The Washington Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins in over-time last evening by a final score of 4-3. It was the Capitals third consecutive contribution in the win column at home this season and 164th consecutive sellout at the Verizon Center.
In front of 18,506, the Capitals fell behind 3-0 after one period of play, but it was a spectacular offensive output lead by veteran forward Eric Fehr that ultimately secured two points for a team in desperation mode, tied for dead last in the Eastern Conference.
When the Washington Capitals agreed to terms with free agent forward Eric Fehr, shortly after the labor dispute concluded, Vice President and General Manager George McPhee made it clear that he wanted to add more depth at the forward position, add more size to the Nation’s Capitals, and bring back a familiar face who previously spent six seasons with the organization.
An early observation of the 6’4 212 pound winger wearing the red shirt again is, he clearly is a solid addition for the Capitals and certainly proved that point last night.
Through 18 games, Fehr has five goals and six assists. Last night, he collected an overtime goal and added two helpers, during a three period stretch of four unanswered goals.
“We didn’t give up at all today,” Fehr said following last nights action. “We know how important it is to string some wins together. To come back against a team that good, means a lot, and hopefully we can keep going.”
The Capitals character had been in question early on in this shortened season, but if last night was any indication, the Caps temporarily quieted the growing list of doubters.
“I think it says a lot about our character,” Fehr said. This team believes in ourselves. We’re a pretty confident bunch right now and we believe in the system. That’s why it doesn’t matter who is on which line. We’re playing together as a team, and that’s why we were able to win today.”
Other bright spots in last night’s action saw two rookie blue-liners add to the score sheet. Defenseman Steve Oleksy, who made his NHL debut, had an assist for his first point in the National Hockey League. Defenseman Tomas Kundratek scored his first career NHL goal and added an assist.
“I definitely celebrated like it was a winning goal in the playoffs,” Kundratek said. “It was my first one, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
Capitals News and Notes
- The Capitals signed defenseman Steve Oleksy to an NHL contract and recalled him from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. The contract is a three-year, two-way contract
- Veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik has been placed on waivers by the Capitals in order to make room for Oleksy.
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