Ovechkin Takes NHLPA MVP Honors

Alex Ovechkin may have been snubbed for the Hart as league's most valuable player, but he took home the NHLPA Ted Lindsay award for the third consecutive year. While his piers see Ovi as the league's MVP, Henrik Sedin takes the honors.

Mike Green and Ovechkin were both named to NHL first All-Star team. Jose Theodore would take the Bill Masterton award given to the player that best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

While Sedin snatched the Hart with his league best 83 assists, it is hard to imagine any player coming back from two suspensions and still led his team to a franchise first President's Trophy as League's best in the regular season.

For many fans, the individual awards may seem like old hat. Rather it is the lack of playoff success (thus far) that makes this year's awards somewhat insignificant. It is great that the Caps have players that are recognized for their efforts, but fans are looking for more team accolades now the Washington Capitals are serious Cup contenders.

Eyes are focused on George McPhee's actions this off season and from what can be deduced is that some familiar faces will not return. Theodore maybe looking for work this summer as no deal or talks have come his way. Instead, GMGM will be going with the kids Semyon Varlamov and Micheal Neuvirth. Theo confirmed as much at the awards show according to Tarik's blog:

"We had a good talk," Theodore said. "I enjoyed my time in Washington. Two great years. Winning percentage, stats-wise, it was fun to play for the Caps. But things in the new NHL, they are, they're going to go with the young kids [Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth] and I respect that."

"I have nothing but good words to say about this city, especially the fans and the organization," he added. "With the way I finished last year, I'm just looking forward to next season."

Shaone Morrisonn is another player that may not be in Caps camp this fall as is Brendan Morrison. McPhee has not talked to either Mo or B.Mo about returning as of yet and may let both go to make room to bring in talent in Hershey.

Salary cap-wise the league will give teams a bump to $59.4 million. A raise from $56.8 million.

Caps' Win Is Costly

Capitals 4, Panthers 1
Scoresheet

The Washington Capitals may have won the game in convincing fashion, but it was the parade of defensemen off the ice that drew the most attention. The Caps were resilent when they needed to be and Brian Pothier had one heck of a hockey game with 3 points as they win game one of a home and home with the Florida Panthers, 4-1.

Mike Green left after only four shifts in the first period with an upper body injury. He was followed by Jeff Schultz in the second period who had a lower body injury. Shaone Morrisonn was called for a boarding call with eight minutes left in the third and was ejected for the game. Bruce Boudreau put Tyler Sloan in as a forward and it paid off as the blue line seemed to be dropping like flies.

The Caps however get some timely and much needed scoring from some lines that had been struggling. The second line of Mike Knuble, Brendan Morrison and Brooks Laich played hard all game rewarding Morrison with a pair of goals. While Pothier had a career night with a goal and two assists. Sloan scored his second in as many games as he has found some chemistry with Mathieu Perreault and Chris Clark.

This was a total team win tonight by the Capitals. It was made evident by the primary and secondary assists on the first three goals of the night. Jose Theodore stopped 28 shots and what he couldn't stop, his defensemen stepped in. Sloan even stopped a dribbler from making it past Theo towards the net.

"Jose was superb," Boudreau said. "Especially in the first five minutes of the game when they came right at us. He did a great job holding the fort until we got a goal or two."

Injuries seem to be mounting up for the Capitals. Green and Schultz will join Alex Ovechkin who is likely out for tomorrow's rematch game against the Panthers. Boyd Gordon and Eric Fehr are still nursing injuries.

For the most part, the Caps were successful in avoiding the penalty box. But Shaone Morrisonn hit a Panther right in the numbers into the boards. That led to a five minute major for the Caps' defenseman. The Caps did a fantastic job of killing off the major only allowing one shot on net for the 5 minute duration.

Caps Notes:

• According to Bruce Boudreau, Shaone Morrisonn may be suspended for his boarding hit. The Caps received a letter from the league stating as much so if Morrisonn had a 5 min. major called on him in either the first 10 or 15 games (they weren't sure on the time frame). The letter claimed that Morrisonn had been called for two boarding majors last season, but he only had one (Feb. 7 against the same Florida Panthers). It's unclear if he will be suspended by the league.
• Alex Semin may not have scored a point, but he didn't take any bad penalties either. His ice time was pretty even through out the game including some time on the ice when the Panthers had pulled their goaltender.
  
• Nick Backstrom got his 15 assist on the season when he passed it to Brian Pothier and his one timer scored on the power play. He is now tied for second in the league with two other players.
  

Caps Struggle To Close Out The Thrashers

Capitals 4, Thrashers 3
Scoresheet - Times - Post

It should have been a open and shut game. The Capitals worked up a 3-0 lead. They were dominating the Atlanta Thrashers, who were without star player Ilya Kovalchuk (out with a broken foot), through the first half of the game. But it would take an empty netter to be the Caps' game winning goal as they let the Thrashers claw back into the game late. This should have been a story about how the Caps were back on track, instead it is about how a team stopped competing once they had the 3-0 lead.

"It's ridiculous," Caps' bench boss Bruce Boudreau said. "We just let up and let the other teams back into the game. It's very frustrating."

Alex Ovechkin continued his march to 50 goals in 50 games, a feat last done by Brett Hull in the '91-'92 season. Ovi has kept pace scoring goals 12 and 13 in the Caps' 12th game of the season. He also had an assist for his 8th multipoint game of the season (4 games in which he had 3 points). Brendan Morrison scored on the power play and Mike Knuble scored the eventual game winner when he score on the empty net.

The Caps came out playing really good hockey. They were dominating the play, drawing penalties and making the Thrashers pay for their infractions. Their power play looked much better scoring 2 goals in 5 chances. It seemed the Caps could do no wrong. But, they fell back into old habits. They stopped skating and stopped competing. Tyler Sloan took a lazy hooking penalty late in the second and the Thrashers found life with a power play goal to start the third period.

Atlanta would out hustle the Caps dominating them in the scoring chance column 15-3 in the third period. Semyon Varlamov, who had played a gem of a game to that point, was suddenly overwhelmed with what would end up being 20 shots on net in the final frame. He did the best he could keeping the score 3-1 but Atlanta just kept pushing. He made a stop on a penalty shot after Jim Slater was able to break out (although it didn't look as if he was quite in the clear), and made some stand-on-your-head saves in the third period.

"I wasn't happy [about our effort] for Varly," Boudreau sympathized with his goaltender. "He plays an outstanding game and ends up with three goals on him and [there was] nothing he could do. He kept us in the game in the third period."

The Thrashers were able to follow up their power play goal when Todd White caught the Caps' defense napping. He got behind the Caps' defense and beat Varlamov blocker side. Atlanta would pull the goaltender to try and tie the game up at 3, but Knuble scored on the empty net. Zach Bogosian would score his second goal as the clock struck 0:00 to make it a final 4-3.

Washington again lost their focus to allow a team they had all but beaten in the first half of the game to come back. If the Caps weren't able to score on the empty net the game would have been tied and gone into overtime. It is the same trouble they had a season ago, playing a full 60 minutes and keeping their foot on the gas pedal.

"I thought with about seven minutes to go in the second period we thought this was going to be easy," Boudreau said of his team's inability to finish the game. "And then we stopped skating and stopped playing and their crowd was out of it. But I knew once they got one goal, just like the last time, they would be flying ... we had a hard time getting it going after that."

Consider it a cheap lesson to learn, as the Caps do take the 2 points from a divisional foe and continue their winning streak stretching it to now 6 games. The Capitals have earned at least a point in 10 of the 12 games they have played this season. Mike Green stretches his point streak to seven games after he made a beautiful no look pass on Ovechkin's first goal. Dave Steckel was 72% on face offs. He ranks fourth in the league for face off wins with 61.5%. Nick Backstrom has been struggling on the face off dot, tonight he was a mortal 29% on draws.

Caps Notes:

• Tomas Fleischmann made his season debut for the Capitals after he was shelved for having a blood clot in his leg. His conditioning stint in the AHL with the Hershey Bears was short lived before he started tonight in Atlanta. He finished the night a -1, but had two great chances and had 3 shots on net.
• Eric Fehr sat this one out as he is ailing from a rib injury. Fehr had just returned to the line up after having successful shoulder surgery on both shoulders. He only has one goal in his six games this season.
• Of the 5 games that Varlamov has started, he has let in 3 or more goals in four of those games. In fact he has allowed 4 goals in three of his five starts. The only game in which Varly has played and shut out the opponent is when Jose Theodore suffered back spasms in the San Jose game and he came in relief.

Caps Fall To Red Wings

Capitals 2, Red Wings 3
Scoresheet - Times - Post - Exam

The Capitals answered their coach's desire to play better team defense, but it was bad penalties that give them fits again. The Red Wings took advantage of some free stick work by the Capitals beating them at the Joe 3-2. The Capitals drop their third straight game.

Matt Bradley opened the scoring with a tough angle shot that beat Chris Osgood. Brendan Morrison also scored on the power play to tie the game early in the third. But the lack of offense hurt the Caps in this one as Alex Ovechkin was held to an assist and Alex Semin and Nick Backstrom were left off the goal ledger all together.

It was penalties that led to the Caps demise once again. The Red Wings took advantage of the last two power plays to take the lead, the last one for good. Alex Semin and Mike Green were both called for penalties that lead to Red Wings' goals. It's been a carry over problem the Caps had from last season.

"It's the same culprits from last year," Bruce Boudreau said of the players that were in the sin bin. "We got to make them understand somehow that they can't do that."

It's not like the Caps played poorly, in fact they were much better at playing team defense. A problem against the Rangers on Thursday night. Bradley's goal early on gave the Caps some life early. The Red Wings tied it up by crashing the net and sneaking the puck past Jose Theodore. Then the penalties started to hinder the Caps. They were able to kill off the first three calls, but when Semin was called for interference late in the second period, the Wings took advantage with a boom from the slapshot of Jason Williams.

The Caps would get the game back to a tie early in the third on the power play carry over from the second period. Patrick Eaves crashed the net and was hit by Green and knocked the Caps net from its moorings. The Referee did not blow the whistle as the play went back down the ice and Ovechkin found Brendan Morrison in the slot. Morrison shot it passed Osgood and the Caps tied the game at 2.

Washington seemed to get a momentum swing from the goal, but Green took a lazy hooking call late in the third. He got his stick up into Ville Leino who didn't have the puck and was covered by Brooks Laich as he cut into the middle. There was just no justification for him to get his stick up like that. Green's penalty was answered by the Red Wings with a power play goal and the game winner.

Detroit badly out-shot the Capitals 37-24. The Caps only registered 4 shots in the third period.

The Caps played well all game long in a tough building to play in. But it was small mental mistakes that cost them the game. Jose Theodore deserved a better fate as he made 34 saves on the night and kept the score close for the Caps to claw back. They would pull the goaltender and get a chance late, but the damage had been done.

When Boudreau was asked about what is attributing to the Caps taking bad penalties, he shrugged. "It's just going bread dead, I don't know, I wish I could get inside their heads. It's not like they are raw first year guys doing that."

"We played a hell of a game tonight," the Caps head coach summed up. "And two bad penalties cost us."

Caps Notes:

• Ovechkin had a great night, just didn't score. He had 4 or 5 great chances to score and Osgood was there with the save. He finished the night with one assist, 9 shots on net and 10 hits.
• Bradley had a heck of a first period. Not only did he score, but he blocked a big point shot on the penalty kill and drew a penalty himself.
• Green led all skaters (both Caps and Red Wings) with 26:50 of ice time.
• A big thank you to CSNWashington.com for having me as a Guest Chatter on their live chat during the game. It was a lot of fun, even if there were not too many there. You can catch the replay of the chat here.
  

Caps face New Jersey on Monday night.

Ugly Game

Capitals 5, Flyers 6 OT
Scoresheet - Post - Times

In a see-saw game with plenty of weird moments, the Capitals came up short against the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a game of anything goes as the two teams swapped goals and chances all game long. No one seemed to have the upper hand as the Flyers win in front of their own crowd and birthday boy Daniel Briere scored the game winner as the Caps fall 6-5 in overtime.

Alex Ovechkin added a pair of goals and an assist for his third straight three-point game to start the season. Alex Semin added another pair of goals including a beauty of move that undressed Braydon Coburn and beat Flyer goaltender Ray Emery. Brendan Morrison had a goal bounce in off of him to give the Caps the 5-4 lead in the third, but some defensive breakdowns lead to the Capitals' demise.

The game started with both teams playing it tight. The Flyers got into some penalty trouble early but the Caps were not able to capitalize. The period would end dead locked with no score. In the second, the Caps would get into some pretty heavy penalty trouble. They were called for six minors in the second frame. Whether they were deserved or not, the Caps could not hold back the Flyers power play for long. In fact, the Flyers first three goals were two power play goals and a goal scored on a delayed penalty.

Ovi would score goals 4 and 5 on the season to keep the Caps right in the hunt as both teams exchanged chances and goals. Semin broke the 2-2 tie with an highlight reel goal that left Coburn frozen before firing it through Emery. But the Flyers would come right back as Mike Richards shows why he wears the "C" for the Flyers netting two goals in 18 seconds to give the Flyers the lead right back. Richards makes Flyers history as the only Philly player to score a hattrick in the home opener.

Semin would tie the game at 4 apiece on the power play. The goal came off of a Nick Backstrom chip pass after the Flyers misplay the puck in front of Emery. Backstrom finished the night with 3 assists and make his eighth helper in the season thus far. Then the Caps took the lead again as Matt Bradley threw the puck to the net and the rebound deflected off of Brendan Morrison's body and into the net. The goal would go for review but ended up counting.

"I thought we were going to get out of here [with the win]," Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau said of the goal. "We were pretty determined to defend the lead. "

The Capitals couldn't defend the lead however. Tom Poti tried to clear a rebound from in front of Jose Theodore, but ended up hitting the goaltender with it instead and it bounced into the net. The Caps would get a late power play, but they were unable to score as the penalty carried over into the overtime period. The Flyers did what they did best, feed off their crowd and crash the net. The result is a game winner by the little guy and the Caps take away a point.

"I think tonight we [were] our worst enemy," Brendan Morrison summed up. "It's a game we should seal down and win with that much time left in the game."

Undisciplined play by the Capitals ended up costing them the game. They were called for nine minor penalties, six minors in the second period alone. The Flyers were 3 for 9 with the extra man, while the Caps were a mortal 1 for 5 on their power plays. The Caps just could not get into a rhythm as they marched in to the penalty box time after time.

"You take [nine] minors in a game, you are not going to win the game," Boudreau said. "Six penalties in one period, that is how you get four goals scored against you. It's unacceptable."

"Tonight was more penalties than anything," Brendan Morrison said. "We just couldn't stay out of the box." He continued, "We have to learn this lesson quickly if we want to be a great team, not just a good team."

Semyon Varlamov looked very much like a rookie goaltender tonight. To be fair, he was left to dry on a few Flyer chances, but as each goal went in he looked less sure of himself. He was pulled after the Flyers fourth goal, letting in four goals on 14 shots in the second period. Theodore came into the game and seemed to give the Caps some better balance in the second and third periods.

"Varly has got to be mentally tougher," Boudreau said of his young goaltender. "... They score in bunches on him. He can be fabulous for two periods then he gets scored on ... I think he gets down on himself."

Mike Knuble returned to Philly only to be left off the scoresheet and finished a -1.

"I had some butterflies before," Knuble said of his return. "But it was an interesting game, fun game to play in."

To pull some positives in the game, the Capitals do take one point for making it to overtime. Also the Caps battled back in the third to take the lead, but it was an unfortunate bounce that tied the game up and sent it to overtime. The Caps played much better 5 on 5 than the Flyers did. If they would have stayed out of the box, they could have spoiled the Flyers home opener. And the Caps did get good production from it's top line (4 g, 4a). This was a good effort in a tough arena to play in.

The Puckhead's Player of the Game was Nick Backstrom with his three assists on the night. For some reason, Backstrom loves to show up in games against the Flyers.

Caps come back to the phone booth to face the Rangers in their second home game on Thursday night.

Caps Rake The Leafs In Home Opener

Capitals 6, Maple Leafs 4
Scoresheet - Times - Post

The Capitals' faithful filed the Verizon Center to watch their team play the Toronto Maple Leafs. They were not disappointed in the effort the home team gave. In one of the loudest home openers in memory, the Caps dominated the Leafs through at least two periods and hang on to finish with a 6-4 win.

Alex Semin played one of the best games I have seen him play as a Capital. He scored a pair of goals and he had an assist. He also played a bit more physical throwing a hit and not shying away from the Leafs defense. Other Caps adding to the scoresheet were Alex Ovechkin, Brooks Laich and new comers Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble.

"It felt like we were in a piranha fish tank," Leafs head coach Ron Wilson said of the Capitals quick start. "They came out and they were all fired up."

Even though the Caps were out shot through most of the game they were dominating the play against the Leafs through the first two periods. They held a comfortable lead going into the third period 6-1. But the hard-work Leafs didn't quit and the Caps were guilty of letting up a little.

"It’s a great start but we have to learn to win 6-1 and not think we are going to win 9-1," Bruce Boudreau said. "It was a cheap lesson for us."

"We can’t turn the puck over against them, because they are coming two guys hard," Caps' defenseman Shaone Morrisonn added. "It’s a team that works very hard. We don’t want to be giving up that many goals. When we are up 6-1, going into the third we want to finish the game."

The Leafs were able to shut down the Caps' dynamic scoring and score three straight goals in third period. A stark contrast from the stingy defense played up in Boston where the Caps held their foes to only 3 shots in the final frame.

"In the third period we came out determined not to let any more goals in, played a little bit better defensively and found a way to get back into the game," Wilson said when asked about the positives the Leafs could take from the game.

Semyon Varlamov played very well through the first two periods and then was left out to dry in the third by his collapsing defense. But when he had to make the big stop for the Caps, he was there. He did the full on splits to make a save on John Mitchell who was looking at an open net. Varly was there for a few more saves for his first win of the season.

"Toronto is a team that shoots everything and on the PK, [Varlamov] had some big stops," Shaone Morrisonn said of his goaltender. "He is a young kid and he is just going to get better and better."

What did work through the first two periods of the game was the Caps transition game, which turned out four or five breakaways on the Maple Leafs who let forwards get in behind them.

"Our transition game is great, it’s top notch," Brendon Morrison said. "Get the puck, move it up the ice, chip and support, use our speed ... We have got guys that can skate and guys that can score so we are a dangerous team on transition."

Puckhead's Player of the Game is Alex Semin who impressed me in this game. He was moving his legs, he was playing more physical and he got rewarded for taking the puck to the net. Semin also stayed around the locker room to answer questions from reporters, something he rarely did since his arrival to DC.

Caps Notes:

• The Hershey Bears opened their season tonight against the Norfolk Admirals and won 3-1. Andrew Gordon scored a hattrick and Braden Holtby nearly had the shut out. Keith Aucoin and Alex Giroux both had three assists on the night as well.
• The Caps gave out Mike Green bobble head dolls for the home opener. Green had one assist tonight and was a -1.
  
• The Caps "dropped" their '08-'09 Southeast Division Championship banner before the game. The Leafs did not attend the pregame ceremony. The Caps redid all of their banners and retired numbers to match the teams red, white and blue uniforms. The banners are also much bigger than last years.

1,000th Post

It seems the right time to do a season preview on my 1,000 post. It has taken me 4 years, some bad grammar, a few hate comments and nearly 100,000 hits a year in that time to get to this point. It seems apropos that it will be on the verge of what could be the year for the Capitals.

But Commissioner Gary Bettman isn't just going to hand the Capitals the Stanley Cup (unlike some other teams he would). That means the Caps will have to meander through another 82 game schedule to reach just a chance at that prize. It seems a bit cliche to make it "movie" themed, but this year's season preview will look at The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The Good

If the Capitals even want a chance at the Cup, they will need another great year from the anointed next great one. Alex Ovechkin may get some much needed help in that regard and hopefully he will not have to carry that load alone. After the departure of Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov, the Caps needed to fulfill those veteran skates. Instead of just getting the best free agent on the market, they looked at what they needed. They needed some grit to accompany the skill.

Mike Knuble was brought in to add some sandpaper to the silky smooth play of the top line. One of the frustrating problems for the Caps a season ago was the amount of rebounds and loose pucks that were gobbled up by the opposition. Knuble should fix that problem. We have already seen that in the preseason. The Caps also pulled in some solid second line talent in Brendan Morrison to fill those two way center shoes.

The Caps also will benefit from a competitive goaltending battle. Jose Theodore was donned the number one crown by head coach Bruce Boudreau over the summer. That meant Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth would have to fight for the back up position. Don't think of it as a headache, it is a nice problem to have.

A healthy defensive core should also be a plus for the Capitals this season. The returning group will have new comer Tyler Sloan in tow for the '09 - '10 season. With players ready to expect how each of them plays their position, it should make for a stronger defensive core. Mike Green will add some offensive punch to the blue line, while John Erskine will make a few opposition forwards keep their heads up through the neutral zone.

Another positive for the Capitals is their penalty kill. With returning defensive specialists Dave Steckel, Boyd Gordon and new comer (and shot blocking machine) Quintin Laing, when the Caps do take a penalty they will be in good hands. The PK was flawless through the first three games of the preseason. But too many penalties can tax the players and throw off line combinations. It is best for this skill to be used as little as possible through the course of a game.

The Bad

Bad habits haunt the Capitals. Whether it is taking lazy penalties or not finishing their games, the Caps have a slew of bad habits they have to kick. They need to beat the teams that they need to beat as well as have good games against the teams that will challenge them through the year.

One aspect may help the Caps in that regard. Their schedule is a little tougher at the beginning and end of this season. They should be good barometers to gauge where this team falls in the league. Starting their season against some elite teams on the road in Boston and Detroit will hopefully show how good this team really is or what they have to work on early in the season.

Penalties are a sore spot for the Capitals. When they stop moving their feet, they start swinging with their sticks and that leads to a plethora of 2 minute infractions. The Caps can ill afford to allow good teams to play their best players with a man advantage. In many ways, it should be the other way around, the skill on the Caps should be drawing more penalties. For what ever the reason is, the Caps just can not stay out of the sin bin.

The Capitals also have to improve on their power play. While they showed some success late last season, they tend to get cute with the extra man. That has lead to shorthanded chances for their opponents. Not exactly how that is suppose to work. Coaches will have to shore up the special teams and get it back to basics (shots on net). The Caps most likely will put the puck onto the stick of Alex Semin, but don't be surprised to see Nick Backstrom quarterback for a few power plays either.

The Ugly

Micheal Nylander has been a "non-problem" problem for the Capitals. A forward with amazing skill that just doesn't fit the Boudreau mold and that has created problems for the Caps. Even before they have played their first game. In order to fit under the salary cap, management had to put Chris Bourque on waivers after telling him he had made the team.

It is clear that Boudreau and GM George McPhee aren't keen on having Nylander in the fold. But with little options left, he will be on the opening night roster since they do not want to buy him out of his contract. Nylander was signed when the team had a more defensive feel under Glen Hanlon, but the whole philosophy of the team has changed and Nylander has been left in the cold. He has not suited up for a single preseason game, and it is likely that he will not see ice time when the Caps open their season in Boston.

What the Caps will do with Nylander remains a mystery. What McPhee has been working on is pawning the forward off to Europe, but it's not likely that will happen anytime soon. What ever rift that lays between management and Nylander will most likely start to be a distraction as the season wears on. An elite player that earns just under $5 million is going to be making appearances in the press box more than the ice. That just doesn't sit well.

The other ugly thing about the Capitals season will be the condition of the ice at Verizon Center. An issue as the league's MVP will most likely playing on a surface of deep ruts and cold puddles on the Chinatown floor. I am sure that the phone booth staff is doing the best job with what they have. But having poor ice conditions that can possible endanger $56.8 million in player asset, the Caps should be looking into ways to improve the frozen stuff.

The Intangibles

February in Vancouver, the world will rear it's ugly head at a very beautiful city for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Caps will have possibly 7 to 8 players that will compete. It will be 7 to 8 of the most irreplaceable and very expensive players that will play very competitively for a gold medal. McPhee, as well as the other 29 general managers, will be holding their breaths between February 15 and March 1.

The Prediction

There will be a lot of ups and downs for the Capitals this season. But their goal is closer now than it ever has been. There is a chip on the shoulders of the players, one can feel it just by being in the locker room. This is more than the game seven loss to Philadelphia two seasons ago, it's something much deeper, much more profound. They have learned some very hard lessons as they finished their season months ago. Those lessons should propel them through the tough times they will face as a team this season.

The Caps shouldn't have a problem within their division. Carolina and Florida are serious threats, but the Capitals have shown they can play with them and win. In the Eastern Conference there is more for the Caps to worry about. A strong team in Boston and New Jersey, a rivalry with the Penguins and Sidney Crosby, tough squads in Toronto and Philly and tough goaltenders in Tomas Vokoun, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc-Andre Fluery and more. They have the skill to beat any of those teams on any given night, and should.

I do predict the Capitals will make it to the number one spot in the East and should go far into the post season. I do predict that this team will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Whatever happens beyond that, I don't want to jinx it. Hey, I am a Caps fan after all.

Caps Win First Preseason Game

Preseason: Capitals 4, Sabres 3 OT
Scoresheet

In a game when the Caps seemed to look a bit shaky for their first preseason game, Semyon Varlamov was anything but. Varly stopped all 17 shots in the first two periods and held on in the third to help his team beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Brian Pothier scored the game winning goal on a 5 on 3 power play carry over from the third period to give the Caps the win.

The Capitals didn't quite get the start they wanted in HSBC Arena at the start of the first period. They were badly outworked and out hustled. The Sabres offense seemed to be in fine form as the Caps struggled. Well all but one, Varly. Varlamov came up with save after save against the Sabres who were trying to score on the young goaltender by finding the open man across the ice. But each time Varly had an answer robbing Jason Pominville a couple of times with his athletic splits to cover the once open net.

With the Caps' goaltender keeping them in the game, the Caps seemed to get a good start as Alex Giroux scored the opening goal in the first period. He scored on a feed from Brendan Morrison and it gave the Capitals the early 1-0 lead. Thanks to Varlamov's heroics that scored held until the third period. Then the Sabres finally started getting the shots to go in.

The Sabres scored 2 goals jumping up to a 2-1 lead on goals by Pominville and Clarke MacArther. Mike Knuble tied things up with a goal right in front of the net. The Sabres answered with a goal of their own again going up by a goal. Just 23 seconds after the Buffalo goal, Jay Beagle tied the game.

Buffalo took a couple of bad penalties late, one was a delay of game foul called on goaltender Jhonas Enroth. The other was a check from behind by Mike Weber that had B. Mor injured on the ice for a spell. The Caps carried over the 5 on 3 power play into the overtime period where Pothier beat Enroth with a point slapper and wins the game for the Caps.

The standouts tonight for those gunning for jobs were Karl Alzner, Chris Bourque and Jay Beagle. Alzner cool, calm demeanor seemed to help the Caps get out of sticky situations. Bourque seemed to be Bruce Boudreau's safety blanket for this game. When his line was out there it seemed to even things out a bit. Beagle had 4 shots on net (second only to Nick Backstrom who had 5 shots) and scored the game tying goal just 23 seconds after the Sabres scored their go ahead goal late in the third.

Anton Gustafsson had his moments, both bad and good. The good was he did get his nose dirty in front of the net and that lead to some scoring chances and his two registered shots on net. The bad was when he broke his stick and went to the bench to get a replacement which gave the Sabres a scoring opportunity.

Joe Finley didn't really stand out at all, but he didn't make any glaring mistakes either. He registered two blocked shots and gave the Caps some good size up front.

The Caps come back to DC to get a few practices on Friday before heading to Chicago to play their second preseason game against the Blackhawks Saturday night.

Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Odds And Ends

After taking a bit of a hiatus, it is good to get back into the swing of things. Now where were we...

Milan Jurcina will go forth with his arbitration today. I am sure we will hear word on what the outcome will be later today. Jurcina brings size and some physicality to the blue line. He also has some great defensive sense. Offensively speaking, Jurcina does not bring a lot to the table. He has only scored 46 points in 275 games played for his career as a pro in the NHL. He managed 3 goals and 11 assists for a career high of 14 points last season.

While Jurcina is not really a hinderence to the defensive squad, but he is no asset to the offensive side either. His hits are just about his only good side of being a Capital thus far. He had a few good stick checks and defensive plays in the regular season and the playoffs, but his game didn't step up with the absence of his teammates like John Erskine and Jeff Schultz.

Is Jurcina worth keeping? Sure, he has the speed and youth needed to keep growing in the league.

The Caps also seem to be on the right track bringing in replacements for the departing Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov. Mike Knuble and Bredan Morrison (both Michigan alum and wolverine teammates) will step in to fill the gaps. Both free agent signings make a lot of sense. Knuble brings a grit to the top line as well as an impressive Stanley Cup resume to go along. Morrison, when healthy, can bring a good two way prensence on the second line. If he plays inspired, he could be a major help in that center position.

George McPhee may skip looking for a tough guy in the wake of Donald Brashear's departure to the New York Rangers. Instead he can play with his cap space more (bring up more talent from Hershey, move players around and the like) and hope that Matt Bradley and others can step in if things get too rough.

Finally, Fedorov claims he was swindled out of $43 million over the past 11 years from a finacial advisor. He falls into a long line of hockey players that seem to be conned out of their money by slime looking to make a quick buck. What was wrong with hiding the money in a sugar jar and burying it in the back yard?

Caps Sign Brendan Morrison

The Caps get a centerman by signing veteran Brendan Morrison to a one year contract.

More info on WashingtonCaps.com.

Details to come soon, right now I am walking into a happy hour.