Caps vs. Ning 12-26-2007 Post-Mortem

Well, it got the job done... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• David "Ning Killer?" or "Bolt Cutter?" Steckel seems to be the secret weapon for us against the Ning. A goal and two assists tonight and all three goals this season have come against the Ning. Too bad we only have three more games against them this season and will have fewer meetings in the future against divisional opponents. (I think I'm going with "Bolt Cutter")
• The Caps were charged with one penalty tonight. Of course I saw about four or five other penalties we took that didn't get called but keeping the Ning off the Power Play tonight certainly helped.
• 32 shots on goal versus 20 allowed. You should win more games than you lose with that kind of ratio.

THE BAD:

• Though 14 blocked shots and 15 missed shots tonight.
• Both teams looked like they had a little too much egg nog over the Christmas break with their play to start the game tonight. It wasn't until the Ning scored that both teams woke up.
• All kinds of stickwork from Vincent Lecavalier went uncalled. I also noticed that the Ning were double teaming the forwards on the top two lines all night, but for whatever reason, we couldn't find the open man to get him the puck.

THE UGLY:

• The Power Play once again shines through going o for 4. Why is it that A.O. and Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green spend almost the entire two minutes at the point even when the second set of forwards come out? You mean to tell me we don't have anybody else who can play the point on the Power Play?
• While the Bolt Cutter had an offesnive outburst that earned him first star, the real first star for the Caps was Ning goaltender Karri Ramo. How we only scored three goals on him is amazing to me because of all the rebounds and loose pucks he was leaving out there. It is a testament to the fact that we weren't driving the net hard enough. Sorry Ning fans, that guy isn't the answer you're looking for in goal.
• Admittedly, I'd be willing to give Olie Kolzig the benefit of the doubt on the second goal he allowed to the Ning. However with the soft goal he gave up in the first period and his play of late, he isn't getting it. As a matter of fact, every shot the other team takes now is an adventure because you just aren't sure that Kolzig is going to stop it. I can only imagine what the Caps feel like.

This was the type of game that until a month ago now, we would have lost and lost badly. A slow start compounded by a soft early goal allowed would have led to the Caps getting run out of their own building. But instead they were able to win the NHL's Pillow Fight of The Night and beat the team with the worst road record. It's a start but I don't think we'll win many more games like this.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!