One of the best games so far in this young NHL season happened last night in Washington. The Washington Capitals rallied to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in overtime. Nicklas Backstrom was the hero as he scored two goals. The first goal tied the game with seconds left in the third period. His second won the game in overtime. However, the most notable thing coming out of the game was that Alex Ovechkin was on the bench for the last minute of the third period.
During the telecast, Keith Jones, hockey analyst for Versus, noted that this moment would be the time for head coach Bruce Boudreau to put his big guns out. That was the opportunity for Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom to work their magic. However, Semin and Ovechkin were on the bench. Coming out of the Washington timeout, Boudreau elected to go with his hottest line of Backstrom, Jason Chimera, and Joel Ward. The line had been hot all night as they helped the Capitals rally from two goals down twice.
2011-2012 Washington Capitals Tickets
Bruce Boudreau was sending a clear message to the captain of the Capitals to pick up his game. Ovechkin was out on the ice in overtime assisting on Backstrom’s game winning goal. After the game, in an interview with Keith Jones, Ovechkin was clearly upset, but swallowed his pride. “The Ward and Brooks Laich line played unbelievable today. They scored like four goals. It’s a coaching decision so it’s working.” Boudreau felt that at that instant of the game, Ovechkin would normally be out there, but on that night other guys had scored the goal.
2011-2012 Anaheim Ducks Tickets
The game did not start off that exciting as Anaheim raced to an early 3-0 lead. The ageless wonder himself Teemu Selanne had four points. He recorded two goals and two assists. Saku Koivu and Corey Perry also scored for Anaheim. Jonas Hiller stopped 35 shots and he looked unbeatable, but the wheels fell off towards the end of the second period and into the third. The Ducks were outplaying the Capitals in every aspect of the game and then the wheels started to fall off the train.
Washington improved to 6-0 at home snapping its two game losing streak. Washington still remains unbeaten on North American soil following losses to Edmonton and Vancouver. Give the Capitals credit for sticking to their game plan. Boudreau had a gut feeling and he went with it. That is what it will take if the Capitals want to win the Stanley Cup. They are going to have to grind out games to the very end. Their next game is Thursday Night at Madison Square Garden as they square off against the New York Rangers.