Washington Capitals Win 9th Consecutive Game Despite Mounting Injuries

Of the eight previous wins during the Washington Capitals' now nine-game winning streak, last evening's 4-2 triumph over the hot Montreal Canadians was undoubtedly their most impressive.

If there was a game you did not expect to see the Caps win, as a fan, last night appeared to be that game. That is the difference in this year’s team over the last three years. They, too, would have expected to lose, but against many odds, this year’s squad has a different mindset and played a great game.

The win pulled the Caps back to within one point of the Eastern Conference lead, behind the Philadelphia Flyers.

Montreal was 7-3 over their last 10 games entering last night's contest with Washington. The Canadians have also served as winning streak busters to the Capitals in the past. Last season the Habs ended the Caps franchise best 14-game winning streak with a 6-5 overtime win.

Already without defensive leader Mike Green and All-World center Nicklas Backstrom, Washington played last evening without center Jason Arnott. Arnott acquired at the trade deadline from the New Jersey Devils missed last night's game. Arnott did not travel with the team and is listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.

Even without the Caps' two top centers, the position was still the top spot on the ice in Montreal last evening. Rookie Marcus Johansson has stepped up to fill in on the first line and has been on fire.

Johansson scored two goals in last night’s contest to extend the Capitals' winning streak to nine games. Johansson has not been the only center to step up his game in Backstrom’s absence. Brooks Laich, who moved from wing to center when Backstrom went down also scored last evening.

Since stepping up and moving over, Johansson (2, 3) and Laich (2, 2), have combined to score four goals while adding five assists, totaling nine points.

The Capitals took the early 1-0 lead when Dennis Wideman dumped a puck into Montreal’s zone. The puck hit the bottom of the boards and bounced right in front to Marcus Johansson who deposited the gift into the net just 1:06 into the game. Carey Price left the crease to play the dump-in but was defenseless after the bounce.

The goal was actually a power-play tally and coupled with the PP marker, the Caps would score later in the game, giving Washington some hope with the extra man. The Caps are now 5-for-14 with the extra man over their last four games and in the process have jumped up to 19th in the NHL.

After going a franchise record 43 games without scoring multiple PP goals in a game, the Caps have scored two PP markers in two of their last four contests.

Braden Holtby, the 21-year-old netminder for the Capitals started his fourth consecutive game and received an assist on the marker. The first of what may be many in his NHL career considering how Holtby likes to handle the puck.

The assist by Holtby was the first for a Caps goalie since Jose Theodore assisted on an Alexander Semin goal back on March 30 of last season.

However, Holtby's puck-handling skills or lack thereof on the Canadians first goal would prove to betray him. Holtby, who admittedly got off to a rough start last evening, failed to completely get back into the crease after trying to clear a puck and the Canadians Travis Moen scored to tie the game.

Brooks Laich put the Caps ahead 2-1 on what was the best-looking goal of the night. The Caps from behind their own net, executed a perfect two-pass breakout. Defenseman John Carlson hit blue linemate Karl Alzner, who took three strides and hit a streaking Brooks Laich in the neutral zone.

Laich turned on the jets and beat two Habs defenseman down the right wing. He then took a sharp angle to the net forcing Carey price to overcommit, Laich patiently held up, skated by and scored on his forehand into the empty net.

In speaking to the media following the victory Laich said, "Those two guys being out (Backstrom and Arnott) one, somebody’s got to pick up the slack, but also it’s an opportunity for somebody else. You get a little more ice and you try to make the most of it.”

Last night appeared as if it would be a game very similar like the four Washington lost to Montreal in the playoffs last season. The Capitals spent a lot of time in Montreal’s zone, dominated in the shot column (41-26) but could not seem to cash in when they needed to most.

Matt Hendricks scored a goal in the first period that was ruled, for some strange reason, not to be a goal. Even if the goal was not allowed to stand, the Caps should have been awarded a penalty shot, as the Canadians were responsible for knocking the net off its moorings while the puck was in the crease.

Washington also failed to cash in on a two-man advantage late in the first period, which allowed Montreal to steal the momentum and tie the game early in the second period.

Montreal's tying goal again appeared to be a shot that Holtby should have handled.  Andrei Kostitsyn fired a wrist shot high on Holtby's glove side from the high slot beating the young netminder and tying the game.

Holtby who finished with 24 saves and gained his fifth straight victory had this to say about the first two goals, “I got off to a bit of a rough start, a bad decision on my part. It could have easily been six or seven goals if my defense wouldn’t have been so good with passes across on odd-man rushes and what-not. The credit goes all to them tonight.”

The Caps kept coming despite Carey Price's best efforts to stop them. Price's performance was sensational. He held Washington scoreless in the middle frame and had already accumulated 33 saves before the drop of the puck to start the third period.

How great has Price been this season? He has been named the Habs player of the month for four out of the five months the award has been given out this season.

While Washington needed 35 shots through two periods to score two goals, they would require only six shots in third period to win the game. Unlike last year in the playoffs, when they were rattled by Jaroslav Halak's performance in net, the Caps remained patient against Price, and that patience paid off 6:43 into the final frame.

Again, on a designed breakout play, Marcus Johansson hit Alex Ovechkin on a wing-to-wing pass. Ovechkin, with the puck, forced his way into the Habs zone, eventually losing control after being slowed by PK Suban.

The puck would bounce off the boards and right back to Ovechkin, who backhanded a pass to the trailing Johansson, who backhanded the pass into the net for the eventual game-winning goal. 

The two-goal night was Johansson's 10th and 11th of the season. After having his seven-game point-scoring streak snapped in Sunday's win against the Blackhawks, Alex Ovechkin now has 12 points in his last nine games.

Mike Knuble converted a pass from Marco Sturm after a 2-on-1 odd man rush provided the insurance. Knuble, a 14-year veteran, now has 17 goals this season and goals in two straight games. He is also riding a mini three-game points-scoring streak.

With the two goals, the Capitals have now outscored the opposition 73-47 in the final stanza this season. While their 43 goals in the first period remains the lowest total in the NHL, their 73 in the third is good for seventh in the league.

There may be more bad injury news from last night's game. Washington right wing Eric Fehr left the game early in the second period and did not return. Fehr just returned on Friday from a 22-game absence due to a shoulder injury.

Washington is now an amazing 34-0-3 when scoring at least three goals and 23-3-4 when scoring at least one power-play goal. Washington continues to remain strong in the face-off circle even without Dave Steckel and Nicklas Backstrom.

The Caps won 30-of-57 faceoffs last night and have won at least 50 percent of its faceoffs in 43 of their last 57 games. They are third in the league and first in the Eastern Conference in faceoff winning percentage.

The nine-game winning streak is the third longest in franchise history and longest since winning 14 in a row last season. The Capitals are now 12-2-0 in their last 14 games and have now won six straight road games, tying a franchise record. With a win in Detroit tonight, the Caps can set the franchise mark for consecutive road wins, which dates back to the 1983-84 Caps.