FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The Capitals were in need of an alarm clock last night, and try as he might to wake his teammates up with big hits and hard shots, Alexander Ovechkin's teammates (aside from Backstrom) just weren't interested last night.

Beyond Ovie, Backstrom, Laich, and maybe Kozlov, the collection resembled more of a hockey version of Bad News Bears than an honest to God hockey team last night at the Phone Booth, where they were deservedly beaten, 5-3, by the Florida Panthers. The defeat was Washington's first loss in regulation at home in the regular season since Backstrom went all Andres Escobar against the Penguins last March. Thankfully, things ended better for Backstrom than they did for Escobar.

But most of the team was really bad last night. Tyler Sloan had his worst night as an NHL player - there were times where he honestly (and I'm not trying to be overly harsh, just telling it like it is) didn't have any idea what was going on around him. Plays where he was in clear primary position to handle the situation suddenly broke down when he was outworked, outhustled, or outsomethinged by a Florida skater.

The Panther forwards victimized the Washington defense all night, with even Karl Alzner getting turned around multiple times, including one that led to a Florida goal on a play that should have just been an innocent chance. Alzner was the unfortunate victim when David Steckel tried an abomination of a clearing pass right toward his own net, hitting it off Alzner's skate and past Jose Theodore for Florida's second goal. Morrisonn and Jurcina were their usual non-speedy, somewhat limited selves. I don't remember Helmer making any really bad plays. So he's got that going for him. At least one of the D didn't completely suck.

Offensively, there's just nothing there right now beyond the top line of Ovie/Backs/Kozzie, except for Flash, who scored his 10th goal of the season last night. If you would have told me before the season that Flash would have 10 goals in 25 games, I would have been shocked, but sure enough, he does. Puts him on pace for about 33 on the season. If the Caps get 33 goals from Flash and don't win the division, someone needs to walk the plank.

I can't blame Theodore much for last night. His defenders were keystone cops in front of him, and the Florida skaters had all sorts of room to dance, wiggle, move, fart, whatever they wanted to do in the Washington zone. It was an embarrassment of a performance for a team that is supposed to get by, even with injuries, by outworking people. They did that for good portions of the first period, then left it for dead until late in the third when Kozlov somehow beat Florida goalie Craig Anderson to the short side, followed by a power play goal that made it 4-3 in the final minutes. But, just like the game at Minnesota last week where the score was similar, Washington had dug too deep a hole for itself and lost - this time 5-3 on an empty net goal when the Caps failed to keep the puck in the attacking zone following a faceoff with 1:19 left (after a time out, no less) and the defense couldn't get back in time to prevent the clinching goal at the 19 minute mark.

The good thing for most of you folks is that the game wasn't on TV so you didn't have to suffer through it. I went, and the crowd was dead, the team was dead, and the building was dead and the likely result followed. I counted 3 Panthers fan in the building - and one of them was sitting in front of me! How the hell does that happen?

Anyway, the Caps are home tomorrow night against the New York Islanders. Maybe someone on the team will set their alarms so they actually show up.