Simply a-mase-ing!!

The Caps just got "mased".....again!

45 saves... he now leads the league in save %, gaa ans shutouts!

This 3-0 win for me was one of the most improbable wins I've ever seen from the Jackets. They did it with ten 1st or 2nd year players... with 9 regulars out of the lineup including their captain... against a team that had only lost 1 game in regulation at home all season long..... and against arguably the best player in this game in shutout fashion no less.

Lots of praise to go around for this one so lets get right to it.

STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW



GREEN
* Steve Mason stole this game.... the team scored some key goals for him but 45 saves against a team like the Caps... just what do we have in this kid....? I mean he's done this for 24 games straight now and makes it look pretty routine out there. Need some luck to get the shutout but those posts hits came after the Jackets were up 2-0... he made those early saves in the 1st that really boosted this squad.

* Team effort.... the vets remaining in Peca, Umberer, Modin, Malhotra, Commodore, Hejda and Tyutin... they all picked up their games and delivered in a big way. The young kids all did their part.

* The best game I've seen Voracek play as a Jacket hands down. He made great play on Umberger's goal and was skating the puck with more confidence than I've ever seen from him at this level... the 16 minutes of ice time Hitch gave him certainly backs that up.

* Got that key first goal!

* Even though the PP struggled early it came through with a big 2 goals which sealed this one.. they were both generated from quick point shots which the Jackets have done a better job at getting off.

* Jared Boll taking one for the team and then making it count where it should count most... the scoreboard!

* PK.....with Mase as its best killer... was perfect against the league's 4th best PP.

* Jackets had no business winning that game... they were outplayed.. but you know what, there have been many nights this year when that has happened to us.. bout time we had one go our way.

* Murray was a beast and was hustling all over the ice. Played over 18 minutes and made a big difference out there.

* Jackets did the little things... took the hits..made the hits... guys like Boll stayed disciplined.. won key faceoffs... played hard in the hard areas.. scored those dirty goals...blocked shots...cleared the crease... you name it.

* Peca's best game of the year.. not even close.

* Jackets blocked 16 shots led by Marc Methot...

* Ovechkin had 12 shots.. 12!! ...yet MASED!!!

* Great game by Boller.. he played over 14 minutes collected 1g 1a... Jackets needed guys like him to step up and he certainly did that.

* Who else saw that smile from Hitch at the end of the game..? Almost like a "how in the hell did we pull that off?" kinda smile....

* Was it just me or did it seem like Hitch was just rolling the lines on the PP? Heck why not right?

* 4-2 on this road trip.... really somebody pinch me... I would have been happy with .500 but to go 4-2 is season saving material. Very proud of these guys especially with given all of injuries...which haven't been used as an excuse by anyone.

YELLOW
* If I heard the word "understaffed" used by Rimer one more time I was putting the game on mute.... Loved the shout out to the R Bar though!!

* Boys got hemmed in their end pretty bad there a few shifts.... young Russians caught in a couple of those. Both Filatov and Mayorov were gripping their sticks pretty tight but you can see the raw skill with both of these guys and as the game moved along they looked more and more comfortable out there.

RED
* Officiating was horrendous... a phantom trip call... an unacceptable missed offside call that lead to a PP for the Caps... Brashear not given an instigating penalty for sucker punching Jared Boll... too many men for a play that happens 20 times a game... there were a couple of make up calls in there but you can't just give-away free penalties..

* That said the Jackets were guilty of some of those calls...they were lucky to survive but need to be more disciplined.

3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. Mase
2. Special teams were big...Jackets got it done on the PP and PK.
3. Team effort... everybody stepped up and had a hand in this one.

The win moves the Jackets back above .500 and keeps them right in the fight. It really is something to watch just how important that goaltending position is in this game.

No time to sit back and enjoy this one as its the Wild at home tomorrow night who are in direct contention with one of those final playoff spots with the Jackets. The Jackets have to watch for the let down at home and they also have to be careful not to burn out Mason. Hitch did say he should get 1 or 2 bodies back for tomorrow's tilt.... Huselius should be one of those guy... we can only hope the other is Nash.

Fantastic effort fellas... I'm one very proud CBJ fan tonight!

-LTL