Tomas Vokoun helps Washington Capitals beat Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 – NFL Update
Washington Capitals' goalie, Tomas Vokoun, made 30 saves, while Pittsburgh Penguins groped on the rink to get a scoring move as the Capitals dominated the Penguins, 1-0, at the Verizon Center on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.
The game was closely contested with both the goaltenders coming into action, but Penguins’ goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, made one mistake, which eventually cost them the game.
He made 20 saves throughout the contest.
On the other hand, Vokoun registered the highlighting feature of the game later in the final period when Evgeni Malkin attempted to score a goal.
Desperately eager to level the scores, Malkin fired two shots towards Vokoun, who dealt with them rather easily.
“I was scrambling in the crease, and then I saw him. He got the puck and he actually took a great shot", Vokoun said about the final attempt.
"I was fortunate enough to kind of raise my body, and it hit me in the chest. It's a good save".
His teammates also appreciated him.
"He made all the good saves that he had to make. When we needed him to make that great save, he was there, as well", Matt Hendricks said.
The goalie did his part and the offensive line played its.
Malkin was also responsible for the only scoring move of the game with less than five minutes to play in the first period, Capitals forced a turnover.
Malkin surrendered the puck upon Joel Ward’s interception.
After gaining the possession of the puck, Ward hit it through to the boards and Jeff Halpern picked it up and sent it to Jason Chimera who beat Fleury to score his 14th goal of the season.
The Capitals could not have scored the goal had it not been for Ward’s interception.
Chimera appreciated Ward after the game and said that he is a smart player who makes effective plays.
"(Ward) is one of those guys who uses a very long stick and he made a great play stripping the puck", he said.
In the first period of the game, Craig Adams and Matt Hendricks were handed over a five-minute penalty, after both were involved in fighting.
Penguins accelerated in the final quarter and fired many shots towards the net, but Vokoun stood still and did not allow the puck to pass through him.
Pittsburgh Penguins, who received their sixth straight defeat, badly missed their captain, Sidney Crosby, who is out due to a concussion.
He was present during the game, but could only encourage the morale of his players who needed him on the ice.
Crosby’s return is still a dilemma.
The Penguins will play their next game against Florida Panthers on Friday.
On the other hand, the victory snapped the two-game losing streak for the Capitals. They are now going to face Tampa Bay Lightning on the same day.
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