Quite the game went down in Pittsburgh Thursday night, as the league's best current rivalry got off to an intense start for the '11-'12 season that saw the Washington Capitals win in overtime, 3-2, over the Penguins.
Capitals Vs. Penguins Score: Caps Win Third Straight OT Game, 3-2, Over Pens
The game itself was ugly, for the most part, as both the Penguins and Capitals struggled to cohesively move the puck amongst themselves, but what it lacked in grace it made up for tenfold in intensity. Alex Ovechkin broke out in a big way with a goal and a string of big hits. The Penguins were the beneficiaries of five power plays, but capitalized on only one, when James Neal scored his second goal.
The lasting legacy of this game will, however, be the stunning fight between Arron Asham and Jay Beadle in which Beadle gets knocked senseless, Asham Vince Carters the occasion (the "It's Over" gesture from the 2000 Dunk Contest), plus adds the "go to sleep" to boot, Beadle bleeds profusely from face, pulls out own tooth. You should probably click that link.
Asham apologized seemingly of his own volition directly following the game for Carter-ing what could possibly be a concussion:
@MikeColligan
Mike Colligan#Pens Arron Asham said his gesture after the 3rd period fight was classless and totally uncalled for, said he was caught up in the moment
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Dennis Wideman scored the winning goal in overtime during the Caps' first power play, but after the fight, the goal seemed almost an afterthought. The Caps go to 3-0 on the season and all their games went to overtime. The Penguins still get a point out of the ordeal, and fall to 3-1-1.
For fan reaction, visit SB Nation’s Capitals blog, Japers’ Rink, and Penguins blog, PensBurgh.
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