For Caps, Enforcer Becoming Team Role
The captain certainly didn't mind getting his hands dirty -- neither did his charges
in a 5-2 win over Ottawa last night. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The Capitals were up 3-1 over Ottawa in the third when Mike Green took Senators winger Jarkko Ruutu to the ground and brought the Verizon Center crowd to its feet. The teams had been going back and forth all night, and Green, with help from his teammates, finally took matters into his own hands. Both players got two minutes for roughing, but Green also got a standing ovation as he skated to the penalty box, and he got the last laugh -- the Caps won 5-2.
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, who said his two thoughts when Green got the call were "win the fight" and "don't get hurt," gave some insight into the Caps' latest strategy about protecting their guys sans an enforcer: it's a team effort.
"We want to step up and, as you see in the last two games, protect our own, and I didn't think we did enough of that when we lost three in a row," Boudreau said. "Now, when there's a scrum, we get everybody in there, and we protect ourselves."
Boyd Gordon, who opened the scoring for the Caps on Thursday with his first goal of the season, thinks the team should keep the "pack of wolves" -- yes, that is a direct quote -- strategy in place.
"I think the last couple games, it's kind of been feisty," Gordon said. "If we get in a scrum, we get all five guys in there...a pack of wolves kind of mentality I think is good, and it's something I think we've got to do the rest of the season."
If Green brought some brawn Thursday, Nicklas Backstrom brought the goals. The center scored twice, including a beautiful wrap-around where he controlled the puck all the way from the blue line. The first person to congratulate Backstrom the first time he found the net was Alex Ovechkin, whose celebration sent both skaters sprawling on the ice.
Both Backstrom and Gordon agreed that even when a Capital not named Ovechkin scores a goal, Ovie may well be the second most excited person on the ice.
"He's the heartbeat of our team," Gordon said.
Ovie had a goal and assist Thursday, while Mike Knuble scored his first goal of the new year. Jose Theodore also had a strong game (26 saves on 28 shots). Since Theodore and Michal Neuvirth are playing solid while standout Semyon Varlamov works on getting healthy, Boudreau suddenly has a goalie dilemma -- one which he admitted was uncomfortable for a head coach.
Boudreau also gave what he felt was a needed shout-out to his defense -- especially Green, who was recently snubbed by Canada's Olympic team -- which held the Senators to one goal until the final 30 seconds of the game.
"It's just an underrated defense, and I don't think we'll ever get the appreciation," said Boudreau. "Mike Green doesn't get the appreciation from the rest of the sportscasters in the league as I think he should."