Six different players score as Caps beat Thrashers
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Caps @ ThrashersWhen » Tuesday, 7Where » Philips ArenaTV/Radio » CSN/1500 AM
The Caps don’t get much time to gloat over their win vs. the Thrashers. Washington concludes the regular-season with a three-game road trip beginning Tuesday night in Atlanta. F Ilya Kovalchuk notched his 42nd goal of the year on Sunday. In 41 career games against Caps, he has 22 goals and 28 assists. Washington leads the season series 3-2.
The relief etched on Tomas Fleischmann’s face was visible even from Verizon Center’s cheapest seats.
Fifteen games without a goal. Just two scores in his last 33 games. In the midst of a breakthrough season, Fleischmann suddenly found himself stuck in neutral with the postseason fast approaching.
But the 24-year-old Czech was all smiles after scoring during Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Teammate Milan Jurcina had joked before each of the previous three games that Fleischmann was due, that the drought was about to end, and his friend just laughed every time.
But after converting an Atlanta turnover into an unassisted goal in the first period it was a case of a — repeated, at least — prophecy come true. Fleischmann was one of six different Caps players to score against the Thrashers — and none were named Alex Ovechkin.
That was the best sign of all after the team’s final regular-season home game of the year. In fact, each goal scorer also added at least one assist. Forward Brooks Laich led Washington with an empty-net goal with 13 seconds left and two assists.
“That [turnover] was a break for me and there haven’t been a lot of bounces for me lately,” said Fleischmann, who has had two goals waved off in the last month. “But every game is different. I hope to keep going like that.”
The Caps were just 1-for-7 on their power play, allowed a shorthanded goal early in the second period and trailed 3-2 entering the third.
Then again, who needs an extra man? Michael Nylander, Eric Fehr and Alex Semin each scored at even strength for Washington in the third before Laich salted the game away. For Nylander, it was his second goal in 20 games. For Fehr, it was his third in the last 22. Combined with Fleischmann’s breakthrough, the Caps’ secondary scoring was better than it has been in weeks — and at exactly the right time.
“I hope [Sunday] does wonders for [Fleischmann’s] confidence,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “I’ve been in his situation and I saw the relief in his eyes when he finally scored. You start to doubt yourself after a while no matter who you are.”
