom and Fleischmanne on the right going to the net. He makes a pass almost to the right post that was reflected in the net by Backstrom's skate.

Bolts' Matt Smaby tried to catch Ovie behind the net with a big hit. Ovie stops at the last moment and that prevented the big damage. Ovie goes immediately after Smaby and plasters Smaby over the boards.

When the game was stopped, Smaby tried to rough up Ovie, but Ovie just skates away. And then Smaby's gone, didn't return after the first.

Don't mess with Great Eight. Matt have learned it a hard way tonight.

1. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 106
2. Alex Ovechkin, WSH 100
3. Sidney Crosby, PIT  96
4. Pavel Datsyuk, DET  89
5. Zach Parise,   NJ   88

Ovie has shortened Malkin's lead to 6 points. Go, Ovechkin!




Bruce Boudreau's post-game


Mar. 27, 2009:

WASHINGTON (AP) -For more than two periods, the game was about possible retribution for a week-old goal celebration by Alex Ovechkin.

Then, with the score tied in the third, the player whose career was nearly ended by a concussion scored his first goal in the more than a year, an emotional moment that brought the Verizon Center to its feet.

Brian Pothier's slap shot with 15:30 remaining proved to be the winning goal, and the Washington Capitals maintained their dominance over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night with a 5-3 victory.

Ovechkin scored his 52nd and 53rd goals - and did nothing over-the-top after the puck went in either time - and added two assists for the Capitals, who blew a 3-1 first-period lead before holding on to beat the Lightning for the 10th straight time. Nicklas Backstrom scored his 20th and 21st goals. Ovechkin reached 100 points for the season with his second goal, an empty-netter with 7 seconds to play.

Amazon Game Downloads

TWEET