Even when things were at their most dour with Bruce Boudreau, the Washington Capitals probably didn’t qualify as a truly bad team. Instead, they have been disappointing, which can be even more frustrating.
Every now and then, they show the potential that made them a Stanley Cup contender going into the season. Tonight was one of those nights as they rolled over the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers 4-1.
This was one of New York’s worst performances in some time, but that shouldn’t totally tarnish a Washington win that almost seemed scripted. Alex Ovechkin had his first multiple point game since Nov. 4, according to Stephen Whyno. Alexander Semin looked like the sniper who used to be worth all of the headaches as he scored two goals and seemed dangerous throughout. Role players like Troy Brouwer had some ups (missed chances) and downs (a nice elbow grease goal) while Tomas Vokoun stopped 31 out of 32 shots for his 13th win of the season.
Yup, the Capitals came up smelling like roses. It’s a long season, though, and some might side with teams like the hard-working Rangers instead of the mercurial Capitals.
Then again, the Caps might look to this game when they’re making their New Year’s resolutions.