Washington Capitals fly past Chicago Blackhawks 4-1, both conclude preseason -NHL Update
The 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) preseason might not have been kind to either Chicago Blackhawks or Washington Capitals, but the latter certainly concluded it in a big way by winning over the 2010 Stanley Cup champions, 4-1, on Sunday, October 2, at
the Verizon Center in Washington, District of Columbia.
Washington only managed to win three out of their seven preseason matchups, while Chicago Blackhawks emerged victorious in only two out of the total seven. Both teams were and remain top contenders for the Stanley Cup next season, but regard their losses
in the preseason as time to test and try new things.
“I think no matter what, you are ready to get the preseason done and get the regular season [started], where it means something”, Washington’s left winger, Jason Chimera, said. “It’s good to get these things done”.
Other than that, head coach for Chicago Blackhawks, Joel Quenneville, kept most of his star players out of the match to allow them to rest as much as possible in preparation for the upcoming regular season, which for them is highly important.
Chicago’s main shooters, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and captain Jonathan Toews, all remained off of the ice.
Washington Capitals head coach, Bruce Boudreau, on the other hand was disappointed in his team’s performance since they were playing against Chicago’s backup team.
“I thought it was a pretty sloppy game, quite frankly”, Boudreau said. “I thought this was almost like two teams waiting for the preseason to end, and they only brought half their team. I thought it was a sloppy game. But I think it was more like, let’s
not get hurt in this one”.
Mathieu Perreault scored his third of the preseason, a little over midway through the first on an assist by Mike Green, followed by an extension on a goal by Brooks Laich.
Marian Hossa scored 30 seconds after Laich to keep Chicago alive and ended the period being down by one.
After a scoreless second period, Mike Green scored one of his own on a power play, followed by Jay Beagle with a player out and shorthanded to conclude the match, 4-1.
Chicago Blackhawks play their first regular season matchup against Dallas Stars on Friday, October 7, while Washington Capitals host Carolina Hurricanes next day on Saturday, October 8.
Tags: