Everybody Loves the Caps! (Except the Pens)
- Thursday, February 4, 2010 11:23 PM
- Written By: Josh Marks
The best part about the Washington Capitals' 12-game winning streak? How much fun they are having.
I mean, how could you not love Alex Ovechkin's gap-toothed childlike grin after wrongly thinking he had scored a hat trick in the third period of a 6-5 comeback win over the New York Rangers at MSG tonight.
This is a loose bunch and that spells trouble for whoever their opponent is on any given night. I seriously thought the Caps would lose this one since they broke the franchise record by beating the Bruins in Boston Tuesday night so a letdown was inevitable. But not this team, not this year. These Capitals are different.
Contrast the fun-loving Caps with the serious-as-steel Pittsburgh Penguins and their straight-faced captain Sidney Crosby. The Pens might have won the Stanley Cup last year, but where was the joy in doing it? Let's just face it -- win or lose the Caps have more fun and that is something to celebrate.
The Caps even won over a New York Rangers fan tonight. This is a comment posted on the Washington Post message board after the game:
nan_lynn wrote:
From this native N'Yawker & long-time Rangers fan - who found herself unabashedly cheering for the guys in the (away) white jerseys tonight - GO CAPS!!!
2/5/2010 12:52:46 AM
Perhaps the moment she was converted came at the end of the second period when Ovechkin scored one of his signature jaw-dropping goals for his 500th career point, becoming only the ninth player to reach that milestone in his fifth season.
Here is the video of the highlight-reel goal:
Other notes from a busy night in the NHL:
The Atlanta Thrashers traded high-flying Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, junior prospect Patrice Cormier and New Jersey's first-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Kovalchuk was set to enter free agency after eight years with Atlanta. He was drafted as the No. 1 pick in 2001 and became the face of the franchise so it must have been difficult to part ways. The Thrashers will be getting a solid blueliner in Oduya while the Devils hope Kovalchuk will spark their slumping offense.
The Caps aren't the only streaking team in the NHL. The Ottawa Senators are riding an 11-game winning streak after their 3-1 victory over Vancouver tonight. The first star was goalie Brian Elliot who stopped 29 shots for his ninth consecutive victory.
The Los Angeles Kings are also red-hot as the team tied a franchise record with their eighth straight win by beating the Ducks 6-4 at Staples Center tonight. Like the Sens, the Kings are also riding a hot goalie as Jonathan Quick has been in net for all the victories. L.A. can break the franchise record when they host the Detroit Red Wings this Saturday afternoon.
