Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork. Ronald Acuna Jr. Jersey .com) - Its no surprise people wondered how Barry Trotz would get along with Alex Ovechkin. To say Ovechkin is at the center of the storm for the Washington Capitals would be putting it too lightly. The superstar winger has become so utterly synonymous with the only NHL franchise hes ever known that everything the Caps do is quickly related back to Ovechkin. So when Trotz was hired last spring as Washingtons new head coach, the talk of the town was how would the defensive-minded bench boss mesh with the uber- talented but undisciplined Ovechkin. While there have been growing pains for both Ovechkin and the Caps as a whole under Trotz, Thursdays thrilling Winter Classic victory over the Chicago Blackhawks may have been Washingtons coming out party for the hockey world at large. With nearly 43,000 fans in attendance at Nationals Park, the Caps recorded a 3-2 win over the visiting Blackhawks thanks to Troy Brouwers game-winning power-play goal with 12.9 seconds left in regulation. Ovechkin was awarded an assist on Brouwers big goal and also scored earlier in the game. The two-point performance gives Ovechkin 18 goals and 14 assists in 37 games under Trotz. That level of production is not quite up to the standards set by the three-time Hart Trophy winner, but more importantly, Ovi and his team are trending upward in terms of wins and losses. Washington got off to a mediocre 10-10-4 start under Trotz, but the club has really gained traction over the last several weeks. The New Years Day win over Chicago gives the Caps a 9-1-3 mark over their last 13 games, and the latest victory allowed Washington to leap over the New York Rangers for the third and final automatic playoff berth in the Metropolitan Division. While previous Capitals coaches like Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter and Adam Oates would at times publicly call Ovechkin out for his lack of discipline, Trotz is seemingly adheres to the old saying if you cant find anything nice to say, dont say anything at all. The former longtime Nashville Predators coach instead has been singing the praises of Ovechkin to anyone who will listen, and for good reason. Although Ovi is not producing at his normal point-per-game pace, his overall game has seemed to thrive under Trotz. Last season, Ovi had a dreadful minus-35 rating in 78 games. This season he is sporting a plus-eight through 37 tilts. Even if you think plus/minus is a useless stat (which most of the times it is) that kind of turnaround simply cant be dismissed or ignored. After the victory over the Blackhawks on the outdoor stage, Trotz offered a full-throated endorsement of his star player and seemed to say the criticism of Ovi over the years has not been fair. A lot of people want to tear him apart, but how many superstars have scored as many goals, how many superstars put people in the seats, how many superstars play as physical as Alex Ovechkin? Theres not very many, Trotz said. And thats what makes him unique. Of course, people will continue to knock Ovechkin until he leads a team to a Stanley Cup title. But at the moment, with Trotz as his biggest fan, things are certainly looking up in D.C. CLASSIC TV RATINGS HIT ALL-TIME LOW On paper, it seemed like this years Winter Classic was a marquee matchup. On one side you had a household name like Ovechkin, and on the other was the Chicago Blackhawks, a team with several recognizable faces thanks to a pair of recent Stanley Cups championships. However, early reports of the television ratings for the NBC broadcast tell a different story as Thursdays game was the lowest-rated Winter Classic since the New Years tradition began at Buffalos Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2008. The Blackhawks-Caps pulled an overnight rating of 2.3, well below the 2.9 rating that last seasons clash between Detroit and Toronto at Michigan Stadium. The previous low was a 2.4 rating for the 2012 Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, but that matchup at Citizens Bank Park in Philly may have been hurt by the fact that it was played on Jan. 2 instead of New Years Day. Perhaps, the location hurt the Classic, as Nationals Park is a newer stadium without the cache of places like The Big House, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Also, this was the first time the Winter Classic didnt have the documentary series 24/7 on HBO to build up excitement over the weeks leading into the game. There was a similar program called Road To The Winter Classic that aired on EPIX, a channel that simply cant compete with the high profile offered by a place on HBOs airwaves. The NHL should hope that either of those two reasons led to the low ratings this time because the alternative may be the outdoor game is simply losing its luster. That would hardly be a surprise considering the 2013-14 season saturated the market with six outdoor games. There will be another opportunity to gauge the interest in outdoor games on Feb. 21 when the San Jose Sharks welcome the Los Angeles Kings to Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Nick Markakis Jersey . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection. Bob Horner Jersey . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. https://www.cheapbraves.com/423o-josh-tomlin-jersey-braves.html .5 million. The 25-year-old Varlamov is thriving under first-year coach and Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, posting a 26-9-5 record with a 2.DENVER -- Michael Cuddyer returned from a long absence in a big way. Reinstated from the disabled list earlier in the day, Cuddyer hit for the cycle, including a two-run double in Colorados five-run eighth inning, and the Rockies rallied again to beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in Game 2 to complete a doubleheader sweep Sunday night. Drew Stubbs finished off Colorados five-run ninth inning with a three-run homer off J.J. Hoover, sending the Rockies to a 10-9 victory in the first game. Cuddyer, who missed 60 games with a left shoulder fracture, tripled in the first, homered in the fifth and singled in the seventh to become the seventh Rockies player to hit for the cycle and first since Carlos Gonzalez on July 31, 2010, against the Chicago Cubs. "You dont set out to hit for the cycle, thats for sure," Cuddyer said. "Thats why I went down there (in the minors) for so long, to feel comfortable on the baseball field again. You never want to feel foreign on the field. I knew it was going to take a week or so to get that feel back, and today was a good day." Adam Ottavino (1-4) picked up the win in relief and reliever Carlos Contreras (0-1), who allowed five runs in 1 1-3 innings, took the loss. Ryan Ludwick had a two-run homer in the sixth off Yohan Flande to help the Reds take a 5-2 lead into the seventh. But the Rockies pulled even in their half of the seventh with the help of the Reds second error, which came with the bases loaded and one out after Colorado had pulled within two. Reds third baseman Ramon Santiago cleanly fielded Nolan Arenados hard RBI bouncer down the line and stepped on the bag for the force but his throw to first was wide and rolled onto the dirt track in foul territory, allowing two runners to cross the plate. That set the stage for another big finish by the Rockies. After Brandon Barnes and Charlie Culberson each singled with one out in the eighth, Manny Parra relieved Contreras, and Josh Rutledge beat out an infield single to load the bases with two outs. Corey Dickerson, who earlier extended his hitting streak to 12 games, and Cuddyer followed with succesive two-run doubles. "The first one got away from us and the second one got away from us," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "I know runs can score here in a huurry. Braves Jerseys 2019. We really did everything we could with our bullpen to get to the place where he had a chance to win that first game. And thats the one we should put away and we didnt. We had a three-man bullpen for Game 2 and it didnt work out." Cuddyer sent his drive down the third-base line and emphatically clapped his hands as he pulled into second base. It was his second career cycle. He also did it against Milwaukee on May 22, 2009, while with Minnesota. "Its good to see Cuddy out there and swinging like its midseason form," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Big night for Cuddy." In the first game, the Reds carried a 9-5 lead into the ninth, but All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman walked four straight batters before he was replaced by Hoover. Pinch-hitter Wilin Rosario then hit a sacrifice fly to trim Cincinnatis lead to two. After Charlie Blackmon flied out, Stubbs drove a 1-0 pitch from Hoover (1-9) into the seats in left-centre for his 12th homer. It was Stubbs third career game-ending homer and first with the Rockies. TRAINERS ROOM: Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips (torn left thumb ligament) continued his minor league rehab stint with Class A Dayton on Sunday at Bowling Green. Phillips began the assignment Friday at Triple-A Louisville, going 0 for 2 with a walk against Indianapolis. UP NEXT: Reds: RHP Mike Leake (9-11) is slated to pitch Mondays series opener at St. Louis, where Cincinnati has gone 1-10 in its last 11 series. Rockies: Following an off day, LHP Tyler Matzek (2-8) is slated to pitch Tuesday against RHP James Shields (11-6) in the first of a two-game interleague series against Kansas City. GAME BALLS: The first game was played with balls embossed with the No. 17 in recognition of Todd Helton, who wore that number during a stellar Colorado career and saw it retired during a pregame ceremony. Hes the first player in the teams history to have his number retired. NUGGETS: Reds: Cincinnati was swept in a doubleheader for the first time in seven years. Pittsburgh was the last team to pull it off, on Aug. 28, 2007, by scores of 6-4 and 3-2. Rockies: 3B Arenado, who won the Gold Glove as a rookie last season, registered three straight put-outs in the third inning of the nightcap, the final one coming on a leaping snow-cone catch of Ludwicks liner. ' ' '