Forget the final result of tonight’s game:  a choppy and sloppy affair, one in which we thought, as eyewitnesses, that Tom Poti, Karl Alzner, and Mike Green were the only backliners earning their full pay tonight.

What enlivened my spirit tonight was not Green’s first of two goals that he scored on the night, making this game the seventh in a row in which he has scored, tying the NHL record for the longest goal-scoring streak by a defenseman (set by Boston’s Mike O’Connell during the 1983-84 season).

No, it was really the strength and number of Washington Capitals fans in attendance tonight at the Garden, in mid-week.  A good deal of red could be seen throughout the mid-range ring of the storied arena:  jerseys not just sporting Ovechkin’s name, but of Green, Semin, and Backstrom.  Laich, Captain Clark, and a #47 Karl Alzner.

Nick Laham / Getty Images

Nick Laham / Getty Images

Even old-school sweaters of Dennis Maruk and Dino Ciccarelli were observed.

You know how upsettting it is, or rather has been, to watch a game in D.C., surrounded by Flyers fans, or Penguin fans, or Rangers fans, and also know that they live among you, take your same commute home?  Live among you?

As we left the Garden tonight, a teenage boy and his father exited with us, undoubtedly relishing that most contrived of victories, by one goal in the shootout, scored even by a clink off of the pipe.  And, we should mention, after the visitors put on a heroic penalty killing display, fighting off four straight minor penalties against, one a double-minor.  So, emboldened by this gift of an extra point, the boy chirped at me:

“Enjoy the drive home to Washington.”

Automatically, without thought or hesitation, I replied:

“Heh.  I live here.  I’m taking the E train.”

The boy was flummoxed, and disappointed.  His father put his arm around him and they walked away without further discussion.

Walking through Penn Station’s Amtrak terminal, I observed a long lineup of dudes waiting for the men’s room, surely seeing that ugly rest stop as their only chance before a long ride out on NJ Transit.

Heck, they’re probably still en route, as I type in the comfort of home.

Maybe all of these Caps supporters made the trip up from the D.C. metro area on a Wednesday afternoon.  Or maybe many are very recent transplants.  Or, maybe long-time NYC-area denizens are now reclaiming their hockey roots.  In any event, Caps country is annexing a bit of territory in unlikely places.

If it comes to pass that the Caps play the Devils or Rangers in the playoffs, I can assure you that Amtrak is a most comfortable and, usually, on-time reliable way to travel between D.C. and Gotham.  Please, get on board.

Photos of tonight’s game to come.