Sometimes skilled teams come in waves, and other times, they get flustered and can't do a thing for stretches at a time. Two weeks ago, no one could stop the Capitals offense, and last week it seemed like everyone could. Tonight, the Caps stormed out of the gate with three two first period goals, and ran away from the Avalanche with another three tallies in the second. It was a classic case of skill vs. youth, and skill often wins those battles.

Sometimes it just helps to see a new team on a new rink to get a group of guys going. The Caps rode that, along with some "secondary" scoring on their way to a route in the Mile High City. There were a lot of good things happening for the visitors tonight, so let's get to them:

• I noticed that the Avs ribbon video boards said "This is Pepsi Center" during the Anthem and intros. The Soda Can had nothing on Sparta tonight...and probably less people after the second period.
  
• Hell of a first shift for the Flash-Wison-Fehr line. They did just what was needed on the road to start a game...bring energy and create a solid scoring chance. Fortunately for Flash, the puck went in.
• Jose Theodore looked pretty sharp early and absolutely robbed Chris Stewart on the doorstep in the first period.
• Brads did a spectacular job along the boards to get a shot off that ultimately led to Steckel's goal.
• I can't argue with the design of the Avalanche third jerseys, but man did they show some major pit stains. Adam Foote needs some serious antiperspirant.
• How freaking good was Kyle Wilson tonight? The kid buzzed around the ice and made beautiful reads. He certainly earned his call-up on his 25th birthday. Tomas Fleischmann appreciates the presents.
• I thought the Caps did a great job of clogging up the slot and passing lanes with sticks throughout the defensive zone. The Avs certainly had opportunities in front of Jose Theodore, but they didn't get a lot of cracks in terms of rebound chances.
• It was pretty fluky, but does any player ever deserve his goals more than Matt Bradley? It seems like his good karma always follows him around.
• There weren't any points where I felt that the Avalanche were really outworked by the Caps, but it was obvious that they're still a VERY young team. I'd equate it to a Great Dane that has yet to grow into its paws.
• Anyone that considers Ovechkin a pure goal-scorer with minimal playmaking ability is absolutely crazy. He had four or five beautiful passes that could have set up goals tonight, and it's even more amazing when you consider the kind of curve he plays with on his stick.
• A lot of people wondered why John Erskine got a sweater tonight, but it was nice to have him after Greenie took a nice face-first shove into the boards by David Koci late in the second. Hot Pockets scraped out a +3, but did manage to fall down quite a few times on his own throughout the night.
• The Alexes had a combined ONE shot on goal after the first two periods, and the Caps led by five. Weird.
• Nice to see future captain Brooks Laich do whatever it takes to win. He can add "fill-in defensemen" to his resume now. Colorado's tactic of eliminating every DC blueliner did not spell success on this night. Jeff Schultz and Karl Alzer also get a little extra fist bump for the way they played when FOUR of their blueline comrades were unavailable during one particular third period penalty kill.
• The last cross-checking call on Schultz immediately following the Colorado goal was an absolute joke. Theo was interfered with throughout the night and never saw the benefit of a call. On that same penalty kill, Karl Alzner had to push a pile out of the crease, not unlike an offensive lineman pushes a sled.
  

Kudos Go To:

Birthday Boy Kyle Wilson. Solid debut on a night when a lot of people deserved a lot of compliments.

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Comments (1)

tdbowles said:

	... Wilson was amazing for playing for the 1st time. if the Caps win it all thsi year, the are really going to beceom the envy of the league since they are seemlessly able to send down one AHL star and bring up another who fits in perfectly. i mean Wilson took Perreault's spot centering the 3rd line and played great. keep it up boys
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December 16, 2009 | url
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