Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Just One of those Days

Canadiens 4, Capitals 0

Everyone’s had those days where nothing seems to go right and last night was one for the Capitals. When in the first 21 minutes alone you’ve given up a goal that came when your team went shorthanded because of quite possibly the worst rule in the history of the NHL, given up two goals that came as a result of opposing players getting out of the box at just the right moment and hit the post the post twice in the other team’s end, it’s just not your night.

Unfortunately for the Capitals they ran into a particularly bad opponent to be up against when the breaks don’t go your way early as the Canadiens lived up to their reputation and stifled the Capitals’ attack after going ahead early. I don’t mean to suggest the Capitals deserved to win last night because they didn’t play particularly well. They did, however, play well enough that they should have had at least a chance to come back and win and didn’t deserve to be buried by the first intermission.

This game also underlined the importance Shaone Morrisonn to the Capitals as John Erskine, Morrisonn’s replacement alongside Mike Green, was -1 and took three unnecessarily penalties. Morrisonn has been the most consistent Capital defender in his own end this season and no one is feeling his impact more than his defensive partner Green, who has had zero points and is a -4 in the games Morrisonn has missed after putting up 14 points and a +3 in the nine game before Morrisonn’s injury.

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