Caps @ Canadiens 1-29-2008 Wrap Up

The Local Yokels:

(Com)Post. Times.

The Neutral Observers:

NHL.com AP Wire.

The Other Side:

The Gazette: Huet shines, clamping down, Bruce Boudreau's moment, not Gr8t every night.

Random Thoughts:

• I'll give you three guesses as to what the "John "Delay of Game" Erskine Bowles Boneheaded Play of the Game" was last night and the first two won't count.
• I think Boudreau had it exactly right, once again the team started to believe their press clippings and played with no urgency. While we've been getting praised for our run since Thanksgiving and now have a good shot at winning our division, we still haven't achieved anything yet.
• The game was over after Sergei Kostitsyn completed the shorthanded 2 on 0 with Tomas Plekanec to make the score 2-0. You could tell right then that Montreal was not letting us come back on them this time around.
• And speaking of the shorthanded goal, was it any surprise considering what we offer in terms of a Power Play unit?
• The next time Craig Laughlin points out a pick in the offensive zone like the one that Michael Ryder pulled to set up the game winning goal, remember that those types of plays are interference penalties that should be called as a part of the obstruction crackdown unless the player is not moving. But Ryder was moving and the goal shouldn't have been counted.
• Funny isn't it how now that he's signed to a 13 year, $124 million extension that the Montreal press is now trashing A.O. for his "effort" last night? No, he was not his usual dominant self last night but there were a lot of Caps that left a lot to be desired when it came to their effort. This is the kind of scrutiny he "passed up" when he signed on to stay in D.C. for the next 13 years instead of bolting for Montreal or Toronto.
• 51 down, 31 to go.