The Capitals and Canadiens series has become a much more interesting
contest than I thought it could be, although I shouldn’t be surprised
when Alex Ovechkin and the Habs are in a seven game series. Now there’s
some talk going back and forth, although it doesn’t seem to be anything
that out of the ordinary.
After the Capitals erased a 4-1 deficit
on the way to a 6-5 overtime loss, Alex Ovechkin says that he thinks the
Caps are getting to the Canadiens’ goaltender Jaroslav Halak. From CBC
Sports:
“I watched the replay when Fehr scored the
goal and his arm was shaking
when he drank water,” Ovechkin said of Halak after he allowed Eric Fehr
to score on a breakaway in the first period of Game 2. “So, he’s
nervous. He knows all the pressure is on him and that’s a good sign for
us.”
Halak refused to address the comments, and has
not spoken to the media since last night’s loss. Mike Cammalleri says he
believes that Halak is just as calm and cool as ever, and Scott Gomez
dismissed the notion that perhaps he should talk to young netminder.
Certainly can’t fault Gomez for wanting to keep his distance, as
goaltenders are a different breed altogether from the rest of the
players in the locker room. “Weird”, as Gomez puts it.
While I
certainly wasn’t close enough to see Halak’s hand shaking, it certainly
appeared that he was thrown off his game. The Capitals were crashing the
net hard starting late in the second period, and Halak was routinely
and angrily addressing the officials after several goals. He was
uncomfortable in his net, was not as aggressive playing shots and was
beat badly on what could be called a soft goal to allow the tying score
in the late minutes of regulation.
The way that Habs fans can turn
on their players, Halak could be in for a tough game if he struggles
once more. But then, the other option is Carey Price; Montreal fans
aren’t exactly happy with him either.
