Power Plays and Pothier Put Capitals Over Lightning
WASHINGTON D.C. — Tampa Bay entered the Verizon Center on Friday with an abysmal 12 road wins on the season, yet it took blowing a 3-1 first period lead for the Washington Capitals to show up and perform like a team bound for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2009.04.27 Washington, D.C.: Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (#8) battles Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis (#26) at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. (OffWing Photo/Pete Silver).
Through tenacious neutral zone pressure the Lightning managed a 3-3 tie which remained unbroken until 15:30 remaining, when Defender Brian Pothier netted his first goal in over a year, which would be the game-winner. Pothier, who still performs daily exercises for his eyes following a near career-ending check against the boards in January of 2008, was given a standing ovation from the home fans.
“It’s been a while and really feels good,” Pothier said. “I had to hold back the emotion a little bit, but I feel like I’m contributing. To put one in and an important goal was pretty special.”
2009.04.27 Washington, D.C.: Washington Capitals’ Brian Pothier celebrates following his first goal of the season to break a 3-3 tie with 15:30 remaining against the Tampa Bay Lightning, at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. (OffWing Photo/Pete Silver).
2009.04.27 Washington, D.C.: Washington Capitals’ head coach Bruce Boudreau responds to questions about the emotional impact of Pothier’s return and what the Capitals must do to prepare for the Stanley Cup playoffs. (OffWing Photo/Pete Silver).
“I just told him 15 months is way too long in between goals,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “You just think of the mountain the man had to climb. If you guys knew the days he came in — he couldn’t even focus, and he just sat there and he’d bring his kids in and he’d walked around and he’d leave. He practiced for two straight months without getting cleared, and he worked so hard, and to see a little bit of success happen to him tonight was really uplifting.”
The Capitals (now 45-23-7) went on to beat the Lightning 5-3 after Ovechkin’s open-net goal at 6.3 seconds, his 53rd goal this season. Their next game is at the Verizon Center on Wednesday, April 1st, against the NY Islanders (25-41-8).
Home Sweet Home, Caps Get Win Over Tampa Bay, 7-4
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 1: David Steckel of the Washington Capitals celebrates following his goal against goalie Mike Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning during a NHL hockey game on January 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 1: Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and Adam Hall of the Tampa Bay Lightning struggle for control of the puck during a NHL hockey game on January 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 1: Goalie Mike Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning fails to make a diving save against Boyd Gordon of the Washington Capitals during a NHL hockey game on January 1, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
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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 Win Over Tampa Makes 6th Straight Win
The Caps moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with their win over the Lightning on Thursday, jumping a point ahead of idle Philadelphia. With one game left in the season, the caps are still hoping to gain a berth in the NHL playoffs.
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 3: Fans of the Washington Capitals celebrate after Alex Ovechkin’s 65th goal of the season during a NHL hockey game with the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 3, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 3: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates following his second goal of the night during a NHL hockey game with the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 3, 2008 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWingPhoto.com)
See more photos from the game soon by visiting our Photoshelter gallery or our Flickr gallery.
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Tampa Bay Lightning Roll-Over Caps, 5-2
Whew…I am happy to be out shooting again. I covered tonight’s game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here are a couple of shots that we published over at OffWing.
Here is one of Tomas Fleischman scoring. I chose this over the other two because it more clearly identifies him despite his stick is hiding the puck. I had a couple of others, one with the puck in the air and another in the net but without Tomas in the picture.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: Tomas Fleischman of the Washington Capitals scores a goal against Johan Holmqvist of the Tampa Bay Lightning during a NHL hockey game on November 10, 2007 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing)
Honestly there wasn’t a lot out on the ice to shoot tonight, not that many shots on goal and a 4 minute Cap penalty late in the third period which slowed the game down.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: Goalie Johan Holmquvist of the Tampa Bay Lightning prevents a goal by the Washington Capitals during a NHL hockey game on November 10, 2007 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Allen Clark/OffWing)
