It's a crowded night in the press box. OFB, Caps Chick and Rob Yunich are all on press row.
Here's your pre-game fare:
Japers' Rink
Capitals Fanatic
Caps Nut
Puckhead's Thoughts
Capitals Corner
Kevin Hatcher Fan Club (Sorry I missed the Sunday event)
The Peerless Prognosticator
3 Grumpy Caps Fan
A View From The Cheap Seats
Scouts from the Rangers, Flyers and Predators are in the press box tonight.
More in a bit.
STARTING LINEUPS: SAN JOSE: G: Nabokov; D: Ehrhoff and Vlasic; W: Cheechoo and Clowe; C: Thornton. CAPS: G: Johnson; D: Jurcina and Morrisonn; W: Bradley and Pettinger; C: Gordon. SCRATCHES: San Jose: Toskala, Davison, Gorges and Marleau. CAPS: Laich, Clymer and Eminger.
Odd that Eminger would be sat so often this late in the season -- three straight as one of my friends in the box has reminded me. Feel free to speculate.
That's all for now. See you after the game.
END OF FIRST PERIOD: CAPS 2 SAN JOSE 1: The Caps get outshot 7-4 for the period and generally don't get the better part of the play, but they still go into the first intermission with a lead thanks to a garbage goal by Brian Sutherby.
* John Keeley (OFB), Yunich and I are joking about the low shot count. John says that the Caps are "shot averse. They're great hosts that way."
* As you might guess, I'm having trouble getting stuff done with so many bloggers in the box. It's worse than trying to cover a game with Greg Wyshynski here.
* At 9:52 the Caps break through on a slapper from the point by Morrisonn. Before the official announcement, I tell everyone that they're somehow going to manage to give Boyd Gordon a secondary assist. Sure enough...
* Right after Keeley tells me that Washington isn't getting enough garbage goals, Sutherby scores at 10:41, assists by Brashear and Heward.
* Sharks get one back courtesy of a misplay in the offensive zone. With a Caps defenseman pinching in, the puck squirts loose near the blue line where Mike Grier swoops in and springs himself and Patrick Rismiller on a two-on-one break. Johnson is helpless as Rismiller puts a backhand past him to make it 2-1.
* Semin makes a nice play to hook up Kris Beech, but he can't keep a handle on the puck. It's been a while since I've seen Beech suit up, and he isn't having an especially good night.
END SECOND PERIOD: CAPS 2 SAN JOSE 1: No scoring, but the Caps show some signs of life on the power play.
* Caps start the period with a nice penalty kill.
* Just when I write Beech isn't having a good game, he hooks up with Semin and Fehr with a nice play that ends with a scoring chance.
* Dare I say it, but the power play is looking better, and Brian Pothier is the reason why. With Kyle McLaren in the box for interference, Pothier completes a nice tic-tac-toe play from the right point with Zubrus and Clark down low. No goal, but it's the sort of play that gives you a little bit of hope.
* Through two periods, Pothier is leading in ice time with 17:08. Since he returned to the team while they were on the road, it's the first time I've seen him play live since the injury. With him back, the defense is looking a whole lot better.
END THIRD PERIOD: CAPS 2 SAN JOSE 2:
* With Eric Fehr in the box for a phantom hooking call, Matt Carle takes advantage of a scrum in front of the Caps net and bangs home the game-tying goal at 5:49.
* With a scrum in front of the net and the Caps pressing, Kyle McLaren gets the gate for slashing Alexander Semin. It's another chance for the power play 14:31.
* With :49 seconds left in the power play, Caps call timeout. Again, the power play is creating scoring chances, and the parts are moving a lot more smoothly than they have all season. While they get a few more shots off, they can't cash in.
* With a San Jose defenseman draped all over him, Fehr manages to corral a pass and still get a wrist shot off on Nabokov.
* Welcome to another OT game...
OVERTIME:SAN JOSE 2 CAPS 2: It's yet another shootout.
* In the first minute of OT, Semin puts on a stick handling clinic deep in the San Jose zone. Though nobody can touch him, he can't seem to find an open man. The sequence ends with Pothier firing a wrist shot from the right point that nails Zubrus in the gut.
* Breakaway chance by Zednik, but Nabokov makes the stop.
* Pettinger and Ovechkin both get chances on slappers from medium range, but Nabokov stops both easily.
SHOOTOUT: SAN JOSE 3 CAPS 2 It's the third time in the last five home games that the Caps have gone to the shootout.
Up first for the Caps is Matt Pettinger...SCORE!
Up for San Jose, Ryan Clowe...Backhand, WIDE!
Up for the Caps, Alex Ovechkin...STICK SAVE!
Up for San Jose, Joe Pavelski...SCORE!
Up for the Caps, Alexander Semin...HITS THE POST!
Up for San Jose, Jonathan Cheechoo...SCORE!
Disappointing end to the evening. I'm out of here early. See you with more thoughts tomorrow.
