The Fun Starts Now: Hawks 3, Capitals 2 and Sunday's Big Boy

Wow, what a fun game,  So fast, with chances at either end only moments apart for what seemed to be the entire match.  Not a perfectly executed affair by The Hawks, but not terrible.  Here's what I think I saw:
- Those Capitals can skate.  Well, not Brooks Orpik, so much, but the rest of them are quick and their forecheck is relentless.  In the first period, especially, they chased The Hawks defensemen back, back and then back some more until, finally, they either made a poor pass or just flipped the puck into the neutral zone.  The Hawks came out for the second better prepared for this
- Only two of our new gadgets played tonight, Ladd & Fleischmann, and they both looked remarkably comfortable straight away.  Q even deployed Flasch on the penalty kill.  Ladd was right at home on Toews' line, it seemed, and his effort in front of the net on The Hawks' second goal was indicative of why Stan went out and got him.
- It was nice to see the lesser lights, if I can say that, have good games. Desjardins was pesky and well positioned all day and that kick pass by Panik was wonderful. That guy is like a turbine, just buzzing at full chat all the time, not always accomplishing much but it's the kind of effort that can lead to unexpected chances and draws the odd penalty, as was the case today.  Rasmoosen ended up with the winner in what may well be his last game for awhile, as long as Weiss' visa gets sorted out soon and, saving the best for last, Teravainen's line with Des and Flasch was The Hawks' best trio today.
- The last time I wrote about TVR I think I said it had been the best game I'd seen him play.  Today was the opposite of that.  Yes, he notched an assist, but that "pass" could only have been corralled by Kane, let only result in a goal.  In his own end he really seemed to have no idea what he was doing, or going to do. When you're killing a penalty one guy is not going to be covered but, when TVR was "killing penalties" two guys were often footloose 'cos TVR wasn't covering anybody, and that's unacceptable.
- Brian Engblom is bad at his job.  He called Taylor Chorney "Tom Chorske" at least once, was convinced that Holtby got a bit of glove on the puck that Des clearly plunked off the post, and was under the impression that Matt Niskanen had scored The Caps' first goal. That said, I'll take his cheerful lunkheadedness any day over Milbury.
- One more aside; there are still 16 hours left before the trade deadline. Just sayin'.

Teuvo's pass to Toews for the second goal epitomizes what makes him so great; that rare combination of being able to see situations just before they unfold and having the skill to act on them.  Teuvo Teravainen gets The Belt tonight, not only for his efforts. but also to herald the beginning of a legitimate third line.

                                                        Se ei ole poro perä.