Blown Out of the Windy City

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

You never want a game to be over in the first two minutes of play but this one was, as before RCN's cable geniuses had even flipped on the feed Williams had scored and that was it, game, set, match.

It almost seemed inevitable. The Caps have been going at full speed for so long now, playing great hockey and for the most part getting results; a letdown was bound to happen at some point. You could see the signs beginning in the second and third period against Nashville. The Caps were lagging, tired, getting away from their system, and they survived with two points thanks to a combination of goaltending, defensive desperation and sheer dumb luck.

But there was no luck tonight. There was no desperation. And right from the start it was lights out for the Caps, who gave up two quick goals to the potent Chicago offense and never fully recovered.

In a way it was the perfectly timed blowout for this team. No, a loss is not good, especially with both Buffalo and Carolina picking up wins tonight. But if they're going to drop one on this road trip - and let's be honest, one is all they can afford - it's better that it comes against a team in the West. And the fact that it was so lopsided means they'll be angry, fired up, and ready to go when they take on the Southeast Division in the final seven games.

We hope.

So what went wrong? The better question is what went right, as there seemed to be breakdowns on every inch of ice - poor defensive positioning, sloppy passes, undisciplined penalties. When they did connect with a pass their shots were blocked, the Chicago defense proving too much for the Caps. Olie didn't look half bad but he got no help from his team, no rebound assistance or run support of any kind.

Frankly this was not the team we've been watching the last few weeks, the team that has every NHL analyst and pundit and commentator raising their eyebrows and claiming the Caps may just have a shot.

And they still do have a shot, despite that loss. It was a messy, unfortunate loss but whether it was a 5-0 final or 2-1 final they only fail to collect two points and they live to fight another day.

Time to put this one behind us, kids.

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Farewell, Game in Hand

It was a nailbiter for sure towards the end but when all is said and done what matters is that the Caps got two points - and they did it in that coveted game in hand, drawing them even with Carolina and Florida in games remaining.

Frankly after last weekend's losses it's nice to see that the Caps still have two viable options left for a crack at the postseason. The win propelled them over Buffalo and kept them on pace with the Flyers for 8th, while also moving them within three points of Carolina.

Other thoughts on the game:

- Matt Bradley has been playing some stellar hockey lately, and his finish on the lovely Brooks Laich pass was just another reminder of that fact. When he, Gordon and Brashear are on the ice the shifts have been packed with energy and, amazingly enough, a few scoring chances as well - but it all seems to start with #10.

- All three of the Caps goals last night had something in common - they all involved the Caps driving the net in some fashion or another, something that seems to be missing when the offense sputters. Amazing.

- Scary moment #1: Alex Ovechkin taking a shot off his boot and getting up slowly, then walking with a pronounced limp back to the locker room after the first period.

- Scary moment #2: Cristobal Huet taking a slapper to the chin, sending his facemask flying.

- Scary moment #3: The last five minutes of the third period.

And around the league:

- It's a wonder that Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg haven't been sized for straitjackets just yet. The (useless) Thrashers were outshot by the Flyers 47-19 last night, making that the 10th game this year in which they've allowed 40+ shots. In only 19 games have they allowed fewer than 30 shots on net, and Atlanta has outshot their opponents a mere nine times (tying another five). And of course, they're 30th in the league when it comes to shots against per game.

- You have to have seen that goal the Islanders scored - shorthanded, no less - in last night's loss to the Maple Leafs, but if you haven't do so immediately. 190 feet of slow, bouncing rubber that just kept bouncing slowly...right over Vesa Toskala's glove and into the net. The scary part for the Leafs? Up until the third period that goal was holding strong as the potential game-winner. That would have been a story.

- The Penguins lost to the Rangers last night - and their dads were there to see it. (Of course maybe someone can explain why their father-son trip was NHL.com newsworthy and the Caps' trip a few weeks ago wasn't...)

So the Caps look to extend their winning streak to five, the first time they would have accomplished that feat in seven years. Ouch. And of course they'll attempt to do it while playing their third game in four nights and the second of back to back games...but at least their opponent is in the middle of a slump of sorts, with the Hawks going 1-4-1 in their last 6 and having likely fallen out of the playoff pictures.

Watch out for the twin teens, though. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews haven't slowed down much despite their team's recent woes and they're always dangerous, as are a host of others on the Hawks roster. This'll be our first look at them against the Caps and it'll be interesting to see how well the Caps defense, so strong lately, can shut them down - and how well our own rookie phenom, Nicklas Backstrom, matches up.

Oh, and if you're keeping track, Ovechkin is sitting two goals shy of 60. Ho hum.

Your standings as of this morning:

Tonight Tampa takes on Buffalo and Atlanta hosts the Hurricanes - looks like we're picking the underdog in both of those. Hey, the Thrashers have to win one eventually, right?

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