Bruce Boudreau really, really wanted his Washington Capitals to win this game -- and it had nothing to do with the 200th victory of his NHL coaching career. No, what mattered was that the Capitals were reeling. They'd lost six of seven games, including four in a row. Their power play was dormant. Alex Ovechkin was slumping, along with the rest of the team's offense. Facing a two-goal deficit against a streaking opponent Monday night, the Capitals came out ahead, with Nicklas Backstrom scoring early in the third period, then setting up Brooks Laich's insurance goal to help the Capitals edge the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3.
