SB Nation DC: All Posts by Jack Anderson

NHL Playoffs 2011: Physical Play, Michal Neuvirth Give Capitals A Blueprint For Success

2011-04-15T12:01:29Z

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Down 1-0 in the third period, the Washington Capitals could have called it a day. Henrik Lundqvist received some help from the crossbar early and the Capitals hadn’t converted on several other scoring opportunities. However, these aren’t last year’s Capitals.

Washington played their system to a T, beating New York at their own physical game while creating the bulk of the scoring chances in a grinding 2-1 overtime win.

Meet the new Caps; the ones who don’t take everything for granted. The frenetic pace, big hits and fearless shot blocking?

"I think there’s going to be games like that all series," said Alex Ovechkin whose inhuman effort in front of the net resulted in a game-tying third period goal.

If Wednesday was any indication, the Capitals are finally willing to employ gritty, playoff style hockey. They are no longer that complacent bunch of uber-talented individuals who were ousted in the first round last season.

Should the series maintain its physical nature, the Capitals have to like their chances after wearing down Dan Girardi and Marc Staal in game one. John Tortorella relies heavily on his top defensive pairing to shut down the opposition’s first line and last night was no exception. Both played over 30 minutes as the Rangers tried to account for the Capitals top two lines.

"We did some work on them," Matt Hendricks said. "I think they showed a little bit of fatigue. It’s kind of been our gameplan [wearing them down], it’s kind of what we want to do throughout the course of this series."

If the series maintains the physical tone set in game one, then the Capitals defensive balance will give them even more of an edge. While Girardi and Staal spent nearly half the game on the ice, Bruce Boudreau was comfortable with evenly distributing the minutes among his defensemen.

"Whenever you can spread those minutes out more, it definitely benefits your team in the sense of fatigue," Hendricks said.

Given their recent track record in the playoffs, a Game One loss for the Caps might have been perceived as devastating, but win or lose, the style of play was what Boudreau was looking for. All game long they got pucks deep and made smart decisions in the neutral zone, preventing New York from mounting many odd man rushes. Even down late, they didn’t panic.

"There was a lot of time left in the third so we weren’t feeling completely desperate yet," said Mike Knuble. "We just kept playing, kept sticking to the program. Nobody was getting upset because we were sticking to our gameplan doing what we wanted to do."

With the outstanding play in front of him, Michal Neuvirth didn’t disappoint in his NHL playoff debut. He was cool and collected even after he allowed the game’s first goal. In overtime made several key saves including a tough one on Artem Anisimov in the slot.

"If you want to be a number one goalie in this league you got to make those stops," he said. "Your teammates are counting on you and I don’t want to let them down. I’m trying my best and going save by save, minute by minute and it’s working so far."

Neuvirth never let the Rangers get in his head. His lid came flying off in overtime just minutes after he took a stick to the mask, but the contact did nothing to alter his performance. Hendricks wasn’t surprised to see the young netminder hold his own.

"[He was] outstanding as usual," he said. "Not much rattles him and when you have a goaltender like that who plays on his game, moves the puck well for the defensemen, it’s all you can ask and I’m sure we’re going to see continued success."

We certainly will if Neuvirth continues to receive the support he was given in game one. The Capitals never got discouraged despite allowing the first goal and came back to win thanks to a concerted team effort unlike those in years past.

Mike Knuble, Marcus Johansson Carrying High-Flying Capitals Into NHL Playoffs

2011-04-06T13:28:08Z

BALLSTON, VA - There were whispers that 38-year old Mike Knuble had lost a step during an early season slump. The Washington Capitals' elder statesman had just three goals heading into December, and for a time it appeared his streak of seven consecutive season with 20 goals or more would be coming to an end.

However, a red hot month of March alleviated all concerns that Knuble was on his last legs as he posted 12 points, including an overtime game-winner against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 13. He hit the 20-goal mark for the eighth straight year and appears primed to help lead the Capitals into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I think I've [always] had strong Marches," Knuble said. "You know, the month of March has been good to me the last few years, and I don't know why that is. But I seem to do a little better later in the season, and that's the most important time to be feeling well is at the end of the year."

While the Capitals oldest player experienced a resurgence in March, the team's youngest player also finally found his feet. Twenty-year old Marcus Johansson began to display more of his dynamic potential as a skater and a playmaker, finishing with nine points in March.

Bruce Boudreau was looking for more consistency in Johansson's game, and he delivered, especially with a key game-tying goal in the third period on the road in Philadelphia. The Capitals went on to win the game in a shootout and Johansson took a huge step in the right direction as a legitimate contributor on one of the NHL's hottest teams.

"As a young player, when you come over, it takes a little while to get some confidence and do the things that he does well. The things he does well [are that] he skates and he likes to carry the puck," Knuble said. "I think he's even shown some more offensive upside than we got to see earlier in the year, and that just comes with confidence and games played."

Johansson also alluded to the fact that confidence has played a key role in his development.

"It's been better and better all the time," he said. "As I've said a lot of times, the more you get to play, the more confident you get. You get to know the game more. So it feels pretty good."

While he is slowly adjusting to the North American game, Johansson is far from satisfied. Hunger is a young player's best asset, and he possesses it in spades.

"I want to be better at everything that's just the way it is," he told me. "I can't say there's this and that I want to get better at, because I want to improve every part of my game. That's how I see it."

Count Knuble as a believer in Johansson.

"I think it's come a little bit easier for him in the last little bit, [but] it's good that he realizes it's not always like that," Knuble that. "There's going to be times where you're up and you're down and there's always room to improve, so you can never stop improving as a player. I think those guys that think they don't have to prove [anything] anymore are done pretty quick. So it's a good attitude to have."

Success can prove elusive in sports, and Johansson's realization of this fact plus his dedication towards becoming a better player could combine to help him succeed on the highest level in the NHL playoffs.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," he said of what will be his first playoff experience. "Going into that type of hockey and the whole atmosphere of playoff hockey, it's going to be amazing. [I'm] going to enjoy every day and make it last a long time."

To mount a serious postseason run, the Capitals will not only require solid pivot play from Johansson, but more goal scoring from around the crease by Jason Arnott, Brooks Laich and, of course, Knuble. The Capitals have been crashing the net with increased frequency and the results have been positive.

"They're not pretty goals off the rush, but [Alexander] Semin's goal [against Buffalo] was scored from the crease, and Arnott's goal was right around the crease too," Knuble said. "It takes a lot of effort to find loose pucks in there and that's how you're going to score goals at this time of the year, with the ugly goals and pile ups in front of the net."

Knuble is all too familiar with the grinder mentality needed to score goals in the playoffs, and the younger players will look to him in the coming months for guidance both on and off the ice. He has established himself once again as a leading voice in the locker room and his teammates hold him in high regard.

"He's going all the time and I think that's what's great," Johansson said. "He's been great for this team the whole year and he contributes all the time and he's just a guy this team needs."

Fellow rookie John Carlson marveled at how well Knuble has maintained such consistency throughout his career.

"Not too many people can [score 20+ goals eight straight times] especially getting so much older," he said. "I see him still being able to produce. It's not his first eight seasons that he did it, it's his last eight. That's just a testament to what he is and how hard he works and it's a great thing."

Like Johansson, Carlson is having a prolific rookie year and one that will likely merit consideration for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. While Johansson has struggled at points, Carlson has often made his inaugural season appear effortless.

Yet that doesn't mean it's been easy. Carlson said he and Johansson are still soaking up all they can from the older players on the team.

"We're the youngest guys on the team and there's so many grizzly vets that have been around forever and know what's it's like and what goes on to make an NHL career successful," he said. "We come to the rink everyday and we look at these guys and we want to be a Mike Knuble, we want to be a guy like that who's been around forever and is a huge leader and a huge part of our team."

This may be Knuble's last shot at a Stanley Cup with the Capitals, since his contract expires at the end of the season. He has invested everything in helping make them a more battle-tested team, and is pleased with the mixture of youth and experience contained on the roster.

Yet with the playoffs a week away, Knuble knows the mark of the Capitals will be made based on their postseason exploits, which haven't been good in recent seasons.

"Everybody's a year older, a year wiser," he said. "I think last year's first round was very humbling and it opened a lot of players' eyes. They don't want to duplicate that feeling this spring."

With more efforts like those from Knuble and Johansson, there will be no such duplication. The Caps are receiving key contributions at the perfect time from a veteran and a rookie, and the balance on display might be enough to kiss postseason futility goodbye.

Health, Stability Needed For Capitals As NHL Playoffs Near

2011-03-31T12:06:16Z

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Capitals' return home from a six-game road trip on Tuesday night to play the Carolina Hurricanes saw the return of Alex Ovechkin and Jason Arnott to the lineup. It also served as a rude awakening to some issues the team might want to expunge in the next five games.

The injuries which have plagued the Caps throughout the second half of the season may prove to be their undoing. The consistency they want has been hard to achieve with Arnott, Ovechkin, Mike Green and others all missing games. With Ovechkin and Arnott back in action, it was apparent Washington must establish the necessary team chemistry to string together three periods of sound hockey each and every game.

"Just coming from a long road trip, a couple new guys on the ice; I just think everyone was kind of trying to feel each other out for a while there," John Carlson said.

Bruce Boudreau echoed Carlson, saying he thought Ovechkin's "timing was off." The team as a whole wasn't quite on the same page and it showed during stretches of play.

The power play has lot its sense of direction and is something of a liability these days. The Caps are 1-16 since a multi-goal performance on March 15 against Montreal. On Tuesday, a miscommunication between Brooks Laich and Dennis Wideman led to a Chad LaRose shorthanded breakaway and ensuing penalty shot. Yet when the Caps' power play wasn't fending off hard-charging penalty killing units, they managed to produce some exceptionally uninspired efforts in the offensive zone.

"In power play we give so many chances to them to score goals, like on the breakaway, we make some mistakes," Ovechkin said. "But we come back and it's good when we come back. It's good when you play that kind of game."

Carolina came into Washington a desperate team. The Caps matched their intensity for the first period, but Cam Ward withstood a barrage of shots, and so they resorted to taking the body after Tuomo Ruutu and Ovechkin nearly came to blows over an attempted hit on Wideman. The physical tone of the game was a good one and Matt Hendricks told me it was definitely a style the team wants to employ in the playoffs.

What wasn't good were the six penalties the team took. Alex Semin's hooking minor late in the third period was a perfect example of the undisciplined play the Caps have recently practiced. Semin hooked his man through the entire neutral zone and gave the Hurricanes a prime opportunity to score the winner in regulation.

"He did the same thing he's been doing for five years and taking a dumb penalty with four minutes to go in the game," Boudreau vented. "The refs didn't want to call any penalties, but you have to call that one. It's a bad hook in the neutral zone."

The Capitals may have the NHL's third-best penalty killing unit, but it should not lead to the mentality that they can withstand a rash of penalties. Eventually, the mistakes will overcome them as they are still dealing with young goalies and an offense trying to jell.

Injuries have forced the Capitals to drastically alter their lineup several times since the trade deadline, and while an 11-2-1 record in that span has put them back in the picture as a contender, it doesn't account for the lack of continuity and discipline on display.

Working out the kinks isn't a major concern especially with the Caps likely on their way to a fourth straight Southeast Division crown. What really matters is Washington's mental edge, which has deserted them in past postseason affairs. The only way to regain that edge? Stability, which is something they are trying to reach with mere games to go.

Their recent nine-game win streak gave them confidence, but the Capitals have their sights set on bigger things. They have done everything possible to detract from the nay-saying, but for all the changes to the system and trade deadline scrambling, Boudreau and the boys might just find the only way to silence the critics will be by hoisting a certain silver cup come June.

Capitals' Win Over Blackhawks Might Be Start Of Something Special

2011-03-14T13:10:36Z

Washington, D.C. -- It's a shame these two teams can't meet more often, because when the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals square off, they put on a show.

Jonathan Toews scored with 39 seconds to play in regulation, sending the contest to overtime, but the Capitals prevailed as Mike Knuble lit the lamp at 3:51 of the extra frame to extend the Capitals winning streak to eight games with a thrilling victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Washington is used to close calls this season. Seven of its eight wins in this stretch have been decided by one goal, requiring the use of fundamentally-sound hockey to pull out victories. The effort put into this streak will only help them better approach the rigors of postseason hockey where success has proved elusive.

Brooks Laich scored 6:23 into the third period after Tomas Kopecky drew the Hawks even at two apiece in the second. Laich's goal would have been enough if not for Toews, who has been an exemplary leader and outstanding playmaker during an impressive run which has boosted Chicago into prime playoff positioning.

With the Blackhawks on the power play and Corey Crawford pulled to give Chicago a six-on-four advantage, Duncan Keith hammered a shot at young Capitals goalie Braden Holtby. Toews located the rebound and squeezed the puck by a mass of bodies to tie it up.

However in the extra stanza, the veteran Knuble delivered.

Marcus Johansson saw Knuble in front creating a screen and passed him the puck. Knuble maneuvered it to his forehand around Crawford and notched the game-winner in front of a sellout crowd on national television.

The Capitals were very aggressive taking the puck to the net all game long and when it mattered most Knuble came through. That is the approach they'll need in postseason where every team looks to tighten up their game in the defensive zone.

"It's just practice for what's coming up," he said. "You're not going to score off the rush on pretty tic-tac-toe plays so that's something you try and hammer home to guys. You watch playoff games and they're ugly, you're kicking them in around the crease, there are guys diving for the puck, trying to jam it in. The way you're going to win games is just who's going to be grittier around the net."

The Capitals have become a different team since trading for Jason Arnott and Dennis Wideman while picking up Marco Sturm off of waivers. A lot of that is due to the consistent energy seen during this win streak. All four lines are cycling and skating well on the forecheck, and their recent resurgence indicates they might finally be ready for the arduous task of winning 16 games in the postseason.

"They were all good [and] that's why I didn't shorten the bench because all four lines were going," Bruce Boudreau said after beating Chicago. "You'll see me shorten the bench pretty easily if I deem certain players or certain lines aren't going ... But lately it's been hard because they are all contributing."

And to think just weeks ago, the Capitals were being written off by many as a complacent team ripe for the picking after several horrific losses, including a 6-0 debacle against the Rangers.

"I think deep down the confidence was [always] there about how we were going to play," Knuble said. "The guys that [General Manager] George [McPhee] got at the deadline really just solidified everything. It gave us three great two-way players and the results are there; the proof is right there in our results."

The transition to a more defensive oriented approach has been far from painless, but the recent acquisitions have seemingly put the Capitals over the top. Boudreau mentioned Sunday that the playoffs "are a different animal," but presently the Caps have established themselves as one of the favorites in, what is for the most part, a wide open Eastern Conference.

Washington still has 12 games to play in the regular season and concerns remain for Boudreau. Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green are both injured, and there is little question Washington is a better team with them on the ice. However, Johansson continued to display his talents on Sunday while anchoring the first line and Wideman has been pulling off a terrific impersonation of the puck-moving Green.

Yet even though the trade deadline, winning streaks, and injury woes are hot-button topics, it is the impending decision Boudreau will have to make at goalie which is taking center stage.

Michal Neuvirth has started the bulk of the season, but Semyon Varlamov has been good when healthy. Boudreau has alternated between the two for much of the year and just when it seemed Neuvirth was distancing himself as the starter with Varlamov injured again, Holtby entered the scene.

Despite playing in only 12 NHL games, the 21-year old goaltender has played his way into the discussion, winning his last four games with a goals against average of 1.05 and a save percentage of .965.

"They're really not making it easy on me," said Boudreau of his three young goalies. "Varly was going great then he gets hurt. Neuvy's going great, he gets hurt. Holtby's going great now. You know it's decision time ... We [want] to make a decision pretty soon, hopefully we will, but they're all playing so well it‘s making it difficult for us."

Though Holtby is breaking out in a big way, I'm not ready to hand him the keys to the car at the moment. He has been rough around the edges and even he admitted he has some aspects of his game that require modification.

While I fully endorse Holtby as a future franchise player, the Capitals would be best served by sticking with Neuvirth and Varlamov at present, provided they are in good health. Both have more NHL experience and have played at a high level when called upon.

Even with these questions, the Capitals will start generating some buzz in the coming weeks. They have shown more creativity on the power play while maintaining a prolific, top-five penalty kill. Furthermore, the emphasis on strong special teams units have improved the quality of play while skating five-on-five. Washington scored both short-handed and power-play goals early against the Blackhawks, assisting their even strength efforts.

Chicago came into Washington on the tail end of a four-game road trip, needing a win to keep pace in the Western Conference after suffering back-to-back losses. They are playing some of the best hockey in the NHL, but the Caps were able to match their intensity and up the ante with a dramatic overtime win in a playoff type game.

"Looking back on the past few years in Washington there hasn't been a whole lot of adversity," said Matt Hendricks. "[Now] guys are really coming to the plate, we're fighting to the end of the games and we're pulling out those one goal games. It's a lot like playoff hockey right now."

The victory might be a regular season win, but it was an indicator of just how much the Caps have evolved not only in the last month but in the last year. They aren't coasting into the postseason like last season and they certainly aren't mailing in games like last month.

"I just like our team so much more than at this point last year," Knuble said. "I think we're definitely headed in the right direction."

Time will tell, but for now so does everybody else.

Hurricanes Vs. Capitals: Braden Holtby Is Rock Solid In Washington's 2-1 Win Over Carolina

2011-03-12T04:05:49Z

Washington, DC-With the Washington Capitals leading the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in the third period, Braden Holtby was trying to gather the puck just outside his crease in front of the net, but it slipped free and was shot past him. However, the officials blew the play dead believing the 21-year old goalie had covered it up.

Sometime even the hottest goalies need a little luck and Holtby received some at the right time as the Capitals held on for another one goal victory.

Holtby more than made up for his gaffe with a 40-save gem, allowing just one goal in another stellar performance in front of the Verizon faithful.

Alex Ovechkin brought the Caps to life 47 seconds into the third period with a laser from the blue line, but the goal wouldn't have mattered if Holtby wasn't rock solid once again.

Holtby has given up one goal in last 165:00, but he credited his defense for some of his success against the Hurricanes.

"It was more of a goalies type game," he said. "You were going to face action all night and our guys did a great job not making that action very difficult. [There were] a lot of saves that were pretty routine and all I had to do was set them up for my teammates."

The youngest of the Capitals net-minding trio, Holtby has adjusted well to the NHL and has done so in a mere 11 games. He rebounded from a dismal showing in a shootout against the Rangers by stopping all three shots in a shootout against Tampa Bay last week. Friday night he showed composure in the crease while facing a barrage of rubber.

"I think just with my teammates knowing that they have a bit more confidence in me that's the biggest thing as a goalie," he said. "You want to know you're teammates have confidence in giving you the shot and playing their position instead of trying to do too much and that's basically the thing that's made it easier."

It's not certain whether he'll end up with the team in the postseason, but Holtby's recent string of wins indicates the Capitals can trust him should Semyon Varlamov or Michal Neuvirth succumb to the injury bug that has plagued them all season.

On the other side of the ice, Carolina goaltender Cam Ward stopped Jason Arnott's breakaway bid in the third period, but Matt Hendricks was trailing the play and scored on the rebound to break a 1-1 tie.

"That's what he does," said Bruce Boudreau of Hendricks. "He's going to get those dirty goals in the crease. He's not going to get the end-to-end goals .... I'm happy for him because he works really hard all the time so he deserves some success offensively every now and again."

Ovechkin's goal extended his point streak to seven games. He has steadily improved down the stretch and appears poised to emerge once again as the focal point of the offense.

The Capitals have won seven straight heading into a marquee matchup with the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. With the win Friday, they maintain their number two seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Oilers Vs. Capitals: Caps Firing On All Cylinders In 5-0 Win Over Edmonton

2011-03-10T04:37:13Z

Washington, DC-Underwhelming is the word that most comes to mind when discussing the Washington Capitals this season. Despite coming into Wednesday night's game against the Oilers riding a five game win streak, the Caps have been dealing with injuries and a less than potent offensive attack for much of the year.

Tonight the Caps were anything but a disappointment, scoring five goals at home for the first time since December 21st and winning their sixth consecutive game with a 5-0 blanking of the Oilers. Two of those five goals came on the power play; the first multi-goal game with the man advantage since November 26th.

Rookie Braden Holtby, appearing in his 10th NHL game, stopped all 22 shots to become the third Caps goalie with a shutout this season. He hasn't given up a goal in five periods since taking over for Michal Neuvirth in the team's previous game against Tampa Bay.

Alex Ovechkin scored his first power play goal at home this season and notched the 600th point of his career on a second period assist. Newcomers Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott also reached milestones; Wideman his 200th point and Arnott his 900th.

"I think our power play finally worked, we scored two goals and we won the hockey game," Ovechkin said. "I can't remember scoring five goals in a game [recently]."

After eight straight wins decided by one goal, the Capitals captured this victory in dominating fashion.

Marcus Johansson teamed up with Ovechkin in the third on a two-on-none breakaway as they passed it back and forth several times before Ovechkin snapped the puck past a bewildered Nikolai Khabibulin to make it 3-0. Minutes later, the Oilers goalie made matters even worse.

Khabibulin skated far out of his crease to play a puck, but Jason Chimera beat him to it and passed to Eric Fehr for an easy score. Semin converted a two-on-one minutes later, sending the Caps off in style.

Fehr's return to the lineup certainly provided a spark as he scored twice in 13:16 of ice time. He had missed the previous 22 games with a shoulder injury, but he showed no ill effects in his first game back.

"I felt good out there tonight," he said. "Our line got into it early and that helped. That was the first time I've scored two goals in a long time, so if we can get the power play going, we're going to win a lot of games."

There was little wrong with the power play in this one. Arnott sent a cross-ice slap pass to Ovechkin who one-timed it home for a 1-0 lead in the second period. Then, Fehr chipped in a rebound from a John Carlson bomb at the point 4:54 later and the Caps never looked back.

"Two [power-play] goals; it's been a long time," said Bruce Boudreau. "It's nice just to not have to worry that it's a one-goal game. I can't remember the last time that's happened either."

With the win, Washington remains in first place in the Southeast Division. They lead Tampa Bay by two points and will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Oilers Vs. Capitals: Ovechkin Leads The Way As The Caps Win 5-0

2011-03-10T02:38:33Z

Washington DC-Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals and Eric Fehr added two more in his return from a 22-game absence as the Washington Capitals won 5-0 over the lowly Edmonton Oilers.

The Caps lit the lamp twice on the power play, scoring multiple goals with the man advantage for the first time since November 26th much to the delight of a home crowd unused to such scoring prowess this season.

Ovechkin had a three point night to lead the way and also picked up his 600th point, assisting on Fehr's first tally to reach the plateau.

The highlight of the evening came on two-on-none breakaway as Ovechkin and rookie Marcus Johansson played pitch and catch before Ovechkin buried it past a bewildered Nikolai Khabibulin at 3:10 of the third period. The goal gave Washington a 3-0 lead and they never looked back.

Braden Holtby was solid between the pipes again and the Capitals won in decisive fashion to extend their winning streak to six in a row.

Jason Arnott recorded his 900th point while assisting on Ovechkin's first goal and other newcomer Dennis Wideman reached the 200 point mark by setting up Marco Sturm and Alex Semin for a two-on-one chance. Sturm fed Semin who managed to sneak it past Khabibulin to make it 5-0.

Oilers Vs. Capitals: The Power Plays Breaks Out, Gives The Caps A 2-0 Lead

2011-03-10T01:58:06Z

Washington DC-The Capitals' power play is back in full force as the unit cashed in on a pair of opportunities to put them up 2-0 over the Oilers after two periods of play.

Jason Arnott set up Alex Ovechkin 5:38 into the period with a beautiful cross-ice slap pass and Ovechkin buried it as the Caps drew first blood, scoring their first power play goal since the trade deadline.

It didn't stop there though. Eric Fehr knocked in a rebound off of a John Carlson slapper from the point and the power play is currently enjoying its first multi-goal game since Nov. 26.

Fehr's goal is his ninth of the year and his first since Jan. 8. He had missed the team's previous 22 games with a shoulder injury and has logged 9:01 of ice time.

Ovechkin assisted on Fehr's second goal and with that assist he reached the 600 point plateau. That wasn't the only milestone as Arnott's assist on Ovechkin's goal marked his 900th point.

Ovechkin will be receiving another standing ovation soon as his tally leaves him 5 short of 300 goals in his career.

Braden Holtby continued his strong play with seven more saves in the second. He has stopped all 17 Oiler shots tonight.