January Success :: 9-4-0 :: Ovechkin (4 goals) /Capitals 5 - 4 Canadiens - OT

What an exciting night it was for me! I was forced to flip back and forth between the season premier of my favorite TV show, LOST, and the Caps game. I got plenty lucky as the station breaks during LOST, seemed to some how magically line up with perfect timing with play in the Caps game. It was just too hard to choose, and I was rewarded for managing to miss almost none of either. What an entertaining night it was, for hockey, and on LOST! Our man of the hour tonight? Once again, Alexander Ovechkin!

As luck or fate would have it, with the first hockey post since the restart of this blog, the Washington Capitals finish the month of January just as they began it, with a win. Back on new years day, the Caps handily beat the powerful Ottawa Senators , 6-3. Tonight, the Caps came out on top of a very hard fought, and entertaining hockey game, beating the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in overtime at Verizon Center, with once again, Alexander Ovechkin coming up bigtime with a 5 point night. (4 goals, 1 assist) Hey, maybe my restarting this blog has brought the Caps alittle more luck!

The Montreal Canadiens certainly came to play, and would not just roll over and allow the Caps to win this one without a serious fight. The Habs fought back from being down 3-0, and 4-2, tying the game up with just 33 seconds left, after pulling Cristobal Huet for an extra attacker in the final minute. The Caps outshot the Habs 38-21, and controled the play for long stretches, keeping the Habs pinned deep in thier own zone at times. But it was Alexander Ovechkin who largely, single handedly took control of this game, and the Caps fortunes tonight. Ovechkin leads the NHL, now in goals, with 43, and has 27 assists for also a league leading 70 points.

After a rocky first third of the season, the Caps have rocketed to within 3 points of first place in the south east division, going 18-9-4 since thanks giving. It does appear that things are finally coming together for the Caps, as they have been playing some fantastic hockey of late. Things on the squad seem to be finally clicking and coming together. Yes, more improvments need to be made, but the Caps appear to be beginning to finally devlop as a "team". The chemistry is slowly, but surely coming for them. They have played well enough to position themselves in a place that has us all thining a playoff appearance just might not be out of the cards this season. There is still alot of hockey to be played, but things sure are looking up for now. Here's hoping the February will bring a continuation of the success the Caps have enjoyed since late November.