Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers: Caps Play Well in a Shutout Win

The Washington Capitals are beginning to have that look. The look of a team that may be starting to hit their stride at just the right time. A team that is hampered by injuries to its star players but does not seem to be missing a stride.

Washington defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-0 last evening, and in the process pulled their power play off life support, saw several players reach career milestones and had several superstars continue hot streaks.

They also watched a once-promising first rounder return from injury to give a boost to an offense that so desperately needed it by scoring two goals.

Let us also not forget that another early 20s goaltender continues to make his case as the goalie of the future for a team that looks like Stanley Cup contenders instead of pretenders again.

In looking so dominant, many naysayers will point out that the Caps were playing the worst team in the NHL and that fans should not get so excited about beating the Edmonton Oilers. I say nonsense. Get excited, Caps fans. Your hockey team continues to work hard and tonight they received their reward, the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s not Washington's fault the NHL put the team with the lowest point total in the league on their schedule tonight. Washington did exactly what they were supposed to do to a young inexperienced team. They made them pay dearly for every mistake they made, corrected a few issues of their own and found some answers to some lingering issues with line combinations.

The Capitals needed this game and they deserved it as well. They needed it because their last eight wins have come by just one goal and they deserved it for much the same reason. 

They have now won six in a row and eight of their last 10, all by one goal. In each game, Washington was forced to play 60 minutes of tough, nail-biting hockey and in three contests, had to play longer than 60 minutes.

As a fan, it was nice to be able to breathe and go to the bathroom with five minutes remaining in the third period. The only stress involved late in the last night’s game was would Washington’s 21-year-old goalie Braden Holtby hold on to earn his first career NHL shutout.

He did, and in true cardiac Caps fashion, his team forced him to make what was perhaps his best save of the game with 30 seconds remaining in the contest. Holtby got the nod over the still groggy Michael Neuvirth, who left after one period on Monday when he took a hard shot off the mask.

Holtby played 45 minutes of shutout hockey on Monday and another 60 minutes last night. Combined with his previous call-up from the AHL's Hershey Bears, Holtby has consecutively played 122:18 of shutout hockey. In fact, Holtby has surrendered just three goals in his last 133 shots.

"It feels good," the 21-year-old goalie said. "It almost feels better to get the win after an emotional game in Tampa, just to come back and make sure the team played well."

The Capitals scored goals every way possible against Edmonton. They scored on odd man rushes, two-on-ones, give and gos and when they crashed the net. Both Alex's continued to play like the sleek Russian scoring machines they were in seasons past.

Ovechkin scored two goals and added a helper for a three-point night, extending his point scoring streak to six games. The Great 8 now has 17 points in his last 12 games.

Ovechkin's first goal of the game was the first of the night for Washington, which came with the extra man. It was Ovie's sixth PP goal of the year and first in DC this season.

Ovechkin had gone 39 games and 347 days between power play strikes at home.

“I think our power play finally worked,” Ovechkin said. “We scored two goals and we won the hockey game. I cannot remember scoring five goals in a game. It was a good night for us and a good night for the fans too.”

Ovechkin also recorded point No. 600 for his NHL career, a career that spans almost six seasons and 464 games. How extraordinary is that fact? Not to take anything away from the Caps' new center, Jason Arnott, but he recorded career point No. 900 when he assisted on Ovechkin's first goal. That milestone took Arnott 17 years and 1,166 games to accomplish.

Two great accomplishments for two great players and the fun did not stop there, as new Caps defensemen Dennis Wideman also hopped on the career milestone train last night. Wideman recorded his 200th point with the secondary assist on the Caps fifth goal of the game.

"It means a lot to Alex (600 points), I would think. I was glad to see it," Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It must have been something in the water. 200th point, 900th point, 600th point. It is all great stuff. I'm glad we got them out of the way; I hope if there's any other milestones we get them out of the way so guys don't press for things."

Alexander Semin also continued his hot two-way play. He extended his goal-scoring streak to three games, but even more impressive was Semin continued to play with passion in the corners and in his own zone. Semin now has 10 points in his last 11 games.

Then there was the return of Washington's 2003 first round draft pick, Eric Fehr. Fehr had missed the last 22 games with a bad shoulder. He looked healthy and ready in scoring two goals, marking his triumphant return. Fehr could be one of the missing pieces in the Capitals' power play puzzle.

His presence in front of the net was crucial on the Caps power play in this game. With the extra man, Fehr is usually camped in front of the opposition's goalie and that is exactly where he scored his ninth goal and third power play marker of the season last night.

Fehr contributed to the Caps' faceoff win and then took his place in front of Edmonton goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. He would poke home a rebound from a John Carlson shot, giving the Caps a 2-0 lead.

“I think it’s important for us to play well on the power play,” Fehr said. “It keeps other teams from playing aggressive.”

The consecutive power play goals by Ovechkin and Fehr was the first time in 43 games Washington scored multiple power play markers in the same game, the longest such drought in the history of the Washington Capitals. The Caps were 14-for-135 (10.4 percent) with the extra man in those 43 games and dropped to 26th in the NHL with the extra man.

Washington continued to play lock-down, shutout hockey on defense. The Oilers never sustained a constant threat and managed just five third period shots and 22 for the game. They had quality chances at times, but Holtby slammed the door and looked very comfortable doing so.

Ovechkin and Fehr traded tallies once more, staking Washington to a 4-0 lead. The Caps have not led by more than one goal in any game since blanking the Penguins on Feb 6 by a score of 3-0. The last time the Caps scored five goals on home ice was back on Dec 21 against the New Jersey Devils.

Ovechkin made it 3-0 early in the third period, converting a two-man rush with Marcus Johansson. Ovechkin, continuing his great two-way play, dove in the corner to keep the puck in the zone and then stripped Oilers defenseman Kurtis Foster of the puck at the Caps blue line as Foster tried to clear the zone.

Khabibulin became a spectator as his head swiveled left-to-right watching Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson pass the puck back and forth. Ovechkin ended his fellow compatriot’s misery and scored past him into the empty net.

Fehr made it 4-0 when he benefited from a poor Khabibulin decision to leave the net and play a loose puck. Jason Chimera beat Khabibulin to the puck and promptly passed the puck to Fehr for the easy score into the goalie-less net.

Alexander Semin scored the fifth and final goal on a similar play to that of Johansson's and Ovechkin's. Semin collected a long outlet pass from newcomer Dennis Wideman, and with another newcomer on his right wing, Marco Sturm, played give-and-go, beating Khabibulin for his 25th of the year.

The Caps are now 17-0 when Semin scores, and for the first time since acquiring Arnott, Wideman and Sturm, all three appeared on the score sheet with an assist against the Oilers last night.

Another career first occurred by a player that did not play in the game. Injured Caps center Nick Backstrom had to finally sit out due to his thumb injury.

Backstrom played in 313 consecutive regular season contests, the third-longest streak in the franchise’s 36-year history. Bobby Carpenter played in 422 consecutive contests for the Caps from the start of his career as an 18-year-old phenom on Oct. 7, 1981 through Nov. 22, 1986.

Filling in nicely for Backstrom on the first line was center Marcus Johansson. Brooks Laich moved back to center from his wing position and was solid in the contest, earning an assist, while Johansson played like a veteran with Ovechkin.

“What I thought was good was that Marcus played his game,” Boudreau said. “Usually when young guys get with Alex they feel obligated every time they touch the puck to give it to him (Ovechkin). And Marcus played his game and Alex fed off Marcus and that made it work a lot better.”

The Caps were handed the Edmonton Oilers at just the right time. The Caps should not make any apologies for beating them handily. Had Washington won by one goal or, even worse, lost, many would be citing what frauds the Caps are. Well, Caps fans, it appears many of us were wrong about Boudreau, myself included.

He may just have a plan for this year’s playoff run, and if they keep playing like this it could be a plan that runs into June.