It was the kind of game NBC dreamed of. High scoring, the game's biggest stars scoring, OT...fantastic.
The Caps started out really sluggish. Looked like last year's playoff series against the Penguins. We just looked outhustled and outplayed which is uncharacteristic of the way this team has been playing. To make things worse, Crosby scored the first two goals and the Penguins looked really energized.
The thing is unlike last year, I didn't feel too worried. I felt like we were the better team and we would turn things around. To start the second period, Ovie took a great head man pass and finished off a breakaway to make it 2-1. The Caps looked a little better but found themselves giving up two more goals making the score 4-1. The Caps had a number of great opportunities but either just missed or tried to make the extra pass/move and couldn't punch it in. I was saying that the Caps will need to get one score before the end of the period if they want to stay in this thing. Eric Fehr had a great individual effort taking it down the left side and shooting a wrister that Fleury stopped but Fehr was able to punch in the rebound making it 4-2. Unfortunately the Caps took two late penalties at the end of the second that gave Pittsburgh a lengthy 5-3. We killed off half of it to end the second period.
To start the third, we still had to kill off the rest of those penalties and I was thinking if the Pens score, it's game over. Fortunately, we killed off the rest of the penalties. It energized the crowd and the team. The thing about this Caps team is when they turn it on, they are amazing. It's like they just they just move into another gear and can do what they want out there. I suppose they Unleash the Fury (okay, that was kind of silly). Ovie ended up scoring two more goals in Ovie fashion and the stadium was rocking.
Game ended up in OT and with about 3 minutes left, the Penguins took a high sticking penalty so it was 4-3. Ovie took a one timer from the point and it looked like it went in but it rattled off the inside of the post but Knuble was right there to stuff it in. GAME OVER!!! GREAT WIN!!!!
Once again, Ovie showed why he is the greatest player in the world. The other thing is by Knuble getting that game winner, it shows exactly why McPhee had the smarts to bring this guy in. All last year, we were lacking that guy that would stand in front of the goalie and mix it up and do that grunt work. That is what Knuble does and that game winner was exactly why he was brought in here. He is one of the pieces we were sorely missing last year but we are now a much more complete and dangerous team.
That's 14 in a row now. We have the third longest streak in history and only need three more wins to tie the longest streak held by none other than the Penguins.
LET'S GO CAPS!!!
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