HabsWorld.net --
On Saturday, the Habs jumped to a 4-1 lead late in the 2nd but let it slip
away, including the game tying goal with less than 2 minutes left to send it to
OT where Nicklas Backstrom scored the winner not even a minute in. The
series is now tied at 1 with Game 3 in Montreal on Monday night. Andrei
Kostitsyn had a hat trick for the Habs while Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec
tallied singles. Backstrom (3), Eric Fehr, Alexander Ovechkin, and John
Carlson replied for Washington.
HW’s 3 Stars of the Night:
1) Andrei Kostitsyn: One of the more obvious selections of the season
with a career high 4 point effort. Without him, this game never makes it
to OT and the Habs lose in regulation. That being said, there were some
moments where the effort level was lacking but you can’t argue with that kind of
production.
Statline: 3 goals, 1 assist, even rating, 5 shots, 15:46 TOI
2) Mike Cammalleri: The stupid slashing penalty (and delayed penalty
where Washington scored the 5th goal) notwithstanding, he was dynamic out there
tonight. I think it’s safe to say the offensive slump is over for him.
Statline: 3 assists, even rating, 2 shots, 1 hit, 16:33 TOI
3) Jaroslav Spacek: Though Ovechkin wasn’t completely shut down tonight,
it was still a quality effort on both sides of the puck. His shot on the
PP led to Kostitsyn’s hat trick and he led the team in hits in this one.
Statline: 1 assist, -2 rating, 5 hits, 5 blocks, 19:27 TOI
HM) Brian Gionta: This was a toss-up between him and Tomas Plekanec but
he gets the nod as Plekanec’s iffy backchecking led to an early Washington goal
in the 3rd. Gionta was everywhere on the ice which, quite frankly, is no
surprise given his play in recent weeks.
Statline: 1 goal, even rating, 2 shots (7 attempts), 2 blocks, 20:57 TOI
Stat of the Night: Hal Gill led all Montreal d-men in shifts tonight with
30, playing 18:29. Andrei Markov played 1 less shift but played 22:23, a
team high.