[Boxscore - Recap - Postgame Notebook]I don't know how many of the paid attendance of 10,002 were still there to see the shooutout last night (or how many even showed up, for that matter), but I do know that all but a very few were on their feet cheering from the moment the ice was cleared after overtime until well after Olie Kolzig stuffed Brad Richards to seal the Caps' third win (all by that same 3-2 score) of the year. Traditionalists be damned, that was exciting and, more importantly, the crowd loved it. From Alexander Ovechkin's wizardy with the puck (thanks, Alexander Ovechkin Videos Site) to Petr Sykora's shot accuracy to Kolzig's two huge stops on the League's reigning scoring champ and playoff MVP, the half-full building was truly electric for five minutes. Call it gimmicky, call it unfair, one thing you cannot call a shootout is dull. Would anyone not wearing blue, black and white really have rather gone home after a 2-2 tie last night?
As for the first 65 minutes of the game, the penalty killing was very good (7-for-8), the power play was again very bad (0-for-3 and 0-for-14 over the team's last three games), and Kolzig (38 saves, including a great save on a 2-on-1 in OT), Dainius Zubrus (G, A) and Steve Eminger (2A, +2) had standout games.
The WaPo recaps the game here ("I feel a little pressure," Ovechkin said. "I must score this penalty shot. And I score."), the WTimes here. Next up for the Caps, Thursday night at Florida.
Daily Awards
- Hart: Olaf Kolzig (W, 38 saves, stopped 2 out of 3 in the shootout)
- Ross: Marc Chouinard, Ed Jovanovski (3A each)
- Norris: Steve Eminger (2A, +2)
- Vezina: Manny Fernandez (W, 28 saves on 29 shots against)
- Richard: Jere Lehtinen (2G)
- Calder: Alexander Ovechkin (A, shootout goal)
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