Washington Capitals Battle Buffalo Sabres 2-0 in Memory of Abe Pollin
By Pete Silver
OffWing Opinion
WASHINGTON D.C. (November 25) — Semyon Varlamov, the Washington Capitals 21-year-old goaltender, recorded his first regular-season shutout by making 25 saves against the Buffalo Sabres in a 2-0 victory Wednesday night that was completed without the Capitals’ star Alex Ovechkin, following a third period ejection for a hard shoulder check called boarding and resulting game misconduct at 3:38.
Defenseman Mike Green (#52) cuts off a pass from Buffalo Sabres’ forward Michael Grier (#25). (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)
“You lose the most prolific scorer on the planet Earth, which is tough,” said Capitals’ defenseman Brian Pothier. “But you have to kill a 5-minute penalty. As Ovie’s skating off the ice, we’re telling him, ‘We’ve got this one for you.’ He does so much for our team. Every night, he bails us out. We could sure do it for him.”
Ovechkin put the Capitals up 1-0 at 6:24 of the first period, his 17th of the season. Shots came slowly, both teams playing aggressive, trapping defense. There were no penalties in the first two periods.
Alex Ovechkin (#8) scores in the first period to put the Capitals up 1-0 over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)
Eric Fehr scored the Capitals’ second goal with 6:22 in regulation, redirecting Brendan Morrison’s centering pass.
Foward Eric Fehr (#16) scores at 6:22 of the third period, sealing the Capital’s 2-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. (Pete Silver/OffWingPhoto.com)
Prior to the singing of the National Anthem, there was moment of silence in memory of Mr. Abe Pollin, Capitals owner from 1974 to 1999, who used his own money to build Verizon Center and revitalized the Washington D.C. Chinatown area, along with numerous other real estate improvement projects around the District. Pollin died Tuesday at the age of 85 from a rare brain disease. Funeral services were held Friday and a public memorial service is scheduled on Decemeber 8th at Verizon Center.
Click below for a slideshow of images from Thursday night’s game and more from OffWing Photo.
Washington Caps Stuff Atlanta Thrashers
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Eric Fehr of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates following his goal during a NHL hockey game with the Atlanta Thrashers on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 26: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals flies over goalie Ondrej Pavelec of the Atlanta Thrashers during a NHL hockey game on November 26, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
More photos after the jump.
Capitals Beat Lightning, Kolzig 4-2
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: With Olie Kolzig watching, Michael Nylander looks for an open teammate. Kolzig was the focus of tonight’s game, returning to the Verizon Center for his first game since signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: Kolzig received a warm welcome from the Washington fans, but his former teammates kept the pressure on, taking 30 shots on goal. Kolzig, who spent the last 16 seasons with Washington, holds the record for most games played with the franchise, according to the Capitals. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)
Caps Top Predators 4-3 in Shootout
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 29: Michael Nylander scores the winning goal in a shootout against the Nashville Predators to break a 3-3 tie. Semin scored in the second round of the shootout, but the Predators evened the score immediately after. (Photo by Kate McGovern/OffWingPhoto.com)
