Amazing Comeback By The Caps!

Capitals 5, Flyers 4

This was one of the most incredible Caps playoff games I have been to. The atmosphere at Verizon Center was loud, fans were pumped up and the place was rocking as the Caps took a 1-0 lead on Donald Brashear's goal a little over three minutes into the game.

The Flyers tied things up at 1-1 five minutes later on a Vaclav Prospal goal in which Caps goalie Cristobal Huet was screened. David Steckel gave the Caps a 2-1 lead four minutes into the second period. Then the Flyers took control of the game, getting three goals in a four minute stretch, to go up 4-2 at the end of two periods.

I said to my friend Paul that if the Flyers can get three goals in the second period, why can't the Caps? This team is on such an incredible roll, I just had a good feeling about this game and the third period. I then took a long walk around the concourse during the intermission to try to relax myself.

I don't know what Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau said in the locker room during the intermission but he should bottle it up as the Caps came out playing hard and with a vengence. The Flyer lead was cut to one as Mike Green scored a couple minutes into the period. Five minutes later it was Green scoring again, this time on the power play and the game was tied 4-4.

Great players rise to the occasion and while the Flyers were throwing everything at Alex Ovechkin, knocking him all around the ice in efforts to stop him, Ovechkin just kept working hard. True he did not have a shot on goal for the first two periods. In the third period, he picked up an assist on Green's tying goal. Then with a little less than five minutes remaining, Ovechkin's moment came and he took full advantage of it.

He worked the puck loose from a Flyer defenseman by lifting his stick, stealing the puck and shooting it past Flyer goalie Martin Biron to give the Caps a 5-4 lead! It was just an unbelievable individual effort goal. The place went nuts!

Then it was four and a half minutes of nail biting time as the Flyers tried to get the tying goal. The Caps would have none of that and when the final buzzer sounded, Verizon Center was a sea of happy red. People were hugging and high fiving one another in celebration.

Alex Ovechkin, in his third NHL season, is the most dynamic, can-do-it-all player. He plays with passion, he hits, he assists, he scores. He plays like a grizzled ten year veteran and the Caps have never, ever had a player of his caliber in their history. It is a pleasure watching him lead this team.

So the Caps are up 1 game to 0 in this best of seven series. It's far from over but they showed a lot of guts and teamwork coming back from two goals down in the third period and winning. It was the first time the Caps have ever rallied from a two goal defecit in the third period of a Stanley Cup playoff game.

My voice is shot. I had fun and the Caps won. Game two Sunday at Verizon Center at 2:00 PM. Lets Go Caps!