Ovechkin's hat trick keys Caps' OT comeback over Pens
Hockey Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Knuble scored on the power-play with
2:11 remaining in overtime, and Alex Ovechkin recorded a hat trick, as the
Washington Capitals fought back from a three-goal deficit to edge Pittsburgh,
5-4, and extend their franchise-record winning streak to 14 games.
Eric Fehr also tallied for the Capitals, while Washington goaltender Jose
Theodore made 31 saves.
The last club to win 14 in a row were the Penguins when they set an NHL
record with 17 consecutive victories from March 9-April 10, 1993.
Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal each scored twice for Pittsburgh, which didn't
arrive to the team hotel until 2:15 a.m. (et.) because of the blizzard that
struck the Nation's Capital.
Marc-Andre Fleury allowed five goals on 34 shots to take the loss.
Staal scored two goals in an 84-second span in the second period to give
Pittsburgh a 4-1 cushion. His second tally came off a nifty setup by Evgeni
Malkin at 13:07.
Fehr put a backhander on net and buried his own rebound to make it a two-goal
game with 2:48 remaining in the middle stanza.
The Penguins lost to the Canadiens on Saturday and were forced to take a
flight from Montreal to Newark, New Jersey and then endure a five-hour bus
ride to Washington because of the crippling storm.
The difficult circumstances might have caught up to the club as the Caps
rallied in the third period.
Ovechkin swatted a rebound after deflecting a Tom Poti shot at 6:51 and
completed the trifecta a little over four minutes later. Ovechkin, who now
boasts a league-leading 42 goals, took a drop pass from Knuble after a Nicklas
Backstrom faceoff win and snapped the puck behind a stunned Pittsburgh
netminder.
Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik caught Washington forward Alexander Semin
with a high stick at 2:26 of the extra session and Ovechkin unloaded a shot
from the left wing that hit the post before Knuble pushed in the rebound.
Crosby staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead before the game was 10 minutes old.
The Pittsburgh captain picked off Tyler Sloan, who went for the stretch pass
from his own zone, and beat Theodore on the backhand at 6:59. Crosby converted
a power play exactly three minutes later.
Ovechkin scored on a breakaway to put Washington on the board at the 9:01 mark
of the second period.
Game Notes
Backstrom and Malkin both had two assists...The Caps haven't lost since a 7-4
setback at Tampa Bay on January 12...Theodore has won 10 consecutive
starts...Left winger Chris Kunitz returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh. He
missed 15 games after undergoing abdominal surgery.
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Pacific-10 Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Stanford
 Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State
 It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do:
Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.
Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.
Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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