Capitals @ Devils 2/3/09

(Warning: I'm not as good as 2 Man Advantage where I have tickets to the game and I can report live from the Rock. I am reporting from my couch, with my laptop. Sorry. I'll try to be funny and accurate but you should still check out 2MA.)

Oh how I love when the Devils play the Caps. I don't know if it's the excitement of Scott Clemmenson/Baby Goalie (or Brodeur in older cases) blocking shots of Alexander 'the Great' Ovechkin or just the fact that it's about an equal skill-level match up, but it sure is fun. Will Jamie Langenbrunner, AKA Jamie Awesombrunner, score 2 goals? Will Baby Goalie shut out Ovie? Will Johnny Oduya get boxed for something he didn't do?

My predictions:
Devils : 3 (Langenbrunner, Rolston, Zajac)
Capitals : 1 (Player I do not know. It won't be Ovechkin)

Here's the play-by-play.

Washington Capitals @ New Jersey Devils.
2/3/09

7:03 - Pretty cool promo featuring some Caps/Devs clips show Sheldon Brookbank taking out two Caps at once. I wish Brookbank would contribute something to the game more often. Then there's a small feature on Jamie's 6 goals in 3 games. Go Cap'n!

7:09 - Guys on Versus are talking. I wonder if I'm on the right channel... I want Doc and Chico to be talking instead. This guy just called the Devils the 'Jersey boys'. I want Doc and Chico right this second.

7:12 - Puck drops. Jamie Awesomebrunner, Travis Zajac and Parise start it off. I love the ZZPOP. Offside 10 seconds into the game.

7:14 - Parise takes 3 shots in two seconds. Jose Theodore stops them all with his big goalie pads.

7:16 - David Clarkson takes a roaring slap shot that Theodore catches in his chest.

7:18 - David Clarkson gets yelled at for whispering at Donald Brashear. I mean actually taunting him from a standing position in front of his bench. The referee pushes Clarkson back to the Devils bench by his shoulders like a kindergartener being forced back to their desk. For some reason, Dainius Zubrus is sent to the penalty box to serve this penalty. I will never understand this one.

7:20 - Mike Green scores for Washington scores his 16th goal of the season. To quote Charlie Brown...'AUUGGH!!'

7:22 - Zubrus gets a breakaway (sort of) and somehow misses the net...(by 'somehow' I mean that two Caps were damn near holding onto his ankles as he skated!)

7:23 - Penalty is called but it cuts to commercial before they tell us who it is on. The call is a hook.

7:25 - The call is on Jamie Awesomebrunner. New name: Jamie Penaltybrunner.

7:25 - While the announcers talk about how ex-teammates Alex Ovechkin and Dainius Zubrus used to check into hotels together as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, the Capitals score their second goal. I yell things at the TV but I don't think they hear me.

7:27 - Nylander from Washington gets a high-sticking penalty. Two minutes on the power play for the 'Jersey'.

7:32 - Commercial showing Joe Thorton. I wish we had Joe Thorton.

7:34 - Brian Rolston fires one. Caught by Theodore. This makes me sad.

7:35 - 3 stopage of plays in 10 seconds. I am bored with hearing about Zach Parise's awesomeness. Talk about someone under-rated. Mike Rupp or Colin White.

7:36 - Patrik Elias hits someone center ice. You don't see that every game.

7:40 - A Capital fires a shot and Baby Goalie flips on his back and catches the puck between his knees. That was a risky save on his part.

7:42 - Brendan Shanahan took a shot that Theodore blocks then holds. Rolston skates into the crease and looks Theodore straight in the mask. I think he wants his head to blow up.

7:44 - This back-and-forth posession game in the neutral zone has been going on for 90 seconds. Someone do something!

7:45 - They show Brodeur's injury video and then they show him sitting up in a suite. Man, that makes me angry.

7:46 - A Capital takes a shot with 20 seconds left. It bounces off the inside of the left post, flys across, and hits the right post. I think I swallowed my gum...I wasn't even chewing gum.

7:47 - Intermission time. This game is making me sad inside.

8:06 - Nylander scores for the Capitals. I hope that guy feels the wrath of a Colin White hipcheck.

8:10 - Nothing interesting to report. I never noticed how short Brian Gionta looks next to some of these big guys, though.

8:11 - A clip is shown of Donald Brashear hitting Brian Rolston, who falls backwards, and getting his (Rolston's) stick caught in the hook of his arm, then throwing it. He seems...nice.

8:15 - Nothing. I don't like this.

8:16 - POWER PLAY!! Take that, Caps! Mike Green is called for a hook.

8:18 - 5-on-3!

8:18 - BRIAN ROLSTON SCORES! I'm sorry I doubted you, Rolston. Let's get this started, Devs!

8:23 - Okay, Devs, spending way too much time on defense here. We clear it out...then a Cap bats it back in. A shot; Baby Goalie saves. A clearing attempt, sent back in. This is a pattern.

8:27 - Jamie attempted to hit someone. He bounced off. A 4-on-2 opportunity is presented but it's poked away by Theodore.

8:32 - Theodore just flipped Brian Gionta. Poor little short guy. I think that might've been a poke check gone wrong.

8:36 - Mike Mottau ends up sprawling to the ice and somehow David Clarkson is called for hooking. !@#$ &#!$! We are in over our heads here, Devils.

8:39 - I got a cookie. Sugar makes me feel better but I'm still disappointed. Intermission time.

8:55 - Third period begins.

8:55 - JAAAAMMIIIIEEEE LANNGEENNNBRUNNERR! 7TH GOAL IN 4 GAMES! The name is back to Awesomebrunner!! Oh, he is so awesome. If he scores again tonight, I think it's a record of some type for most 2-goal games in a row. Clearly this man is on a warpath.

9:03 - Too busy yelling at the TV to type.

9:08 - Mike Rupp, why?! Goalie interference?! Oh, whatever, Theodore is a delicate little flower, I guess. Besides the fact that I'm losing my voice and getting tired of screaming at the TV, I think we're alright. We can turn it around.

9:11 - Noooooooooo! Oh, I think I might cry. Baby Goalie let one by him. No worries, shake it off. We've come back from worse, right? ...right?!

9:14 - Power play!! Let's do it Devs! Passed to Paul Martin. Number 7 rockets one. Snagged by Theodore.

9:20 - We need to score 2 goals in 4 minutes. I hate life.

9:24 - I just yelled at Colin White to headbutt Ovechkin in the ribs. I think the competition is getting to me.

9:24 - Baby Goalie is pulled. Noo!! Don't score- too late. Empty net goal. Bye bye, win streak. Hello, depression. I hate empty net goals. I think pulling the goalie EVERY GAME WE ARE LOSING is a stupid idea. Every time New York scored on us last year on an empty net, I died a little inside. Even Jamie Awesomebrunner couldn't save us tonight.

9:27 - Game over. Awesomebrunner's 2-goal streak is done. Our 8-win streak is done. Bah-humbug. January ruled. Feburary isn't looking too hot yet. Let's hope we pull it together by next week's game against the Rangers. At least Baby Goalie shut out Ovie. And Jamie, the love of my life, scored a (yes, this is awesome) shorthanded goal.