Atlanta 4-Washington 3: Brought to You By the Number...

19

Which is the number of shots in the third period. The Capitals entered that period, clutching a 3-2 lead. They had, at that point allowed only 20 shots and given up one powerplay goal to Hossa. But even though Brent Johnson was sensational with 40/43 saves (a 93% save percentage) the Capitals allowed the Thrashers to bombard their weary goalie in the third and Hossa finally tied the game with 33 seconds left.

It certainly didn't help that the Caps gave up seven penalties to one of the league's best powerplays, but they were only scorched once and even added a PP goal of their own, thanks to Alex Semin.

In the end, on a back-to-back night, and your backup goaltender in, you need to limit the shots. For two periods, the Caps kept the shot totals close (17-20, Atlanta at the end of the 2nd), but those 19 shots are just an invitation for the Thrash to come back. Frankly, the Caps are lucky to have gotten a point out of that game. It could have been much worse.