Ovechkin's slapper beats Pens
Feb. 21, 2011: Caps beat Pens 1:0 in their last game vs each other this season... It is becoming a habit, you kind of expect Caps to beat Pens, don't you?
Ovi's goal (h/t to Emily)
Marcus Johansson should be #1 Caps center for now and Neuvy should be a #1 goalie. With arrival of Kuznetsov Backstrom might drop to a third line center, can it happen?
washcaps: Matt 'Da Man' Bradley, Neuvirth, Ovechkin, Knuble talk after the win in Pittsburgh
Ovi's hit on Orpik sets all things in place
Matt meets Matt:
Awesome hit by Bradley on Matt Cook
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12 comments:
Perfect goal is perfect.
Exactly right, exactly :-)
by no means is MarJo ready to be a 2nd line center, let alone our 1st. Backie and Ovie has undeniable chemistry. both have been slumping this year but that doesn't mean you discredit the importance backie has on ovie and vice versa. also nobody passes like backie, or sets up plays. MarJo is def a strong player and could be #2 center sometime next season, but he's a rookie, backie is not going to be replaced, especially since he just signed for 10yrs...seems counterproductive.
all that said. I've always like Neuvy better then Varly. We still are in need of a 2nd line proven center, GMGM better trade for one.
I sure hope Marcus will be #1 soon. He is the only bright light coming from the end of a tunnel :) besides Ovi, of course. Seriously, the one and only creative Caps forward right now. Everybody else is so predictable, they just go and shoot the puck a la Chimera(I hate that guy). And I love how Marcus can go from 0 to 60, very explosive and fun to watch.
Varly maybe be more athletic than Neuvy, but I don't like his mentality. Another Nabokov, God forbid.
I expect caps to beat the pens (especially Malkinless and Crosbyless) in regular season, only to get owned in the playoffs.
Meh, Stamkos has a better slapper and one timer.
Who is Stamkos? Did he have better goals/game than Ovi last season? Let Stamkos do it for 4 years and then come back.
Well, with the news of Backstrom's fracture, Mojo will be #1 for now.
with the news of backie (MAJOR SAD FACE!!!) GMGM needs now more then ever trade for a center...i dunno but i think our biggest and best trading assest right now is semin...but wheteher or not GMGM trades him is a whole another story. plus i really don't know how losing your bff will affect ovie, i mean i know he's a professional and friends get traded all the time, but if Vancouver taught us Ovie fans anything, the guy is still human and we can't fault him for that
@Second Anonymous:
In response to this: "I expect caps to beat the pens (especially Malkinless and Crosbyless) in regular season, only to get owned in the playoffs."
I give you a quote:
"While some may see this victory as hollow due to Pittsburgh missing Crosby and Malkin, they shouldn't. Certainly, the return of key players from injury and the injection of new bodies via trade will change the shape of both rosters should these teams meet again this season. But the intensity and dislike on both sides still burns bright whether it's Ovechkin and Crosby staring each other down or whether it's Jeff Schultz and Tyler Kennedy growling at one another. The crests on the front of the jerseys breed a rabid contempt with the opposing team and the absence of key players doesn't change that fact. Any win over the Penguins is a joyous occasion for Caps fans, and winning the season series 3-0-1, including two shutouts, should only add to the happiness" - Kareem E on Japers' Rink.
I don't think the issue is who wears the jerseys for the Caps or Pens. If you want to discuss which team dominates the other, you have to consider playoff series and not just regular season records. The Caps/Pens have played 8 playoff series, and the Pens have won 7 of the 8. The most recent Pens playoff series win over the Caps was in 2009, and during the regular season that year, the Caps went 3-0-1 against the Pens, just like this season.
If the Caps really have ended the Pens hex, IMO the best way to affirm it is to meet in the playoffs again this year with a different outcome from 2009. And not that anyone needs reminding, but the Pens went on to win the Cup in 2009. A different outcome from 2009 just might be the springboard for the Caps to claim the Cup this time around.
It was also a good victory, not just because of the decades-long rivalry, but because it was a mini test the Caps passed: Would they play well and play the Pens with competitive respect with the other team missing its top two players? The Caps did, and that was especially important during this season where scoring and winning can't be assumed.
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