Against the Islanders, Alexander Ovechkin continued to show why his other surname is "the Great."
If the Caps expect to be a contender for the Stanley Cup, they must do two things: win on the road and beat the teams they are supposed to beat.
Monday's lackluster effort against the Isles, who have a league-worst 29 points, wasn't anything to write home about, but the final score of 2-1 is all that matters.
For most of the game, the Islanders were the aggressor, from hitting to work in the offensive zone. Washington, on the other hand, was plagued with sloppy passing and playing down to the level of its competition.
Ovechkin struck first with a power-play goal late in the first period, and last with his winner in OT, but the play of goalie Jose Theodore (28 saves) was just as much of a factor in the win. Theodore at one point made a great stick save, except without using his own. Having lost his stick behind the goal during a scrum, Theodore borrowed one from a teammate and kept New York from lighting the lamp.
The single goal scored by the Isles can be less attributed to Theodore and more to the Caps shooting themselves in the foot with careless penalties that gave the Isles a 5-on-3 advantage.
With back-to-back wins against one of the best in the NHL (Boston) and now the worst, the Caps are building momentum.
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But to be a true threat, they must bring a more consistent effort as a team and not depend so much on a superstar coming to the rescue.
