Pretty Goal By Matty P

This was nice.  I mean, it was at the end of a blowout, but nice nonetheless.

(Matthew Perreault scoring a goal during the Washington Capitals 7-1 victory over the Florida Panthers)

Caps Overcome Two Goal 3rd Period Deficit, Win 2nd Straight

Down 5-3 with half the 3rd period behind them, Washington Capitals fans began to push the panic button.  Fans were firing the GM, cursing the team, and getting internally angry.  Read some of the tweets below.

But the Caps didn't care about those fans or what they thought.  Instead they just played hockey, tying up the game and winning it in OT.

In OT Backstrom slapped a perfect pass to Troy Brouwer setting him up on the breakaway.  Brouwer couldn't get the puck past the Florida goaltender but he followed his shot and stuffed the puck into the net for the Caps 2nd straight win.

The Caps scored first on a Mike Ribiero powerplay goal but the Panthers came back and notched 2 to go into the 2nd period leading 2-1.  One of the "highlights" of the opening session was the "fight" that took place between Alexander Ovechkin and Kris Versteeg (watch it here).

Alzner and Hendricks each scored in the 2nd period, but the Panthers got 2 goals of their own putting the Caps in a 4-3 situation going into the final frame.

After the Panthers scored almost 7 minutes in, right when the fans began to give up, the Caps came back with a Eric Fehr deflection goal and then an Ovechkin PPG off of the initial faceoff in a matter of seconds.

Just 32 seconds into the OT, Brouwer scored the game winner.

Ribeiro continues to be the Caps best player scoring a goal and picking up 2 assists.  Backstrom and Ward also had 2 assists.  Ovi also had an assist to go with his goal.  HOCKEY!  ASSISTS FOR EVERYONE!!!

The Caps won 2 in a row for the first time this season.  Next up, the Lighting on Valentines Day.  Be mine!

Alexander Ovechkin Fighting (or dancing) with Kris Versteeg

During Tuesday night's game between the Florida and Washington, the Panthers Kris Versteeg gave Alex Ovechkin a cheap-shot cross-check causing the Capital's Great Eight to take offense.  Gloves went flying and the waltz began.  Except it was really more like a waltz than anything else.

The two players spun in circles holding each other, and maybe a punch or 2 was thrown, but not really things NHL fight dreams are made of.


There was a roughing on Ovi and Versteeg and the cross-check on Kris, so not really a fight...but whatever...

Huge Win For The Caps

The Caps defeated the Florida Panthers for the second time in the past 11 days picking up a huge 2 points on the division leaders.  The Caps are now 1 back of the Maple Leafs and 2 back of the Panthers.  This was a big victory for the Caps, but we said that last week also after they beat the Panthers 4-0.  After that game they lost three straight.

The Alex connection each put in a goal in the 3rd period and I'm sure somewhere all the NBC announcers and analysts were crying and punching holes in walls.  I know I'm late on this but those NBC guys are annoying as hell.  "I never thought I'd see Alex Semin block a shot"  F You NBC.

The Caps had 30 shots through 2 periods and fired in another 11 in the 3rd period which is a good thing as they have been getting the puck towards the net a lot more than earlier in the year.  10 more days til the trade deadline...Is something gonna happen or are they gonna go with what they have?

I have a question.  I'm still saying I'm new to hockey so maybe I just don't get it.  The 2nd star of the game was Jose Theodore.  So hockey gives a player of the game award to a player that was the losing goalie who gave up 2 goals?  Sure almost 40 saves is a lot, but come on.  That's like giving the player of the game to the losing pitcher in a baseball game instead of the winning pitcher.

Avoid The Noive!

The Washington Capitals fell to 7 points behind the division leading Panthers after losing in Florida 5-4 on Monday Night. The game wasn't as close as it sounds as the Caps scored the 4th goal with under 2 minutes left in the game.

The Caps are down to a 1-3 record under new coach Dale Hunter, who for some reason decided to put Neuvy in goal instead of Tomas Vokoun who shut out the Panthers earlier in the season in a 3-0 Caps victory. I like my coaches making logical decisions instead of superstitious decisions.

The Panthers started off the first period strong scoring back to back goals 13 seconds apart early in the period. Later in the same frame Florida took the 3-0 lead (2 out of 3 on Power Plays) but the Caps came back less than a minute later on a Mike Knuble slapper coming down on the 3-2 break. The Caps had some hope heading to the locker room down 3-1.

In the 2nd period Neuvy decided he was going to play the goalie position outside of the crease. The first Florida goal (another Power Play) came when Neuvy dove for a puck and the biscuit went into the empty net as Mikey was somehow behind the goal. Later Neuvy was a few feet outside the right of the crease while the puck was on the left and the Panthers went up 5-1. The Caps got another glimmer of hope when Cody Eakin scored with 20 seconds remaining in the period.

The 3rd period was all Caps but it was way to late. Ovi was on the ice in what seemed like the entire period (double/triple shifting). Laich and Chimera scored in the final 10 minutes giving the Caps hope being down 5-4 with under 2 minutes to play but after a frenzy of shots the buzzer sounded and the rats rained down on the ice.

Erskine got in another fight which racked up an insane 17 penalty minutes. John and his 60+ NHL fights pounded Bracken Kearns in his 2nd NHL fight.

Notes & Questions:

• What was up with the Erskine penalties. Five minute major...that is normal for fighting. That means John & Kearns would sit out 5 minutes but the teams aren't a man down? However Erskine also picked up a 2 minute penalty for instigating, another penalty I never heard of before. That one was served by the Caps. Finally, that same play Erskine picked up a 10 minute misconduct penalty. What were those 2 other penalties for? Was Erskine out for 15 minutes? Do you sit in the box for majors or on the bench?
• Hockey players smile during games more than any other sport
• Florida's arena is a joke, it sounded like a library and looked like a minor league hockey game. Paul Newman should have played.
• Is the only way Holtby gets up from Hershey if an injury occurs?
• If a player is clearing from the D-Zone and it hits the goalie is that a shot? What if it goes in? Are shots a statistition's judgement call?

Panther Monday

On Monday night the Caps will travel to Florida to face the Panthers for a 7:30 tip-off. The Panthers have won 2 out of their last 3 and the Caps are coming off their first win under new coach Dale Hunter.

This is the splash screen on the Florida Panthers site. I'm pretty sure this isn't the "battle for first" unless this game is going to be a special game where the winner gets 6 points. However the Panthers are off to a surprising start as they finished last season in the bottom of the division with only 72 points and are currently on top with 32 points.

Also Update: Vokoun isn't playing. Hahahhahahaaaaaa. Buy tix to see Vokoun...on the bench! What a thrill!


The last time these 2 teams met the Caps and The Vokoun shut out the Panthers 3-0, part of their 7-0 start. Since then the Caps have struggled and the Panthers have climbed to the top of the division.


Alex Semin was out on Saturday night with some non-helpfully-described hockey injury, and is listed as day to day so not sure if he will be playing. I'm assuming Vokoun will be back in goal to face his old team after Neuvy picked up the win Saturday.

First Caps Game EVER!!! Honk. Honk. Honk!

OMG! I went to my first Caps game! It was amazing. It was crazy. It was worth a blog post. So many thoughts, so many feelings... But, I should probably start at the beginning of the story.

It started out randomly. An acquaintance asked me if I wanted to go to a Caps game. Although I wasn't a big fan of the guy, I decided "Why Not!". I immediately went to Twitter (@TheDugsMusic) and found out some of the intricate details of "Rocking the Red". The details were vague. Rock the red. You know like get red, and rock it. Ummm Ok.

After hearing this I knew what I had to wear... (as recommended by Caps basketball fashionista @lanaEile)

I put on my South Park undies, but that didn't feel complete. So I went down to the local sporting goods store and purchased a Caps shirt. I was gonna get a jersey-tee but I wasn't feelin having Semin written on the back of my shirt. My plain shirt would be just fine...

I have been to games at the Verizon Center probably 100 times, all Wizards games/Georgetown games/Wrestling pay per views/Disney on Ices. But this was my first Caps game. I didn't know what to expect.

And sadly Caps fans...This was my first vision. Two dudes sharing an ice cream cone in front of our seats. (Rockin the Sherbert?!)

I'm pretty sure those bros were totally cool, but I was getting a little worried. There were like 12 people in our section with backpacks. Adults with backpacks? That just ain't right.

The opening video got me all riled up and I was ready to go. Then within 1 minute of the opening period some jerk in the top row threw a beer as far as he could (like a baby) which went about only 14 rows down. It spilled on everyone below. We looked up and it was a guy with a blue grandma sweater and Weezer glasses on. He had not thrown a beer but a 6 oz Wine Spritzer. I guess he was upset they were serving Barefoot and not Yellowtail. I guess he wanted Pink Zinfendel but all they had was White!? I didn't think he was a typical Caps guy, but he was with a group of 20 other people in flannel shirts and backpacks (not rockin the red) and my first impression. Our section was the worst. Those guys had seen less hockey than me (4 games)!

After they threw the wine and security was on them, they became total "scaredy cats". I want to say bad words but people are actually reading this so I won't. But they stopped their BS (Bad Shenanigans). Oh by the way there was a hockey game, and the Caps scored first!

Another thing I noticed during the game also had nothing to do with the game. During the intermission where kids were doing a shootout I noticed something. None of the kids took a wide sweep to the left and then attacked from a crazy angle. And many of the kids scored! Gasp face! Ovi...did u see!

I will conclude the recap with these 2 idiots dressed as pucks. One of them got DQ'd for doing something illegal. I'm obviously kidding, I'm concluding with the fact that as I left the arena the Caps were 5-0. As we drove home horns on 395 honked 3 times, but NOW I knew what that meant.

LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Year I Won A Gold Medal & The Florida Panthers

Back in 2008, myself along with a few classmates of mine had the honor of representing the United States in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. We spent that summer hanging with Kobe Bryant, Carmelo, and 0 Washington Wizards. We were dominant on the basketball court. I must have thrown about 20 alley-oops in those games...At least this was according to Wikipedia at some point in time (and was up for like 4 days, our professor made us do it)...

So keeping that in mind, I found some interesting facts about Florida panthers on wiki. You can always tell a lot about a team by its mascot...

• Cam Newton is the Quarterback
• Florida Panthers are endangered, and lack the ability to roar (lame!)
• Most Florida Panthers weigh only 160lbs, should be easy to check them into the boards
• Florida Panthers eat deer and Wild Hogs (Dvd's?)
• 

• Florida Panthers are Cougars like Courtney Cox, which is so 2009 (everyone knows that Super-Grannies are in for 2012)
• One of the reasons to get NHL 94' (everyone really only cared about playing as the Mighty Ducks)
• Team was started by Blockbuster Video (off of the money we used to pay in late fees?)
• At some point in time was co-owned by Jordan Zimmerman (The Nats Pitcher?)

See! Look at all that exciting knowledge about Florida panthers. That information should be really relevant to the game tonight, especially in a metaphorical way.