Caps look to tie series in Game 2

The Washington Capitals hope to see this first round series turn back in their favor tonight at the Verizon Center against the visiting Montreal Canadiens. The Caps lost game one of a potential seven game series in overtime when Habs Tomas Plekanec scooted around Capitals Defensemen Shaone Morrisonn and Joe Corvo, and fired a shot out of the reach of Goalie Jose Theodore.



Compelling that is was Plekanec who waged a war of words with Theodore, a former star goalie for the Habs. Nothing like a little rivalry to spark interest, but the Caps needs to keep their wits about them, stay out of the box, and focus on the little things that make them the NHL’s best team. An 8th seed in the East does not a typical Stanley Cup winner make, so it will take the amazing skills of goalie Halak to keep them in the running over the next week when a frustrated and hungry Capitals team takes the 3rd and 4th games on the road to Montreal. The Habs have the 2nd best Power Play in the league, just behind the Caps.

Left without a single shot on goal was Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin. Always one to shoulder the blame, Ovechkin admitted that he didn’t have good game, but he is not the sole reason the Caps lost this first match-up. The typical first line of Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble was shuffled a bit, and Center Brendan Morrison sat out as a healthy scratch with Backstrom, Belanger, Steckel, and Gordon sharing the Center duties. Boyd Gordon is just recently returning from an injury, and Morrison is expected to play tonight.