Zed's first two goals as a Cap

Zed's first two goals as a Cap

10/31/2006 08:40 am
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Richard Zednik netted his first two goals of the season, ending a 12-game skid that dated back to Apr. 13, 2006, when he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens. It was his first goal in a Capitals’ uniform since Mar. 7, 2001 at Pittsburgh.

After the Caps were shutout 4-0 in Edmonton on Saturday, Zednik was shifted to a line with Donald Brashear and Boyd Gordon. Those two players collected assists on Zednik’s goal. For Gordon, it was his first point of the season and his first point since Jan. 31, 2006.



The trio had a strong shift in the Calgary end, cycling down low and winning battles along the wall and in the corners. The shift culminated in Zednik’s first goal. Even when Zednik was struggling to find the net in the season’s first 10 games, he was still an asset on the ice in the eyes of the coaching staff.



“And with Zed, we’re so happy [with him],” said Caps bench boss Glen Hanlon after the team’s Monday morning skate at the Pengrowth Saddledome, and hours before the winger’s two-goal performance against the Flames. “When goal scorers don’t score, the first thing they do is start to cheat on their defensive habits. Zed has been a very conscientious guy. He has killed penalties, he has stayed in the zone, he has blocked shots. That’s the reason why we’re still happy with his play.



“It’s unfortunate that he hasn’t scored; we want that. But he’ll play in enough offensive [situations] tonight to score and his minutes likely won’t be cut back. We’re just hoping to create some offense from [Matt] Pettinger now in that spot. That was my [thought] process.”



Hanlon did not cut Zednik’s minutes back. He went into the game averaging 17:31 a night; he played 17:06 against the Flames.



Shoane Morrisonn also picked up his first points of the season. He matched a single-game career high with two assists on Monday in Calgary.