For tonight's season home opener we'll be trying something different. I'll be live-blogging the game using CoverItLive.com's live-blog program. It will kick off at 7 sharp, so be sure to stop by and let us know what you think of the game as it happens.
Both the Caps and Hawks come into tonight 0-1, with Washington losing their season opener to Atlanta last night 7-4, and Chicago dropping their season opener to the Rangers.
Tonight is a game steeped in storylines. For starters it will be an immediate return for goalie Cristobal Huet. After spurning an offer from the Caps and signing with Chicago, he returns to the Verizon for the first time. And Caps fans haven't waited long in booing him, as he heard it every time he stepped between the pipes in warmups. The last time a former Caps goalie played against the Caps, he let in 5 goals in less than 2 periods of play. So let's hope Huet turns into another Bill Ranford.
Tonight's game also includes nine players drafted in the first round of the last five drafts. The Caps have such young stars as Ovechkin, Green, Semin, Schultz, and Backstrom, while the Hawks lineup includes Kane, Toews, and Skille.
Also, Sergei Fedorov needs one more goal to tie Alexander Mogilny for most goals by a Russian-born player. It will certainly make for a great moment for a first goal of the season, although something tells me his second will be a little more special.
And last but certainly not least the Caps will have to wait a few extra minutes before faceoff, as they will be raising their 2007-2008 Southeast Division championship banner.
A big change was seen in the Caps tonight as they dominated the third period, scoring two goals to pull out the 4-2 win. Last night they were the ones who were dominated, giving up 3 goals in a 7-4 loss. Said Ovechkin, "we know we can come back and it doesn't matter what score. Last night it was 3-0 and tonight it was 2-0...It shows we never give up. What happened last night...we didn't play well in the third period. Everybody was nervous...but today we played well. We showed our character."
Theodore acknowledged his rocky start for the second straight night, noting that "I knew that if I only allowed two goals...we'd score some huge goals. Sometimes as a goalie you feel good, but you still get really bad goals, and that's what happened. I thought I felt good, but then obviously the first goal I shouldn't have allowed...The important thing is to bounce back." He admitted he was pretty upset with himself after yesterday's game and even took part in the optional skate this morning in order to fine tune some things. In the end Jose felt that "in the end we played with a lot of confidence...If I could keep it at two we could come back, and that's what happened."
When asked about his team's tendency to come back, Coach Boudreau admitted that he doesn't want to have to do it all season. "We certainly hope we don't have to do that for 80 more games. But they're a resilient group and they came back and everyone battled back and picked up the slack." He also noted that having an intimidating fourth line helps the team across the board. "When you get that line scoring a goal that's an added bonus. They leaned on people and they know how to play without the puck which is so terribly important."
Tonight the Caps showed that they still have what it takes to make a great season. After last night a lot of people were nervous, but the way the Capitals closed out the game dispelled a lot of those notions. Everyone admitted they came out a bit shaky, Theodore most of all, but in the end they regrouped, attacked, and came out with 2 points. They have tomorrow free before taking on Vancouver on Monday, but hopefully they hold on to that determination and grit they showed in the last two periods. Even Ovechkin admitted his first goal wasn't pretty, and you can't say that Laich's or Bradley's goals were that pretty either. It may not be the "sexy" team Boudreau said they were, but a win is a win. As long as they get them, it doesn't matter how they play.
