Ovechkin Leads Caps' Rally for 14th Straight Win

Well I managed to escape from my snowed-in apartment just in time to catch the Caps play the Penguins. Thankfully, I was able to leave the lack of power, heat, a cell phone, and civilization in time to catch the NHL game of the week. I drove a few miles and walked a few blocks to find a TV for this game. And boy what a game it was!

For us Caps fans, it did not start out well. Sidney "Crybaby" Crosby scored two quick goals in the first period to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Alex Ovechkin struck for his first goal on a breakway to turn the deficit back to one. But the lead was eventually increased to 4-1 by Jordan Staal with 6:53 left in the second period. It was not looking good for the Capitals, especially because at this point Mike Knuble, Ovechkin, and Nicklas Backstrom were all out of the game with penalties. Questionable penalties had been called during the game and a specific non-call when Ovechkin was laid into the boards by Pittsburgh winger Craig Adams. This is when the Capitals never-say-die offensive type of hockey kicked in.

Riding their 13 game winning streak, Ovechkin and the Caps were not ready to lose yet. Eric Fehr scored a goal on his own rebound near the end of the second period to cut the deficit to only 4-2. Then the Great 8, Alex Ovechkin, struck twice in the 3rd period to tie up the game 4-4. Ovechkin finished with the hat trick and added and assist. I swear, I have never seen a player quite like him. He missed several games this year and still currently leads the league in top categories. Well he did it once again to tie this game. To help finish the job, Ovechkin got an assist in overtime on Mike Knuble's game winning goal. Ovechkin's shot went through traffic to hit the post, the Knuble poked the puck through Marc-Andre Fleury's pads to end the game in a Caps win. What an exciting game to lead off Super Bowl Sunday! And that makes it 14 consecutive wins in a row for the Capitals. Now they are chasing the best streak ever of 17 wins by who else but the Pittsburgh Penguins.