What can I say about last night's game between the Capitals and Islanders? Words like improbable, impossible, exciting and thrilling come to mind, but I've decided to pass on using any of those adjectives to categorize last nights contest.
I've decided to use a noun; reminder.
The definition of reminder is as follows; a person or thing that serves to remind.
The Capitals certainly aren't a thing, but they are a group of person's that reminded their fan base and the rest of the hockey world last night how good they aren't.
Washington fell behind by three goals twice in the second period to a team that is next to last in the Eastern Conference standings and have a goal differential of minus-47.
For the first two periods last night, the Islanders routinely beat the Capitals to pucks and had more traffic in front of Michael Neuvirth then Washington could have hoped to have had in front of Evgeni Nabokov.
Nabokov was so untouched through the first two periods he needed a five hour energy pill to prevent himself from falling asleep.
It wasn't until Alex Ovechkin's goal with 53 seconds left in the second period did the Capitals start getting traffic in front of Nabokov.
Ovechkin's second goal which tied the game with 9:45 to play was the result of him chasing the puck to the net and not giving up.
The Capitals constantly talk about getting in traffic in front of the opposing net and doing the workmen-like things they will need to do in order to successful in the spring.
They did some of those things in their two wins this past weekend and stated they feel they have finally turned the corner on their season.
But, for two periods last night against one of the worst teams in the league, the Capitals fell back on the same lazy, "we have more talent then you" mindset they have had for the last four years.
One game is certainly not enough to judge, but for a team that has struggled all season long to say they have turned the corner and then get outworked by an inferior team doesn't suggest they have made any improvements.
Maybe the improvement is they can come back from a three-goal deficit instead of a two-goal one.
I say there is no improvement.
Same old story.
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