Caps vs. Maple Thug Leafs 10-3-2009 Post-Mortem

We had something really pithy for this... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Ok, so A.O. won't score 164 goals this season (his pace after one game) but he is still on pace for 246 points after racking up 1 goal and two assists tonight. A.O. now has six points on the season and 426 in his career, tying him for with Kevin Hatcher 10th place on the Caps All-Time Points list. On Tuesday night he should tie Scott Stevens who is currently in 9th with 429 points.
• Chasing a goaltender after one period is always a nice thing, chasing him with 3 goals on your first 7 shots is even better.
• Not only do the Penalty Killers remain perfect on the season, going 3 for 3 tonight, they also for the second game in a row allow just one shot with a man in the box.

THE BAD:

• Down 5-1 in the second period, the Thug Leafs tried to goad John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles into a fight. To his credit, the slow-footed, dim-witted defenseman didn't take the bait like he did on Thursday night. However, on the Power Play that he drew, the Caps failed to convert.
• Once again the top line produced and once again they botched some nice chances by being too cute. We wonder how long it is going to take to catch up to them.
• Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson certainly didn't get much from the defense in front of them, but neither made big saves either for their team.

THE UGLY:

• Up 6-1 entering the third period, there's no excuse for giving up three goals and having to start to sweat the win out.
• Did sponsors insist upon an more sinister looking Slapshot?
• And speaking of fixing something that wasn't broken, why were new banners put up tonight and since when were our colors burgundy and blue? Oh, an good job on ironing the banners before putting them in the rafters too.

This year the Caps get to play in three home openers including their own. Tonight was an impressive start but the finish leaves a lot to be desired. Luckily there's another 80 games to refine the killer instinct.

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