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Tonight's game would have been extremely frustrating if it resulted in a loss. Fortunately for the Caps, Tomas Fleischmann decided to build onto his newfound reputation as a clutch performer, and the escaped with a win.

It's still a little frustrating anyway.

While many Caps fans love to argue with opposing fans about the value of Mike Green, there are some nights that just make his detractors look smart. Tonight was definitely one of those nights. While Greener potted two goals on the power play and looked confident in the offensive zone, he made some extremely questionable decisions in his own end (one that led directly to a Carolina goal). Either way, it wasn't exactly the type of defense that you'd love to see from your first place team heading towards the playoffs. By no means is this reason to slam the panic button, but it certainly leaves the Red Army a bit uneasy.

There were some good things to take out of tonight's game, even if defense wasn't one of them, so let's take a look:

• We started this post with defense, so I'll hit that first. While the top pairing was a little shaky in their own end (-2 combined), the second pairing showed some solid stickwork and managed to hold their own all night. Joe Corvo recovered quite nicely after a rough outing against Dallas.
• Not only did the second pair play a solid game, but the third pairing was impressive as well. John Carlson was as steady as anyone could ask from a rookie, and Shaone Morrisonn handed out seven (!) hits. I think Mo's trying to make up for that ugly turnover a few nights back.
• When Alex Semin walks in on a breakaway, don't you just assume he buries it now? Stop snickering in the back...I'm not talking about a shootout.
• I thought Jose Theodore was outstanding despite giving up three goals on the night. Obviously his defense hung him out to dry several times, but Theo came up big on several odd-man rushes and on a penalty shot. His rebound control was really solid the whole night.
• Scott Walker had a nice debut last week, but it's really hard to believe that he's going to get a sweater over Eric Fehr when the games start to really matter.
• Speaking of scratches, I thought the Caps really missed Jason Chimera on the forecheck. He's not an offensive powerhouse, but his speed helps the Caps generate (and maintain) possessions in the offensive zone.
• Eric Belanger was brought here to kill penalties and win faceoffs. If he's going to lose 8 out of 9 draws, we might as well put Flash at center.
• I'm glad to hear that the fans cheered for Brian Pothier tonight. He was definitely a class act throughout his time in D.C., and it's sad to see him having to gut out the rest of the season for a last-place team. I wasn't quite as happy to hear that fans were whooping as he carried the puck. C'mon guys. In fairness, he was pretty rough on Carolina's first two power play opportunities.
• Think Matt Bradley wants to sit in the press box any more? Four hits and four shot attempts say otherwise.
• Alex Ovechkin's hit parade after Ruutu put Nick Backstrom on his butt was a thing of beauty. That's what captains are for.

Hero of the Night

Mr. Game-Winner, Tomas Fleischmann.

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