The Caps did not get off to a great start tonight. They didn’t get great goaltending. Their top defenseman was on the ice for all three goals against — and was directly responsible for a shorthanded, game-tying goal against in the final period.
All that said, the Caps were able to salvage two points on this night because a) Nicklas Backstrom worked his magic, b) Mike Green redeemed himself and c) they were playing the worst team in the league.
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This is a game Carolina players probably feel like they should have won. Cam Ward made 36 saves and had a pretty nice night. The Hurricanes had a two-goal lead and it could have been more if not for a couple of missed one-timers. And yet they only earned a point because of Tim Gleason’s shorthanded goal after falling behind 3-2.
Here’s a few other notes/thoughts before it is time to go home and pack for Toronto:
* Gleason had 30 stitches put in his face, according to a Carolina team official. That’s a pretty courageous effort on his part, and to come back and score that goal was pretty sweet redemption for him.
* Mike Green was on the ice for six goals — three for and three against. He said he blacked out for a second after Andrew Alberts hit him in the face after he had passed the puck in the high slot. Let’s just say Green will want to aviod any bad turnovers/spotty work in his own end tomorrow night with the Caps on Hockey Night in Canada.
* Mathieu Perreault snapped an eight-game pointless streak. It was pretty impressive to see the young kid not try to force the puck to Alex Ovechkin when he went barrelling through the slamming his stick on the ice along the way. Turned out to be a nice decoy for Perreault to feed Tomas Fleischmann.
Perreault’s line (with Fleischmann and Eric Fehr) created a bunch of chances in the offensive end — but was also on the ice for the first two goals against. Fleischmann made a bad decision that helped lead to the 2-on-1 on the first goal.
* Bruce Boudreau broke up the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin troika before the game. He put them back together in the second period and they scored two goals. Some nights they are the best line in hockey. Other nights (like Wednesday night, for instance) they drive Boudreau nuts.
* Boudreau said there is “a very good chance” that Michal Neuvirth will start tomorrow night at the ACC. This was not Jose Theodore’s best night.
* Carolina has only one road win all season, but the Hurricanes have a win at Pittsburgh and an OTL here in their last three.
