My Thoughts:
*The team had their skating legs and that made a huge difference in the result of the game. Even when the Blackhawks came hard the defense supported one another and the forwards put more pressure on the Blackhawks then they did in the previous two games.
*Braden Holtby was outstanding, stopping 26 of 27 shots. In the second period the Blackhawks came at the Caps hard but Holtby was able to make the big saves when the team needed it.
*The top line had a great night as T.J Oshie had a goal and an assist, Alex Ovechkin scored a goal, and Evgeny Kuznetsov had two assists. That was just the scoring the line was good all night.
*John Carlson scored his first goal of the season on a laser from the point that beat Scott Darling that made it 2-0 for the Caps at the time. Youngster Stan Galiev picked up his first NHL assist on the goal, along with Marcus Johansson helping on the goal as well.
*Matt Niskanen also scored on a bullet in the third period, again another assist for Johansson and also helped by Andre Burakovsky. So, it was a good night for the Caps defensemen when it came to offense.
*Chandler Stephenson made his NHL debut and looked a little nervous at times, but he showed a couple of flashes that make him a good prospect. We will see if he gets the chance to play another game or two.
*Taylor Chorney looked a little rusty at times last night in his first game as a Cap as well. I think the only thing that need work right now on the team is the way the third defense pair has played in the first three games. However, it's early and Dmitry Orlov still needs more games.
*Overall this game reminded me of the games this team played well in last year. Good zone time in the opponents end, solid support defensively, and rock solid goaltending. All those have been the key to success for the Caps under Barry Trotz. Last night's game was a great rebound game for the boys.
What's Next: Sat. Oct. 17th vs. Carolina 7:00 p.m on CSN
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