Guess what day it is? (I’ve been waiting a long time to make that truly terrible joke. If you don’t know: GEICO Hump Day commercial.)

Mike Green scored two goals last night, including the OT game-winner. Including me jumping off the couch, from under a pile of blankets, which is the equivalent of true love when it’s 4 degrees outside.  Dust off the “Game Over” nickname!

I mean it. Can this please be a thing again?

Mike’s goals were the 100th [video] and 101st [video] of his NHL career. Thanks to the folks at Japer’s Rink, this Elias/ESPN stat: Mike hit 100 goals in 483 games. Only Sergei Gonchar took fewer games among active defensemen (461) and Shea Weber’s the only other d-man to reach 100 G in under 500 games (495).  Maybe Mike should have outpaced Gonch – Remember when MG had 31 goals in a season?  Gonch had 26 as a Cap in ’01-’02. – but beggars, losing teams and Pants can’t be choosers.  Hey, Mike had as many goals as Ovi last night!

(Love the Japer’s Rink HTML file name: wednesday-caps-clips-mike-green-is-such-a-friggin-badass.)

The Caps had previously lost two shootouts to the Sabres this season. Feels good to get a win – only the Caps’ fourth in 13 games – even against the worst team in the NHL. Who are the only team below us in the Metro.  Again, I digress.  We’ll take the good – and the goals – where we can get them!

I noticed Buffalo’s Ville Leino rocking an impressive beard, and wondered if he wanted to get the growth in now since the Sabres won’t be making the playoffs. Then I realized Mike has been lightly bearded almost all season too… hypothesis deleted. No thought can be so handsome and depressing at the same time.

Back to post-game happy face [video]:

Gah, I missed that!

There has been little to write on Mondays this season, but any day can still belong to Mike.  Please let it be for goals and wins and not losing streaks. Or neck tattoos. Or all this talk about trading him [Washington Post] and keeping him [RMNB, Capitals Outsider, Japers Rink].

I’m firmly in the KEEP MIKE camp, and not just for selfish reasons of hair excellence.  The Caps have problems.  Mike is not the biggest one.  Nor is he any longer a top-2 defenseman, which maybe eases the burden of pressure that has plagued his game in recent seasons.  Overpaid for a top-4 guy, yes.  But he QBs the powerplay, still shows that offensive glitter on occasion and has already been on the ice for more of this season (50 games) than the previous two full NHL schedules (49 in ’10-’11, 32 in ’11-’12).

The Caps have hung their hopes and hats of Mike for a long time – maybe too long – but now is not the time to jump ship.  Or create more problems.  Finally healthy and potentially confident, Mike Green may be the one Capitals problem that could actually solve itself.

Tags: mike green, washington capitals