So many good things happened to end that game I can hardly find the words...
1) The Caps won...well, that's a given. I don't know that any Caps fan saw the result and thought "aw shucks"
2) NO SHOOTOUT. Do I need to elaborate?
3) Milan Jurcina gets his very first point as a Capital with his assist on the overtime winner, a shot that was probably the easiest goal Zubie ever scored
This was a classic case of a game getting better as it went along, which if I recall has been pretty rare for the Caps lately. The first period looked worse than some mites on ice matchups, with both teams playing sloppy and the Kings just managing to capitalize on a 5-on-3 to take the lead.
Then the flood gates opened. The Caps, who had been playing so tight defensively yet scoring very little decided to stop doing both - all at the same time. The second period more closely resembled the All Star Game (in score only, let's not kid ourselves), with each team trading goals for a 3-3 tie after the dust had settled. A scoreless tie after the final twenty minutes meant the Caps were once again returning to...the OT Zone.
And that's where it would end, with the jubilant Caps picking up a key 2 points at home. It wasn't always pretty, but it had all the right elements. You had Ovie snapping his little funk and dispelling "trade rumors" as he picked up an assist. You had ugly goals (Clark and Zubie - those goals don't get uglier), a surprisingly pretty goal from Clymer on the wraparound, and a rare Gordo tally that I'm still wondering about.
There's not much else to say - we don't see the Kings again for two years, at least as the schedule stands now. There were no really controversial moments, no big hits or fights, just a thrilling end to a rapid-fire game that found the Caps on top...as it should be.
My stars of the game, in no particular order: Gordon, Zubrus, Clymer, Olie, Jurcina, and Ovie...just for being Ovie.
That's a 2-point night, Caps fans!
**Don't forget to submit your nicknames for the first ever NAME THAT PLAYER contest...
[A note from the queen of all things: submissions are now only being accepted by e-mail - if you sent a nickname via AIM this morning, please e-mail it to me as well.]
Fame! Prizes! The chance to mock others!
How can you resist?
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