It's on somber nights such as these, that fans and media alike are reminded that athletes are humans too. Thrasher's goaltender Ondrej Pavalec suddenly collapsed with no one around him just two minutes and 25 seconds into the game. View here. NOTE: The video is disturbing, consider before viewing (courtesy of CBC website).
Pavelec has since regained consciousness at an Atlanta hospital and will be kept overnight for observation. In typical hockey player fashion, it has been reported the first thing Pavelec wanted to know was what the score was. Regardless, it was sickening and frightening to watch. As someone who understands and knows how that can shift a player's psyche one way or another, it certainly had an impact on the game. The Thrashers shifted to the motivation psyche.
The Capitals took an immediate 1-0 lead after a nearly 20 minute delay. That's when the Thrashers woke up and responded with a 4-2 victory.
There was a controversial call that helped build momentum for the Thrashers. In the second period, Mike Green was whistled for covering the puck in the crease ensuing in a penalty shot. Evander Kane took the penalty shot and converted turning the tide in the Thrashers favor.
The key breakdown came in the third, when the Thrashers took advantage of a blown faceoff coverage. Fredrik Modin picked up the loose puck and beat Michal Neuvirth, in for the injured Semyon Varlamov, to the blocker side.
The Caps answered with a perfectly executed 2 on 1 by Alexander Ovechkin and Mike Knuble. Ovechkin made a flawless saucer pass to Knuble who buried it with a half-open net. However, it was not enough to pull out a victory.
The Caps will look to rebound against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night in their home opener after New Jersey was stunned in their season and home opener by Dallas in overtime.
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