The red was rocking on and off the ice in the Washington Capitals last night. The Caps throttled the New Jersey Devils 7-2.
It certainly did not start well though. The Caps looked sloppy and were simply being outworked in their defensive zone, a still glaring problem for this team going forward. The Caps were able to overcome their early mistakes though and keep the game tied at two halfway through the game. That's when the flood gates opened.
The Caps started flying around the ice the way their fans are accustomed to. They wore out the Devils defense with a combination of odd-man rushes, cycling, and despite being outshot 33-29, it seemed all the shots were down in New Jersey's end.
Here were the keys to the Caps win:
-Martin Brodeur: Brodeur may have been the Caps' best player last night conceding five goals on 20 shots. Brodeur has now given up nine goals in just five periods this year. His play has been so atrocious that Johan Hedberg had to finish the game out last night. Not a good sign for the Devils moving forward.
-Alex Ovechkin: Ovechkin was kept off the board in Atlanta, so he came out motivated and it showed. Ovechkin had two goals (one on a penalty shot) and an assist. The great thing about Ovechkin is, even if he is kept off the scoresheet, that is the effort he gives night in and night out, something that is lost sometimes when he is criticized (and rightfully so) for celebrating every goal like it's the first time he's ever scored a goal.
-John Carlson: This kid is an absolute stud. He played well when he came up last year, and it has carried over in two games this year. A tremendous two-way defeseman, Carlson has great speed, vision, and a rocket for a shot that he displayed on the Caps' first goal last night.
The Caps next face the Ottawa Senators on Monday at the Verizon Center.
Meanwhile, the Flyers should be thankful they came out with a point in St. Louis last night.
Brian Boucher, the journeyman made a stellar case to be get some more starts in the net. He shut the door on nine of ten St. Louis powerplay opportunities and kept the Flyers in the game.
Here were the keys to last nights game:
-Penalties: The Flyers took ten penalties. That is simply unacceptable. Sure, some of the calls were questionable, but a player in this contemporary NHL has to know to not put themselves in a position where they might get called. The penalty kill stepped up though and killed nine of the ten powerplays.
-Defensive Zone: The Flyers still have a problem with getting the puck out of their own end. There will be stints where they fail to get the puck out three to four times in a row. Sean O'Donnell looks like he's having an asthma attack with how much he coughs the puck up. This has to improve going forward, and no the Chris Pronger absence is no execuse for it.
-Brian Boucher: We all have our opinions about Sergei Bobrovsky. Should he get a majority of the starts in Michael Leighton's absence? Yes, but 'Boosh' is not going quietly. 'Boosh' looked superb last night, keeping the Flyers in the game when they were asleep the first two periods. It is hard to dislike him. He uses what talent he does have and works unbelievably hard. Still, head coach Peter Laviolette shows no allegiances. He will put the man in the net he feels will give him a chance to win.
The Flyers open up at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday against a young, talented Colorado Avalanche team. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
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