Caps @ Buffaslugs 3-5-2008 Post-Mortem

No hangover here... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Two more goals for A.O. who is now 10 points behind Dmitri Kristich for 18th place on the Caps All-Time Scoring list. Kristich posted exactly 300 points over 419 games in two tours of duty with the Caps. A.O. also now has 54 goals on the season and is within sight of Dennis Maruk's Caps single season record of 60. With 14 games left, it isn't too far out of the question for A.O. to get to 70 but should he get to 64, he'll tie Kelly Miller for 10th (162 goals) on the Caps All-Time Goal Scoring list.
• Olie Kolzig had another decent game but it is also becoming clearer to me that the defense is maturing in front of him as a number of rebounds were swept out of harm by them which is accounting for his improved play of late. You could say that it is fitting for the defense to bail Kolzig out here late in the season as a small payback for Kolzig bailing them out during the first two seasons after the lockout. Kolzig now needs just one more win to reach 300.
• It's always nice as a matter of general principle to beat the Buffaslugs.

THE BAD:

• The Comcast Sportsnet Crew tonight trying to spin George McPhee getting a third goaltender at the deadline by noting the injury to Cristobal "WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE" Huet and saying, "what a relief it is to have three goaltenders because you never know when one will get hurt." While that's true, which goaltender was the one who got hurt? The goaltender we picked up at the deadline. You could also spin it as, "the goaltender acquired at the deadline has gone down to injury leaving the Caps in a lurch."
• John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles had his monthly good game tonight which means he'll play in the next ten games and get progressively worse in each one because of the "confidence" he gained tonight.
• Carolina beats Atlanta so no ground gained tonight.

THE UGLY:

• Watching Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz on the breakaway in the first period tonight. We can cut him a break because he's a stay-at-home defenseman but that only makes it even uglier to watch because he didn't know what to do.
• Tonight's John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles Bonehead Play of the Game goes to Milan Jurcina for trying to deflect a Buffaslug pass into his own net in the third period. Luckily Kolzig made the save but we don't need to give the Buffaslugs any own goals.
• I'd like to thank Eric Furlatt and Chris Lee for waiting over 59 and a half minutes tonight before finally deciding to call a penalty on the Buffaslugs. It wasn't as if they didn't have many chances to call a penalty on the Buffaslugs but numerous picks and hooks were left uncalled tonight where I didn't see the Caps getting away with very much tonight.

With the mentioned Carolina win over Atlanta, this was a game that the Caps needed to win and once again, they played a solid game for 60 minutes and took advantage of a tired team. No they didn't score ten goals like they did on Monday night but they didn't have to. While it's nice to beat the Buffaslugs we still haven't won anything yet and we need to guard against overconfidence because am I the only one who remembers that foolish talk of Stanley Cup after just the third game of the season?

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