THE PICTURE SAYS IT ALL! Friday night's game between the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils was not very close. The Devils were aching while in a slump, but that was no excuse apparently. Goalie Martin Brodeur got the much-needed rest, as reliable back-up Johan "Moose" Hedberg got the start between the pipes. Hedberg did anything but disappoint, stopping all 23 shots faced, giving the Devils just their fourth shut-out of the season.
The capitals came out strong in a hurry, looking as though their mission to win the game would be tough for Jersey to prevent. Alex Ovechkin was finishing all of his checks and playing very aggresively. Soon after the opening puck drop, "Moose" Hedberg robbed Caps' Troy Brouwer of a goal on a 2-on-1 one-timer across the crease. Hedberg's sprawling toe save was just a hint of what was yet to come. Approximately half-way through the first, Washington's Matt Hendricks committed a high-sticking penalty, putting the special teams units on the ice for the first time of the game. Not even half of the penalty had passed before captain Parise scored to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. Zach Parise had about 6 inches of room to shoot the puck due to the angle he was at on the red line. It was a bang-bang-bang goal for the Devils, coming first off Elias' stick at the point, to Clarkson's stick in front of the net, and then to Parise's goal scoring shot on the red line. The devils scored two more goals in the first; another from Zach Parise and one from Dainius Zubrus. Assists in the period went to Kovalchuk, Clarkson (2), Henrique, and Elias.
The second period was not much different. The Devils put up two more tallies to bring it to 5-0. In doing so, the captain led the ship with another goal, his hat-trick goal, and also his team high 27th on the year. Patrik Elias picked up the other goal in the period on a shorthanded chance. Assists in the period went to Salvador, Henrique, and Zubrus.
Nothing but consistency continued in the third period by "Moose" in net. It is always helpful to have a dependable back-up like him on your team. Hopefully this will be a spark for the Devils' and foreshadow many shut-outs to come. Of course it would be nice to see 5 goals put on the board and stop every shot every night, but as long as New Jersey is winning, I am sure the team and fans will be just as thrilled. It was a fun game to watch, not to mention a good sight to see 77 points next to the Devils in the standings!
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