Washington Capitals lose Nicklas Backstrom but takedown Calgary Flames 3-1 -NHL Update
Nicklas Backstrom might not have been on the ice to see his team win but helped them in the first 50 minutes of game play to allow Washington Capitals takedown Calgary Flames, 3-1, on Tuesday night, January 3, 2012, at the Verizon Center in Washington, District of Columbia, United States.
The 24-year-old centre from Gavle, Sweden, was hit in the head by Calgary’s Rene Bourque’s elbow, forcing him to leave the game later on, in the third period.
He is now being re-evaluated for any possible injuries or even symptoms of a concussion.
He picked up three points in the form of assists, bringing up his total to 42 (13 goals, 29 assists) this season in 38 games played.
"It was precautionary, and he's getting evaluated", Washington's coach, Dale Hunter, said of Backstrom. "We'll know more (Wednesday)".
Washington's captain, Alex Ovechkin, picked up the first goal of the game for his 17th of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season on their initial power play opportunity as Rene Bourque was booked, 36 seconds in, for holding, with a minor penalty.
Troy Brouwer added the second for Washington straight, taking advantage of another added man situation, this time with Chris Butler out for holding, followed by Curtis Glencross to finally put Calgary on the scoreboard.
Dennis Wideman got his seventh to take Capitals ahead by 3-1, with less than three minutes remaining in the second.
Capitals gave three straight power play opportunities in the third period, but Calgary lost the momentum they needed, failing to capitalise on any single one of the power plays.
"I just felt like I was stuck in the boards, and even though it looked like I was holding him, I couldn't really move because my arm was on the other side of him", Bourque said. "But, yeah, it's a back-breaker. They scored right away in the first minute, and ... I take a stupid penalty".
After the hit, it is most likely that the league's chief disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, will be looking into the replay and might announce another suspension in upcoming days.
Calgary Flames have one more on the road against Boston Bruins on Thursday before heading back home, while Washington faces San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
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