In game blogging 10/6/07

What better way to start off the season than with a little in-game blogging?

Period 1
Anyone out there want to politely explain to me why the thrashers all yell "NIGHT!" during the National Anthem? It's like they were looking for something to yell and that was the best they could come up with. Or maybe they are all Texas Tech fans . . .

Kari Lehtonen had a GAA of .5 during the preseason? Yipes. It's a good thing those games don't count . . . he looks downright afraid of Ovy every time he gets the puck.

And Nylander gets the first goal of the season, while Backstrom picks up his first point on the helper. Ovy starts off the season with a goal in his rookie year, Becks with a helper in his first game . . .a portent of things to come for Mr. Backstrom?

And just like that, Erksine scores his first ever non-empty net goal as a Cap. I still think Clark should have gotten a helper on that play. The NHL needs to review these things to make them more accurate.

It was great to see the 4th line cycling the puck, but even better to see them generating offense off that cycle. If only Brashear could finish.

Would someone explain to me why Pettinger took a 2 minute penalty for getting cross-checked? That call reeked of "time to call one for the home team." And immediately afterwards, Lehtonen played the puck in the forbidden corner, and there was no call. Whoops.

Well the Caps mostly killed off the penalty, so it's back down for period 2 . . .

Period 2
Uncle Gary stops by, and doesn't embarrass himself for the most part until Locker and Joe B ask him about the salary cap and he starts with them buzzwords like "partnership" and "salary range."

I still don't understand why a team can crosscheck a player on top of their own goalie, and have the penalty be on the guy that got crosschecked, but it happens again, this time to Clark.

Poti and Green seem to be a great pair out there on the PP, I just worry about them at even strength.

Johnny needs to learn to stay in the crease, and Mikey G shows his pond hockey skills in the net.

Johnny needs to work on his fundamentals as well, as that goal was a complete joke. The team can't work as hard as it does to let you give up goals like that, come on.

The 5 on 3 looked good, except for it's inability to finish. Caps still up after 2, but the Thrash seem to have all the momentum. Stick around for period 3.

Period 3
Erskine may have scored a goal tonight, but he sure looks unsteady on his skates. He's not that fast, and he keeps falling down. Although in his defense, he's usually pounding someone as he goes down.

Mike Green seems ready to shoot the puck from everywhere, and it pays off, as he bounces a puck in off of Kozlov to put the Caps up 3-1.

Chris Clark took a beating in front of the net tonight. Boyd Gordon took a beating everywhere but the front of the net.

The Caps get a 5 on 3, then Ovy gets a stick to the face that draws blood and no call. The leagues "no 3 penalties in a row on the home team" rule pops back up.

Pettinger bounced one off of Lehtonen and off the post. He may not have won the game, but Lehtonen played well. He needs a better team in front of him if he's going to play like that all year though.