Photo by Scott Abelman
Capitals 2, Bruins 1: In the first game of their series with the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Capitals managed only 17 shots in three periods and a dash of overtime. Well, in Game 2, Boston goalie Tim Thomas saw the puck a lot more, with the Caps managing 39 shots on goal in a match that stretched into two overtime periods. Thomas was good, but Braden Holtby was better, blocking 43 of 44 shots by the Bruins’ aggressive offense. All night, the Capitals pushed into Bruins’ territory much more than they showed in the series opener. The defense seemed more spritely, too, frequently cornering Boston’s forwards. But it was Nicklas Backstrom, in his sixth game back since missing half the season after a nasty concussion, who closed the game with a bouncing shot past Thomas about three minutes into the second overtime. The best-of-seven series moves to the Verizon Center tomorrow and Wednesday.
Nationals 4, Reds 1: There are still 153 games to go, but in this young season, the Nationals’ starting rotation is proving to be the real thing. Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez have all thrown gems. Add Edwin Jackson to that list, too. The 28-year-old Jackson needed just 92 pitches to throw a two-hit complete game against the Reds, pushing the Nats to a National League East-leading 7-2 record and burnishing the pitching staff’s standing as the best in baseball with a 1.82 earned run average. Jackson notched nine strikeouts in the effort and even late in the game, his fastball remained speedy, still hitting the mid-90s in the eighth inning. “It was fun to catch him,” Jesus Flores told the Post after the game.
United 2, Revolution 1: Beating Boston is so nice, extra lovely when it happens twice. With the Caps taking care of the Bruins, D.C. United did the same down the road in Foxborough with Chris Pontius scoring the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute. With the goal, United broke a five-game winless streak at Gillette Stadium and improved their record to 2-2-2. One more piece of Coach Ben Olsen’s turnaround plan after last season’s disappointments: “Last year we probably find a way to lose that game,” he told the Post. “I am seeing some signs of this team figuring out ways to be winners.”
Cavaliers 98, Wizards 89: Even though they were close through three quarters, all night at the Verizon Center it felt as if the Wizards were struggling to keep up. But in the final quarter things fell apart, with Washington managing only 18 points to the Cavs’ 25. Both teams are lottery-bound, maybe hoping to pluck a recruit from that NCAA-champion Kentucky team, and at this point, the Wizards, having lost seven of their past nine games, are probably just counting the days until this nightmarish, lockout-shortened season is over on April 26. Don’t fret, we’re nearly there.
