From our position behind the Jacket's attack twice goal, we got a great view of some of Mason's best plays during the second period, many of them involving some ferocious line drives from Ovechkin's stick. Some things we noticed:
- Mason has a way of moving and getting square in a way that is almost invisible, it is so fluid. Watching Leclaire, you are always amazed at his quickness, but it is always a flurry of rapid motion -- legs whipping out, arms flailing. You have a much calmer sense from Mason, even under pressure.
- Mason's size enables him to be able to hang closer to the goal line and still cut off the angle. Two or three times during the second period, Ovechkin was clearly trying for the high far corner, but shot wide or into Mason's shoulder every time.
- Hands down, Mason is the best of our three goaltenders in playing the puck behind the net. He is purposeful and made some beautiful passes and clears from the trapezoid. For Pazzy and Freddy, I have the "blue ice" rule -- if they look down and do not see blue ice, they need to move!
Other observations:
Two Way Player of the Game -- Nash. His single handed stop on Ovechkin, the steal leading to his shortie, and his huge presence on the PK all night were a sight to behold.
Nice To See Efforts- Torres and that whole line showed a lot of hustle, determination and execution. Murray had his best effort yet, and Modin showed some real grit.
Best Cheer of the Night -- Well, calling it a cheer might be a bit generous, but a third period yell from Section 109 was priceless : " 3 Goals Allowed Johnson!!! That's 5 goals Canadian!!"
Best Almost End Of A Bad Streak--Torres' goal was technically not a PP goal, but functionally was, as we still had the advantage in the zone, and the play setting it up occurred with the man advantage. Overall, the Tyutin/Russell pairing on the point is showing promise.
Fan Support -- A good crowd saw a great game, and appeared to appreciate it! I sense there is lots more to come!
Go Jackets!
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