Goalie stops 44 shots as Caps rally for win
It was a game they did not deserve to win. In a way, it was shocking that the Capitals were even tied with the Detroit Red Wings midway through the third period on Tuesday evening at Verizon Center.
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“Like men versus boys,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau lamented about the game’s first 40 minutes.
Detroit, Stanley Cup champions in 2008 and runners-up last spring, were playing at a level Washington has rarely seen from opponent so far this year. But somehow – thanks in large part to goalie Jose Theodore – the Caps’ good fortune lasted until the very end.
Forwards Nicklas Backstrom and David Steckel scored goals 46 seconds apart late in the third period to lift Washington to a thrilling 3-2 victory. Outshot and outplayed all night, the Caps appeared cooked once Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski scored at 11 minutes, 7 seconds of the third period following a defensive-zone turnover by Alex Semin.
That made it 2-1 and the air shot right out of the building, only pockets of Red Wings fans spread throughout the stands roaring their approval. But just over two minutes later, Backstrom tied the game with a power-play goal. The22-year-old Swede drove hard at Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart and undressed the veteran, deking past him and then beating Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood to tie the game at 2.
Just like that the crowd was back in it and Detroit was in trouble. Forty-six seconds after Backstrom’s goal, Steckel skated onto a Semin pass in front and re-directed it home for the eventual game-winning goal.
The Red Wings dominated in shots – 46 to 23 – and puck possession and even earned an extra power-play chance (5 to 4). Yet in the end it didn’t matter and the Caps had one of their most satisfying wins of the season.
“Good teams find a way to win,” said forward Matt Bradley, who recorded his eighth goal of the season at 18:05 of the second period. “Even if they don’t deserve to.”
Washington killed all five Detroit power plays, including the biggest of them all – a two-minute advantage with under five minutes to go after a Mike Knuble trip. The Red Wings also pulled Osgood in the final minute to no avail.
That the Caps even had a lead to protect was because of Theodore. The veteran found himself stuck on the bench behind rookie Michal Neuvirth in recent weeks, starting just two of 11 games between Dec. 19 and Jan. 13. But when Neuvirth struggled in back-to-back games last week in Florida, Theodore had his chance. He played well in relief both nights and has now started the last three games. Over his last four appearances Theodore has a sparkling 1.80 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
“It’s pretty good, but I never try to get too high or too low on myself,” Theodore said. “Like I said before, when I wasn’t playing my confidence was still pretty good because I was working hard, practicing hard. I’ve been in that type of situation before. I’m going to approach every day the same way.”
Detroit outshot the Caps 15-3 through the first period and 31-14 through two. In all, Theodore stopped 44 of 46 shots and was the key component in Washington stopping all five Red Wings power plays.
“[Theodore’s] gaining confidence,” said Steckel, whose go-ahead goal was his fourth of the season. “The last few games he’s played he’s been phenomenal and tonight we had a dismal start. He absolutely made save after save to keep us in the game. It’s great to see because he works so hard and it’s finally coming together for him.”.
