After single-handedly dominating the Caps on Tuesday night, Alexei Kovalev had insinuated that his strong performance had been fueled by all the questions from the media about how the Habs would manage to contain Alexander Ovechkin. Suffice to say #8's retort was swift and resounding.
As a matter of fact, this was a statement game not only for Ovechkin but for Russian hockey as a whole. Anyone who thinks the Red Army is dead would be advised to go back and watch the war the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals waged on each other tonight. Back and forth action, last minute heroics, and more hits than you could shake a stick at. The best of it signed CCCP.
At its best, soviet hockey was known for fearless speed and prodigious skill. Alexander Ovechkin, Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, Viktor Kozlov, and Andrei Markov displayed all that and then some, putting on a show few of the 14,930 in attendance will soon forget. The quintet combined for 11 points with Ovechkin's four goals and an assist leading the pack. Oh, and he was also a +4, took 6 shots, had five hits, and added a takeaway. If you need him.
It was a rough and tumble affair with a total of 49 hits being levelled by the two teams. Francis Bouillon, Matt Bradley, and someone named David Steckel did most of the heavy lifting, with 14 hits between them. But despite the physicality of this affair, there were surprisingly only six minor penalties called all game.
With their usually stellar powerplay getting only three kicks at the can, the habs were forced to look for another way to generate their offence. And it took them the better part of the game to find it.
Once again, it was the Kostitsyn brothers who stepped up and provided the spark their team needed to get in the game. The two most overlooked keys to the Habs' strong season so far each netted a goal, and in so doing, did their best to shake a lethargic offence to life.
Younger brother, Sergei, got things started by finishing off a play set up by Guillaume Latendresse just under a minute after the Caps had taken a three goal lead. Andrei would follow that up by banging home a buzzer beater at the end of the second. Only the green light came on as the youngster thrust his arms skyward in celebration. But after a quick phone call to Toronto for a second look at the play, Montreal the goal was granted and the Canadiens were back within a goal.
Latendresse and Sergei Kostitsyn showed all kinds of chemistry on the ice and would hook up again shortly after Ovechkin's thrid goal of the game looked to have iced the contest. Latendresse would ratchet the drama up yet another notch with just over 30 seconds to play by knocking home his second of the game and squaring the teams at four.
This was Alex's night, though, and he wasn't going to be denied. Ovechkin played like a man posessed all night, making the Canadiens defensive corps look foolish on more than one occasion. Even his old buddy, Andrei Markov, wasn't safe. It was Markov's soft coverage that allowed him to explode to the front of the net and slide one last goal passed Christobal Huet.
A perfect Cap on the night.
