[AP Recap – Game Summary – Event Summary]
When Shaone Morrisonn got whistled for a boarding major half-way through a penalty kill with a one-goal lead and a tick over five minutes left on the clock, one or two things ran through the minds of fans across Caps Nation: first and foremost, “Doom is imminent;” second, and slightly more nuanced, “At least Shaone Morrisonn isn’t going to be around to not kill these penalties.”
Luckily, the Caps did have David Steckel, and David Steckel was a god for the better part of five minutes, including blocking a shot on the 5-on-3 (Florida didn’t get a single shot on goal during the 1:05 they were up two men) and another on the 5-on-4, and pressuring the puck at the point like we haven’t seen a Caps forward do in quite some time. Steckel’s effort late – along with those of Boyd Gordon, Tom Poti, Karl Alzner and, of course, Jose Theodore – sealed the deal for the Caps.
Some thoughts on the game:
The Caps will now embark on a three-game road trip that will take them to New York City and both stops in Florida (expect Michal Neuvirth‘s first NHL start to come in one of those games) with a big lead in the Division, the League’s leading goal scoring forward and defenseman, and a team that, for the most part, seems to be back on track after Thursday night’s derailment. Of note, they’ll likely leave D.C. with eight defensemen on the roster… will they return with as many? Stay tuned.