To Know One's Enemy

Under the new division format, the league has found a formula to create better rivalries, better competition, and overall a more compelling game to watch come the post season. Simply, if one team wants to reach the post season and go further into the playoffs, they must win against their division. For the Washington Capitals, that means their most important foes of the upcoming campaign will be their division rivals.

The Caps wagered a 12-15-3 record against their own division. That stat needs to improve if they have aspirations of making another postseason run. They would missed out on the playoffs last season by missing the wild card spot by both Detroit and Columbus (both with 93 points, Caps finished with 90). The secret for the Caps this season will to put up better numbers against their divisional foes.

The Metropolitan Division is a tough one to crack. Maybe not as hard nosed as the Pacific Division out west, but to beat teams in the Metro a team has to be both physical and extremely skilled. Let's break down the division by team and go by order of the bottom to top based on last year's standings.

New York Islanders (8th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Isles: 3-1

Significant additions: Mikhail Grabovski (F), Jaroslav Halak (G), Nikolai Kulemin (F), Johnny Boychuck (D), Nick Leddy (D)

Injuries and a less than stellar defensive squad did the Islanders in last season. But some last minute tinkering and a healthy line up expected, the Islanders seem on the brink of a break out season (although I said the same last year). The Capitals posted a winning record against the Islanders, but two of the three wins where in overtime and via the shoot out. The Isles only win was a 1-0 affair. Tight hockey.

John Tavares is back and healthy after blowing out his knee in last year's Olympics. The Isles also boosted their goaltending by snatching Halak from free agency. They also made a last minute trade to acquire defensemen Boychuk and Leddy to bolster the blue line that lack serious depth in previous seasons. These moves should make the Islanders a much tougher team to compete against. The have some serious speed which they use well to their advantage, especially against the Capitals.

The Caps will have to contend with a team that never seems to fear them. The Islanders seem to bring their "A" game against the Caps every year. The boys in red will have to contain some serious talent in Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Grabovski. All players that play fast and have a ton of skill. While the Islanders finished last in the Metro last season, I don't expect them to do the same this time around

Carolina Hurricanes (7th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. 'Canes: 2-2-1

Significant additions: Ron Hainsey (D), Tim Gleason (D), J. McClement (F), Bill Peters (Head Coach)

A foe the Capitals know all too well from the Southeast Division days. Carolina plays a pretty rugged fast game, and not much has changed for the most southern team in the division. For the most part, the top three lines of the 'Canes have not changed at all from last season. But they have a new bench boss in Peters who plans on putting some work ethic into his team.

Overall the 'Canes posted a respectable .500 record against the Metro Division including three wins against the Capitals. Carolina never seems daunted by the home crowd at Verizon either as all three of the 'Canes win came amongst the Rockin' Red. If the Caps can keep the big guns in Alex Semin and Eric Staal off the score sheet, they will do well against a long time foe.

Carolina added a little bit of grit on the back end with the addition of Tim Gleason, but they still lack depth if the likes of Jeff Skinner keeps getting injured (took a concussion from a shoulder check in a preseason game against the Caps). Good goaltending and mediocre defense can only get them so far if their offense sputters.

New Jersey Devils (6th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Devils: 1-2-1

Significant additions: Mike Cammalleri (F), Martin Havlat (F), Scott Clemmensen (G)

The Devils are not a big fan of the Shootout. In fact, New Jersey lost all 13 of their regular season shootouts last season and that kept them from getting a playoff spot. They return with most of their line up intact. But some may need walkers and wheelchairs (I kid).

New Jersey has 6 roster players that were born in the seventies. That is in the nineteen hundreds for you millennials out there. Patrik Elias, Jaromir Jagr, Dainius Zubrus, captain Bryce Salvador, Marek Zidlicky, and back up goaltender Clemmensen are all part of an aging Devil squad that share that distinction (nice to see old guys like me can still play in the NHL being born amongst corduroy an disco). While they are an aging group, they no longer have the anchor in Martin Brodeur in net anymore. They have Cory Schneider. Now that there isn't a question on who the number one goaltender will be this season, the Devils look to be playoff bound this season.

The Capitals played terrible against Adam Oates' old team. Things should change under Barry Trotz as the Caps should play the Devils better at even strength. New Jersey should jump out to a good lead early in the season but look for the those tired old legs to give out as the season comes to the long stretch of January and February. Good thing Prudential center has accessible parking.

Columbus Blue Jackets (4th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. BJs: 2-2

Significant additions: Scott Hartnell (F) S. Hjalmarsson (F)

Coming off the organizations first taste of post season wins (and nearly knocking off the top team Pittsburgh), the Columbus Blue Jackets are brimmed with confidence and a taste for some more. Up and coming young stud Ryan Johansen resigned with the Blue Jackets and looks to again to put up career numbers as a new star center takes the NHL stage for his second season. With the support of Harnell, Bradon Dubinsky and Nathan Horton, the Jackets look poised to do great things with stellar goaltending in Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Caps and BJs split the season series as both won at home, although the Jackets mustered an extra point in an overtime loss at the phone booth. The Caps seem to do okay with Columbus' speed, but when it comes to hard work and some physicality, the Jackets always seem to have the upper hand.

If the Capitals wish to make the post season, I believe that they will have to muscle the points away from their Ohio neighbors. The Caps were three points shy of making the wild card and Columbus took the spot away from them. That should leave a chip on the shoulders of the boys in red when facing this division foe. If it doesn't, then too many people have too short of memories.

Philadelphia Flyers (3rd)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Flyers: 2-2-1

Significant additions: R.J. Umberger (F), Blair Jones (F), Michael Del Zotto (D), Nick Schultz (D)

It was a weird affair between the Capitals and Flyers in last season's tilt. The Caps seemed to dominate early with impressive wins including a 7-0 shellacking of the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center that saw Ray Emery sucker fight Braden Holtby. There is little love between these teams even in the preseason this September as the two raked in the penalty minutes in a game that didn't really matter.

The Flyers seemed to get their season going late however, and the Caps had a hard time beating them in the later stages of the campaign. This year, it looks that the Flyers defense will sorely miss Kimmo Timonen who was treated this summer in Finland with blood clots in his leg and lungs (ouch, get well soon Kimmo). Philly's D won't improve much besides the acquisitions of Del Zotto and Schultz who really only played marginal hockey with their former teams last year. 

The Caps should open up more offensively against weaker defensive teams and it seems the only way the Flyers could compete is if they open up play and try to make it a shell shocker game. If Trotz's system holds the Flyer offense in check, the Caps have the guns to compete.

New York Rangers (2nd)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Rags: 2-2

Significant additions: Tanner Glass (F), Ryan Malone (F), Lee Stempniak (F), Dan Boyle (D), Matt Hunwick (D)

The Rangers said good-bye to some size when Brian Boyle and Benoit Pouliot left for greener pastures. But they replaced one Boyle for another, Dan Boyle who brings significant experience to a pretty good blue line to begin with. The Rags were able to flourish under the direction of Alain Vigneault that saw the team catapult to the Stanley Cup finals just to come up short of the grand prize.

Henrik Lundqvist again will be a tough challenge for the Capitals this season (as he is every season). The match up between these two teams should lead to some low scoring affairs. Many experts have picked the Rangers to top the Eastern Conference challenging Pittsburgh and Boston for the honors.

New York however has not replaced much of it's outgoing youth with youth. Much like the Devils, the top names of the Rangers are entering the twilight of their careers. If the Rangers look to stay strong all season they will miss that size that kept teams honest. Malone and Glass add grit, but neither one add much by way of offense to offset the toughness factor. For the Capitals, they have to pepper Lundqvist with shots and play a puck possession game against the fast and talented Rangers.

Pittsburgh Penguins (1st)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Pens: 0-4

Significant additions: Blake Comeau (F), Steve Downie (F), Christian Ehrhoff (D)

The Capitals did not muster a single point against their long time rivals. The Penguins had their way with them. Sure the games were competitive but the Penguins didn't seem to have a problem with Washington whether it was on the road or not.

The Penguins start the season a bit injury laden. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missed practice and some preseason game time due to injury. With a new GM and coach, the pressure is on the Pens once again to make the playoffs and bring another championship back to Pittsburgh. While they will miss the likes of Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen (Caps have them now), they replaced that hole with Christain Ehrhoff. They added Steve Downie for some toughness (or at least a agitator at very least).

Pittsburgh does lose some grit on the back end that Rob Scuderi will have to fill. They won't be a team that will be very stingy on defense with the crew they have, and offense (much like in Philly) will have to overcome failings on the blue line.

The Division Overall

The Capitals have a tough task in front of them. Win their division, play the Winter Classic, make the playoffs. Pretty full schedule on their hands. New head coach Barry Trotz is looking to toughen the team up a bit and will preach a possession game that should help them in this division.

Under the new format of the playoffs in the NHL, the Capitals have to play better against their division if they will to get anywhere. Sadly last year, they were a dismal .400 in division points and it cost them a valuable spot in the post season.

Skid Stopped

Capitals 3, Flyers 2
Game Summary - Event Summary

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Washington Capitals needed a good sixty minute effort after their two demoralizing losses. Blown leads into the third period against both Ottawa and Toronto made tonight's game against the Philadelphia Flyers an important game for the Capitals to find something to work on. Thanks to a couple of breakaways and two goals in the final frame, the Caps get their wish with a 3-2 win over the Flyers.

"We had a tough road trip," Caps forward Nick Backstrom said. "We played well against Ottawa and we had a lead there in the third period, same thing in Toronto. So, we really needed this one. Especially in the position that we are in, we need the points."

Backstrom got that "no goal" monkey off his back with a second period tally tonight. Eight games into the season and he finally has a goal. It happened at the right moment, with the Capitals already down 1-0. The Flyers made a horrendous line change and turned the puck over just inside the blue line. John Carlson snapped it up to an open Backstrom who streaked into the net and backhanded the shot past Ilya Bryzgalov. It tied the game late in the second and set up a better third period effort for the Capitals.

In the third, a break down in the defensive zone by the Flyers opened some passing lanes for the Capitals. With a good forecheck, the Caps were able to work the puck around to Troy Brouwer who sniped it at a sharp angle to the net past Bryzgalov. Wotjek Wolski scored his second tally of the year after some nice stick work around the defender to create his own break away and scored on a seeing-eye puck that dribbled past the Flyer net minder.

"We did really well in the neutral zone," Wolski said of the effort in the third period. "I think the last couple of games in the third period we seemed to break down and get away from what we want to be doing in the neutral zone. I think tonight we really stuck together."

The game was far from mistake free for the Capitals, but it was a much more solid effort overall. The Capitals did have a few hiccups along the way with penalties, but were able to kill them all off. Matt Hendricks was the only penalty faux pas of the night when he dropped mitts with Zac Rinaldo before the puck dropped at the end of the first period. He was assessed a game misconduct and it ended the night early for the Caps' forward.

John Erskine was involved in a bit of drama too. The Caps defender stuck out his elbow to catch Wayne Simmonds in the snoz. The hit will surely be reviewed by the league office. As for Simmonds, he did not return.

The revolving door for goaltending got interesting for the Caps after Neuvirth looked as if he wrangled the number one job away from Braden Holtby. But on a back to back night, Adam Oates put in Holtby and he did a fantastic job in net. Stopping 29 shots, including 13 in the second period, Holtby ate up outside shots and had better rebound control. It was good enough to earn him his first win of the season.

Special teams got a boost on the penalty kill, but the power play was a dismal 0 for 5. Including a sparkling 5 on 3 chance in the third period to take the lead. The PP is something of a work in progress. The in zone set up is good, but the entries are messy and inconsistent. If the Capitals lose control of the puck, it seems to take them awhile to get the puck back in the zone for the set up, if they can get in the zone to begin with.

"You’ve got to give [the Flyers] credit," Oates said of the lack of production on the PP. "They’re a good [penalty killing] team. Maybe we didn’t win enough battles."

Overall, this is more of a moral victory for the Capitals. It wasn't pretty at times, but they stuck to their system and squeezed out two points. There is plenty to work on for the Capitals. But time is a factor considering the Pittsburgh Penguins are in town on Superbowl Sunday. The afternoon game will be a short turn around for the Capitals who must be better in their own zone against a much more potent offense than the Flyers.

Caps Notes:

• Nick Backstrom, Mike Ribeiro and Wojtek Wolski all had zero shots last night in Toronto. The three combined for 9 shots tonight and 3 points.
• Troy Brouwer scored his third goal of the season, his second in the last three games. 
• When the Capitals kill off all penalties they are a perfect 2-0-0. Which also means they are winless if the opposition does score with the extra man. 

First Round Winners And Losers

The first round of the NHL playoffs had just about everything. And age old rivalry, some new foes in post season play and more game sevens than you can shake a hockey stick at. This is what the playoffs should be, right? Some games have been whoppers of games, while others have been snoozers.

So let's get to it, the first round winners and losers:

The Winners

Stanley Cup Fearless Predictions: Eastern Conference

Whoa Nelly! Are you ready for the up for grabs Eastern Conference? No team has shown true dominance through out the dominance. In fact, it took to the last handful of games for each of the division champs to secure their crown. But even the pundits can't seem to agree if division champs Boston, Philadelphia or Washington is strong enough to take the Conference. Which makes the field wide open, much like it was last year where the bottom seeds shocked the millions of office pools through out Canada.

To pick a winner is like winning the lottery. Last year the two lowest seeds were battling in the Conference final. Can that repeat again?

Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers

Of course I am going into more detail about this particular series at a later date. The quick overview is Washington will have to learn from it's mistakes through the last three post seasons. All of them have gone to seven games. Even with the Capitals high powered offensive players, it struggled this year to score. But where the offense faltered the defense picked up. For the Rangers, there is little or no fear going into this series. They have taken 3 of the 4 games in the regular season series including a pair of blow out games were the Broadway Blueshirts beat the Caps 7-0 and 6-0. Ouch. If the Rangers can show the offensive spark they had against the Caps in the regular season, the Caps will be going home early with a plethora of questions.

Washington sneaks by New York Rangers in 6 games

#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres

The Flyers have tripped up in the final stretch of the season and lost their first place in the Eastern Conference to a surging Capitals team. Even though they had to deal with some pretty big losses on the blue line in Chris Pronger and a inconsistent netminding conundrum they are still a scary team to face in the playoffs. They face a team that has turned it on as of late just to make the playoffs. Philly's hard nose play should wear the Sabres talent guys down. I just don't see how Ryan Miller can stop them all.

Philadelphia defeats Buffalo in 5 games

#3 Boston Bruins vs. #6 Montreal Canadiens

Who isn't going to watch this hard charged series. You have history, intrigue, and controversy. Every thing a classic series should have. Will the Habs get their day by putting Zdeno Chara on the golf course early? Can Tim Thomas stop a sneaky Canadien offense that seems to relish in big game goals? Can Carey Price live up to the hype that Jaro Halak left last post season? A lot of questions that are worthy of watching to see the answers. If Boston can lock down defensively and negate the Habs' speed, they will have a much better post season than the come from behind debacle against Philly a year ago.

Boston takes out Montreal in 7 games

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa reminds me a lot of the Caps two years ago. Great offensive talent but so-so defense and okay goaltending. The big question is how the Penguins are going to approach them with out their offensive keys in place with Sidney Crosby not likely to return until round two and no Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins have survived nicely with out either in the line up with others picking up the slack. If Tampa can survive the relentless forecheck of the Penguins and keep the play in Marc-Andre Fluery's end, then they should pull out the upset. But this is a team that needs more playoff experience before that can happen.

Penguins knock out Tampa in 5 games.

Eastern Champion: Boston Bruins

The Bruins have a chance to take it all and the way Tim Thomas is playing, it's plausible to see them conquering the Eastern Conference. They will have to survive an emotional first round against Montreal and battle Washington and Philly to take the Eastern crown. I do think the Capitals can make it to the Conference finals, but injuries will plague them through the post season. It will be Boston that takes honors here.

Stanley Cup Winner: San Jose Sharks

I picked them last year, and for much the same reasons I pick them to win it all last year. Shaking free of their demons, I just like the direction this team is taking themselves. But it will be no easy task for them. They have to keep their scoring up and their goaltending has to be top notch. Plus a series between Boston and San Jose would be pretty intriguing with the age old trade that sent Joe Thronton to the west coast.

Coming up... Series breakdown between the Caps and Rangers.

Is Philly Outpricing The Market?

The Philadelphia Flyers made a trade in what some think is way to much to acquire a solid third line player. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Kris Versteeg to Philly for a first round and third round picks in next year's draft. Considering a first rounder has only been traded once times in the past two years at the trade deadline.

It's not like the Flyers need the extra help. They are playing the best hockey of late and are atop the Eastern Conference standings (77 pts) with only the Pittsburgh Penguins (74 pts) and Tampa Bay (73 pts.) within reach to overtake Philly. It could be a wise move to start filling the ranks as they plan a long run into the playoffs and getting the best players to jump in when injuries arise could be key. But when general managers dangle a first round pick they do not do it lightly.

Not that I think Philadelphia has done it intentionally, but they could be making other gm's look at the market and say, if it is going to take a first rounder to get a third line player what would it cost to get some help in lines one and two?

What does this mean for Washington? The Capitals may still be looking for a solid, two-way, second line centerman and maybe some better goaltending support (whether that means a back up with playoff experience of late or a new number one goaltender). It might mean saying good bye to what the Caps have built in Hershey in prospects.

Unlike Philly, the Caps have a mix of both draft picks to offer as well as prospect players. But general manager George McPhee is awfully stingy with both. As he has said before, he trust the players he knows. It is unlikely that McPhee would give up much just for a rental.

It will be interesting to see where McPhee takes his team next, to say the least.

Wild Ending

Capitals 4, Flyers 5 OT/SO (0-1)
Game Summary

Playing like the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers did not disappoint. After it looked like the Flyers were going to sail to an easy win, bad discipline by the visiting team gave the Caps the opening they needed to tie up the game and sends it to overtime and eventually into the shoot out. But the Flyers' skill guy Daniel Briere scores the only shoot out goal and the Flyers put this one in the win column 5-4.

Rookie Marcus Johansson started the scoring off for the Caps as he cleaned up a broken play in front of the net. The Flyers would respond on their power play then scored a pair of even strength goals to take the lead with 10:20 left in the third period 3-1. A couple of ill-advised penalties by the Flyers created the Caps' comeback. They scored a pair of power play goals (both garbage) to pull the game even. Nick Backstrom and Jason Chimera were the goal scorers. Flyers would come back with a slick goal of their own but again take a bad penalty late in the game. Eric Fehr scored the game tying goal with a rocket of a shot from the right face off dot to force overtime.

Wild End

When the Flyers took the lead in the third and the Caps' Alex Semin was nicked with a tripping call. It seemed the game was at hand for the visiting team, but Kimo Timonen took a holding call to negate the Semin call. The Caps would score on the shortened power play chance. Mike Richards would take a penalty after slashing a Caps player after the goal was scored and it offered the Caps yet another chance with the extra man. It wouldn't take long for the Caps to tie up the game.

After that, it seemed chance after chance for both teams presented itself. The Flyers would regain the lead after Andreas Nodl scored by spinning around the Caps' defender and backhanded the puck through Michal Neuvirth's five hole. But the Caps would answer after the Flyers were yet again called for a penalty and with six skaters on the ice Fehr buried a shot to tie up the game.

Three goals were scored in the first two periods, but the scoring exploded in the third with 5 goals scored by either team. 4 of those were in the last nine minutes of play.

Super Kid

It was a great game for Marcus Johansson. The Caps' rookie would score his second goal of the season when he cleaned up a bouncing puck in front of the net and beat Flyer Brian Boucher glove side. Using his speed, Johansson created a slew of chances especially five on five. He was clearly the best Capital on the ice through most of the game. He will be even more exciting to watch when he figures out that wrister of his and starts beating goaltenders.

Invisible Ovi

Alex Ovechkin may have an assist in this game, his scoring has seemed to hit a wall. He has only scored 2 goals in the last eight games. He had a few golden opportunities to score early after line mate Alex Semin fed him a couple of pretty feeds to cut him loose. But he rang it off the post on one shot, missed the net on another. In all, Ovi could only muster 3 shots on net. The rest? Five shots were blocked and 6 of them sailed wide of the net. The Caps' winger showed his frustrations at times often looking to the rafters after shots or shaking his head as he returned to the bench after a tough shift.

Great Goaltending Thwarted

Neuvirth kept his team in it for a majority of the game. He stopped 31 shots including some humdingers on the Caps penalty kill. The Flyers tried his glove side, to little avail through the first two periods. Only when they held on to the shot, delaying to make the young goaltender to bite early, did they find the back of the net.

That Seems Fehr

The line combo of Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr created some havoc for the Flyers. They had a slew of even strength chances. Fehr himself had a heck of game as he lead the Caps in shots with six and scored the power play, game tying goal. He even had a jump in overtime and nearly scored in the extra frame.

A Much Better Effort

After the humbling loss to Southeast Division rivals Atlanta Thrashers the night before, the Caps came to play against their Conference rivals the Flyers. The Caps were getting early chances to score and seemed to be moving their feet better, keeping the visiting Flyers on their heels. Besides a couple of defensive breakdowns and poor discipline, the Caps did play a much better game than they did the night before.

Holtby, Green Power Caps Past Flyers

Capitals 3, Flyers 2 OT
Game Summary

It would take overtime for the top two teams in the Eastern Conference decide a winner. When the dust settled Mike Green scored the game winner just :29 seconds into the extra frame and both the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers will end up tied for the top spot in the standings. Caps come away with the two points with the overtime win 3-2.

The Caps would have to, yet again, come from behind to get the eventual winner in over time. Eric Fehr would score to tie the game at one apiece on a snapper shot from the left wing boards beating the Flyers rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Flyers would again take the lead, but the Caps answered when Alex Semin buried a great feed from Nick Backstrom on the power play. Mike Green would put the cherry on the top of a physical, hard grinding game with the overtime, power play goal.

Holtby's first.. again.

Braden Holtby would make his first NHL start after getting his first NHL win against Boston in the last game. He would turn away 23 shots to get his second win. He had a few big saves including three straight stops moving from left to right and all three Flyers' forwards registered a shot. Hotby's saves seemed to spur his team to play better defense in front of him. Besides a couple of breakdowns, the Caps' defense kept the Flyers' scorers in check. Holtby would earn the game's second star. He is the youngest NHL goaltender to start a game this year (21 years, 52 days).

Taking advantage.

The power play again bailed out the Caps offense. Chris Pronger took a late penalty with 3:55 left in the game. Unfortunately, it was a double minor for high sticking David Steckel and drawing blood. The Caps' power play drew yet another penalty to extend the extra man advantage and allow Green's game winning goal.

The Caps now have seven power play goals in their last 4 games. This after the power play struggled at the beginning of the season. The Caps' penalty kill also factored in this game as they were able to kill off the only two penalties they took against a very physical team in the Flyers.

I got your Backstrom.

It is the second straight game Nick Backstrom has registered two assists. Three of the last four have been the primary assists. He has ten points in the last six games (3g, 7a) and his point production has been a bright spot for a struggling Caps power play.

Streaks

Caps finish their home stretch of three games with 6 points. They have now won four straight games. Alex Ovechkin continues his point streak now to six games with ten points during that stretch (4g, 6a). Alex Semin stretches his goal streak to four games.

Stanley Cup Fearless Predictions - Eastern Conference

The Washington Capitals finished an amazing season winning the President's Trophy and the race for eighth was a bit riveting with a near miss by the New York Rangers who lost their playoff spot by a shoot out. It makes panning out the Eastern Conference no easy chore. But I will try anyway.

Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

There will be a more comprehensive breakdown of this series hopefully by tomorrow. But the long and short of it, Montreal just doesn't have the guns to run an open style of game with the Capitals. Canadien coach Jacques Martin will most likely play a controlled game where one goal will be the deciding factor and bet his team can grind out a defensive transition game to make it close. But the Caps are far to skilled and if the games are going to be decided by a goal or less, the best bet is the Caps score it.

Washington defeats Montreal in 5 games.

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers

If there was ever going to be an upset in the first round of the playoffs, best bet is it is in this series between the Devils and Flyers. The Flyers played New Jersey surprisingly tough this season, partly because of their size. The Devils don't usually like to get into a physical type game and the Flyers aren't happy unless someone is getting thrown out of a game. It is going to come down to goaltending, and my money is on Martin Brodeur.

New Jersey defeats Philadelphia in 7 games.

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. #6 Boston Bruins

This is actually a tough series to figure out. Buffalo just doesn't score much and Boston is a very defensive team. So it is going to come down to goaltending. Boston's Tuuka Rask is a rookie, but has played strong enough to over take the number one job from veteran Tim Thomas. While in the other net, Ryan Miller has played so well for the Sabres that many are considering him this year's MVP. Rask was 4-1 against the Sabres, while it's hard to ignore Miller's good play. It is literally a coin flip. Injuries also play a pretty big factor as both seem to be limping into this series.

Boston defeats Buffalo in 7 games.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Ottawa Senators

When are these two not going to square off in the first round of the playoffs. Ottawa was destined for disaster at the beginning of the season, but they found a savior in Brian Elliott. He helped the Senators rise to a playoff spot when most left the team for dead. The Penguins are the returning Stanley Cup Champs, and taking on Ottawa was not what it was like 3 years ago when they lost that emotional series. If the Pens come out sluggish or play to Ottawa's level, the Sens could steal a series away. I doubt if a healthy Evgeni Malkin and their coach Dan Bylsma will let that happen.

Pittsburgh defeats Ottawa in 5 games.

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins

The Caps offense against the Bruins defense. They should be close games and the Caps will have to deal with a lot of Bruin hard work. If the Capitals can hold their own on the defensive end, it's no contest. The Bruins don't have the offensive power to over match the Caps. Most likely the Bruins will play a tough game keeping the score close to one goal differential as possible, much like the Canadiens did the round before.

Washington defeats Boston in 6 games.

New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

A divisional matchup with Stanley Cup implications. The Penguins will have to face down a tough defense in the Devils while holding their own on the back end. This is were they will miss a few of their defenesmen gone way of free agency. Marc-Andre Fluery will have to out duel the best if the Pens hope to repeat. The Devils will have to lean heavily on Ilya Kovalchuk to get them to the next step.

Pittsburgh upsets New Jersey in 7 games.

Eastern Conference Finals

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The road to the Stanley Cup Finals in the Eastern Conference will go through these two teams. Again, the ratings will be huge, the games will by hyped and Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will not disappoint. But just like the Penguins were determined after they lost to Detroit to not repeat, the Capitals will look for the same. Last post season, this series would eventually decide the Stanley Cup winner. A possible repeat of the same?

Washington defeats Pittsburgh in 7 games for the Eastern Conference Crown.

Caps move on, at least in theory, to the Stanley Cup Finals. But wait, no fearless prediction can go much further with out a look at the Western Conference first. That will come out this afternoon along with my pick for the Stanley Cup winner. I am so excited, I could just spit.

Who Would You Like?

There is no question the Capitals will finish first in the Eastern Conference. It who is going to come in eighth to face them that is the real question. The Caps have a chance to face up to four different teams depending on how the rest of the season shakes out. The Boston Bruins (84), Philadelphia Flyers (84), New York Rangers (82) and Atlanta Thrashers (81) are all fighting for the last spots into the playoffs and a chance to play the Washington Capitals.

So let's take a look at these four teams and how they have matched up with the Capitals through the past season. Unlike the Rangers and Flyers, the Bruins and Thrashers still have games remaining on their schedule against the Caps (Bruins 2 games left, Thrashers 1 game left). All bring unique challenges to the Capitals come post season.

Boston Bruins

The Caps have yet to play this team post trade deadline, so until we see them in action, there is no real way of figuring out how either team will fare in the post season against one another. To gauge how these two teams will match up, we will have to go on nearly season old data and how each team has been playing lately.

When I think of the Bruins, I think of Zdeno Chara and a pretty good defensive core. When Tuukka Rask plays his best, the Bruins are a tough team to score against. There troubles come on the offensive end of the game. The lose of Marc Savard hurt them pretty bad and they are not getting the output from others like they did a year ago when they won the Eastern Conference.

The first meeting between these two was a 4-1 win for the Caps as the two faced off to open the season in October. Alex Ovechkin had two goals and Brooks Laich scored a pair of power play goals. The second meeting didn't come until February where the exact same result 4-1.

If the two were to meet in the post season, I highly doubt the Bruins have the offensive punch to match the Caps. The only way the Bruins have a chance is to lock down defensively and wait out the Caps onslaught. And that could lead to a frustrated Washington squad. I highly doubt the Bruins could shut down the Capitals for long.

We will have a better idea how these two teams match up as they play their final two games of the season in the next two weeks.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have a goaltending problem, they just can't stay healthy in net. The Caps and Flyers have a post season history, and it would probably be one of the most watched series outside a second match up between the Penguins and Caps.

The Flyers won the first game of the season series as Danny Briere scored the OT winner 6-5. After that the Caps handled the Flyers with little trouble winning 4-2, 8-2, and 5-3. Ovechkin scored on his 2,000 career shot on a penalty shot on Ray Emery the last time these two teams faced each other.

This first round match up will be a physical one as the Flyers will try a intimidate the Captials since they can't really match the Caps potent offense. Role players like Scott Walker, Jason Chimera and Matt Bradley will have to go to work defending their team's top players.

If the Flyers aren't looking to take Alex Semin and Ovechkin's heads off, they will be trying to get at the Caps defensive core and should take a few penalties in the process. The Caps power play will play an important role in a series like this, and the way the Flyers goaltenders look shaky that will not bode will for them.

New York Rangers

Another team the Capitals have some history with. The Rangers bring another good defensive squad. They also bring a lot more speed than any of the other teams. They have some scoring threat with Marion Gaborik and if Henrik Lundqvist is playing his best it could be another hard series for the Capitals.

The Rangers won the first game in the season series 4-3, then lost the next three to the Caps 4-2, 6-5 and 2-0. The Rangers were one of the teams that were beat by the Caps during their long win streak in January.

If these two teams meet in the post season in the first round, look for the Rangers to attempt to block just about every shot the Caps try to take. If they are not blocking shots, then Sean Avery will be trying to get a burr under Mike Green's butt. There should be plenty of left over emotion from the last time these two met in the post season.

While the Rangers will try to shut down Ovechkin by blocking shots, the Caps found away around it last time. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't again. If they can get some solid goaltending from either Semyon Varlamov or Jose Theodore and the defense holds up the Caps should have a better result.

Atlanta Thrashers

The Thrashers were essentially sellers at the trade deadline. They unloaded Ilya Kovalchuk and the sudden loss in weight gave the Thrashers a bit of life. They are normally an aggressive team, but have found a good balance of offense and defense to make a run to the playoffs.

The Caps will play the Thrashers Monday night to finish off the season series and are going for the season sweep of their division rivals. The Caps have won the previous five games 5-2, 8-1, 4-3, 5-4 and 2-1.

The Capitals have had some heated exchanges with their divisional foes. But the Caps have dominated the team this season, with or without Kovalchuk. But they are a handful if Nik Atropov and Maxim Afinogenov decide to poor on the offensive talent. The bottom line is though, Ilya Kovalchuk is still the Thrashers top scorer this season and he isn't on the team.

If these two were to face each other in the first round, Atlanta will have play more defense than offense. They just can not play an open aggressive style of play with the Caps. They have lost that way before.

Who would you like?

Of the four teams and the possible outcomes the team I would like for the Caps meet in the first round would probably be the Boston Bruins. The Bruins will be limping into the post season playing the least consistently. Having Marc Savard out of the line up hurts the Bruins offensive threat, but the team is still dangerous because of their defensive play. It should be a hard fought first series that would be good for the Capitals to get their offense some confidence.

The Thrashers would not be a challenge enough for the Caps to prep them for tougher battles down the road. The Rangers have some settling to do from a season ago and could be dangerous if they get on a roll. The Flyers might wear the Caps down and test their depth if they start getting the injury bug. Boston just seems like the right fit for the Caps.

I Laich It

Capitals 5, Flyers 3
Game Summary

Because of the tight schedule due to the upcoming Olympics, Bruce Boudreau admits he has not had the time to get to individual evaluations. But before facing the Philadelphia Flyers, he showed some tape to Brooks Laich. It made the Caps' bench boss a bit late to address media before the game but the one on one session seemed to awaken Laich's game, netting him a pair of goals and an assist as the Capitals defeat the Flyers 5-3.

Along with Laich's goals, Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal on a penalty shot. Previously he was 0-6 on penalty shots in his career. Alex Semin and Mike Knuble added goals for the Caps. The win gives the Caps the lead in the Eastern Conference, besting the New Jersey Devils by a single standings point.

The Caps got off to a slow start, as the Flyers looked to avenge an 8-2 drubbing the last time these two teams faced off. It looked as if Philly was determined to outwork the Capitals in their building. They took advantage of an early Caps' penalty and took the lead as Jeff Carter exploited the middle of the zone and snapped a wrister past Jose Theodore.

The home team would answer as Ovechkin dug the puck from the corner and dribbled it to the front of the net to a waiting Knuble. Knuble is riding a hot streak scoring six goals in his last six games, mostly of those coming off of an Ovechkin shot. The Flyers would answer back as rookie James Van Riemsdyk scored his eleventh from the high slot.

That is when Laich took his video session to heart as the coaching staff wanted him to crash the net more, move his feet and get into scrums and fight for the puck more. Laich scored in front of the net, kicking the loose puck from Ray Emery and scoring his twelve goal of the season.

Unlike the Capitals five minor penalties on the afternoon, the Flyers stayed disciplined, allowing only a holding minor from Carter in the second period. But it didn't take long for the Caps' power play to score, just 8 seconds in to their man advantage the Caps would score to take the lead. Mike Green would keep his point slapper low, allowing Laich to deflect it to an open Semin who had a wide open net to score on.

Laich would score his second goal of the game shorthanded after some sloppy passing by the Flyers in the neutral zone. He moved his feet and caught up to the puck, made his move on net by backhanding it top corner past Emery who was already down in his butterfly.

Ovechkin scored his thirtieth goal after he was slashed on a take-away for a break away and rewarded a penalty shot. He beared down on Emery and faked the wrister and went back hand beating the Flyer goaltender top shelf. The Flyers would get one back on a late power play, but it was too little, too late as the Caps would take the two standings points and the win from the Flyers.

The Caps have now won six of their last seven. They also have the least number of losses at home, proving the phone booth is a tough place to earn a win from visiting teams. Jose Theodore played okay, not great. But this team seems to be geared to a goaltender that can simply keep them in the game long enough for the offense to make a difference.

The Caps get a late start on practice tomorrow and face the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

A Few Surprises

We have made it a full week through the start of the '09 - '10 season and there have been a few surprises. It's still too early in the season for these to be permanent trends, but the good and bad starts have certainly raised eyebrows.

Phoenix Coyotes' quick start. The Coyotes weren't expected to do much this year, with their coach pushed out and the franchise in danger of moving to southern Ontario. But Dave Tippett may have got this team concentrating on playing more than worrying. They started with two big wins over division rival Kings and shut out the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. They have cooled a bit losing their last two games.

Vancouver's slow start. Roberto Luongo did start the season on a good foot, allowing 13 goals through his first 3 games. The Canucks have since turned it around, but he has a mortal .865 save percentage and a dismal 3.52 goals against. Not good for a team that believes they are Cup bound.

Ray Emery's return to the NHL. It started off pretty good, but in the last 3 games Emery has let in 13 goals. The Flyers see something in Emery that the rest of us can't see. But team mate Mike Richards is off to a great start, scoring a hat trick against the Capitals.

Montreal's slow start. I really thought the Habs got it right in the off season, re-vamping the team, making the right moves and getting a new coach. But that hasn't translated to wins. They lost an ugly one to Vancouver 7-1. With all that talent, they still don't have a consistent goaltender.

In a month we will see how this all shakes out, but there are some interesting storylines developing in the NHL. There are a few more interesting starts to the season for some teams, the Capitals' slow start and the Blues' big wins in Europe.

It is always nice to talk about what is happening on the ice, rather than the stuff that happens off of it. So far, the season is off to a great start.

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.

It's A Beast In The East

The Eastern Conference is getting much more competitive as teams look make an impact in the playoffs. At the beginning of last season, there seemed to be a toss up for the lead in the East. The Penguins got off to a sluggish start and other teams seemed poised to take top spots from teams that have enjoyed success in seasons before.

Two teams stand out as favorites, but as always we start with the worst, first.

15. Tampa Bay Lightning: Do they even know who their owner is? The debacle that was last season for the Bolts will continue into this season as management is not sure what its doing. It certianly won't be a boring year for Tampa as they try to make all their off season signings somehow all fit together into a cohesive team. They did clean up some of the mess this off season by buying out a few contracts and getting solid talent in return, but will it be enough for the once darlings Vincent Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis return to the spotlight? In a word, no.

14. New York Islanders: Long Island is putting all their eggs in the John Tavares basket. They have brought in some good goaltending in Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson as they will fight for a number one spot as Rick DiPietro recovers from injuries. But with injuries already hampering the Isles, it's doubtful they will make much noise in the East this year. If Kyle Okposo didn't get demolished in the preseason game against Calgary, it might be a different outcome for the once great franchise.

13. Atlanta Thrashers: The Thrashers just need an identity going into this season. The management has made an effort to continue to build a team around Ilya Kovalchuk and young goaltender Kari Lehtonen. They traded for Pavel Kubina and Tim Stapleton from the Leafs and adding some punch from the free agent list in Nik Antropov, Noah Welch and Anthony Stewart. The Thrashers are a much better team than the 13th place in the East they received last year, but when this team's chips are down, they would rather cash in and leave the table rather than tough it out. Blue land will be signing the blues this season again.

12. Ottawa Senators: The Danny Heatley saga took up most of the Sens off season. In return though they do get Alex Kovalev. The team is trying not to let the whole Heatley situation bother them, but usually moral is low after that kind of public affair. Their new acquisitions in Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek in the trade should help them get a few games under the belt. But their goaltending situation still stinks and there defensive core never recovered when Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara left. It will be a disappointing year for the capital city.

11. Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers got some size on the blue line by bringing in Chris Pronger. But there has been a slow leak on the forward lines. Joffery Lupul and Scottie Upshall were contributors to the Flyers rough offense. The Flyers didn't make very many changes up front but got bigger and tougher. But the bigger and tougher you get, the less talented you get. If their top forwards in Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter and Michael Richards can stay healthy, the Flyers might be okay.

10. New York Rangers: It is not going to be John Tortorella's fault, but this team will underachieve yet again. Newcomers Marian Gaborik, Vaclav Prospal, Ales Kotalik, Tyler Arnason and Donald Brashear should keep them in the hunt for a playoff spot. But they lose quite a bit of talent in Scott Gomez, Nikolai Zherdev, Derek Morris, Paul Mara, Nik Antropov, Colton Orr, Fredrik Sjostrom and Blair Betts. The Rangers have a salary cap problem that forces them to bring up more youth.

9. Toronto Maple Leafs: Sure some toughness is going to give the Maple Leafs some respect. But they will need to follow that up with some scoring. They are hoping Phil Kessel will help in that regard. With Brian Burke at the helm, you know the Leafs will not back down from a fight. But he also added some good goaltending talent bringing the "Monster" Jonas Gustavsson and solid defense in Micheal Komisarik and Francois Beauchemin. If the Leafs can get some chemistry, they could be battling for a playoff spot late in the season.

Playoff Bound

8. Carolina Hurricanes: There will be a couple teams that will fall from grace this year in the East. I think the 'Canes is one of them. After making a coaching change late in the season and a few last minute trades, Carolina made a better effort to finish their season and earn a playoff spot. But they have a bad habit of taking things for granted. They made very little changes to the line up, a change here or there. They bought out Frantisek Kaberle and traded Patrick Eaves to bring back Aaron Ward. Add Stephan Yelle and the 'Canes should make the playoffs, barely.

7. Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres won't be denied a second season in a row. The changes are minimal, but it may be all they need. Coming into the Buffalo fold are Mike Grier and Steve Montador. The Sabres will also allow their young talent develop naturally. They will have Ryan Miller back in net with Patrick Lalime back him up, the pair should able to get the team into the playoffs.

6. Florida Panthers: The Panthers were oh so close to that last playoff spot last season. But this might be the year that they shed all that have held them down and make a run into the playoffs. Tomas Vokoun has to have a good season for this to happen since Craig Anderson left for Colorado. The Panthers have good core of young players returning in David Booth, Keith Ballard and Stephen Weiss. When these players get into the winning ways, I smell a playoff spot for an up and riser in the Southeast Divsion.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins: The hangover from the Stanley Cup will hamper the Pens all year. With Sidney Crosby injured so early in the year and the loss of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, the Pens lose a little expertise and strength on the blue line. But they are still a dangerous offensive team that should make the playoffs no problem. They won't have the chip on their shoulders they had last year, and that may lead to a lack of motivation.

4. Montreal Canadiens: The Habs did a major overhaul. Normally that would be cause for concern. But this could be a good thing for the Canadiens. A change in attitude and a new coach the Habs have replaced the same old disappointments from seasons past. Talent streaming into Montreal include Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill and Paul Mara and goaltender Curtis Sanford. Chemistry should be key through the first half of the season, but I expect the Canadiens to be fighting rival Bruins for first in the division.

3. New Jersey Devils, Atlantic Division Champions: Everytime they are counted out, the Devils prove people wrong. They have a system that works, a GM that knows his team inside and out and quite possibly the best goaltender of all time in net. Bottom line, they compete every season for top spot in the East. Bringing back Jacques Lemaire as head coach for his second stint with the Devils fits into the defense/goaltending first, every thing else second. Expect the Devils to be a tough team to beat this year.

2. Boston Bruins, Northeast Division Champions: Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas and Marc Savard. Three names that will make the Bruins a tough team to face this year. They were almost unstoppable, until they faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoffs. They finished first in the East last season, and they should play with a bit of a chip on their shoulder this year. With all their off season drama behind them (mainly with the deal that sent Kessel to Toronto). Now all is left to do is lean on Milan Lucic, Savard and Blake Wheeler for some offensive production.

1. Washington Capitals, Eastern Conference Champions: The Capitals felt they had the Stanley Cup Finals with in their grasp. But one bad game left an unsettling feeling in their stomachs. The game 7 debacle against the Penguins have made the Capitals even more ready for this season. Alex Ovechkin put on some weight in the off season and the goaltending battle has heated up between Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. This is basically the same team returning, very little change over the off season. The additions of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison replace the departing Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov. There is only one goal for this team, and that is the Stanley Cup.

Top spot in the Eastern Conference could go either way between the Bruins and the Capitals. But both will have to save enough for the post season too. The biggest improvement from last year would be the Panthers. I didn't give them much respect last year, but they surprised me. I don't think they are going to waste another season trying to get to the playoffs, and I see them being a good team this year.

I will work on the Caps season preview before the game on Thursday.

Rookie Camp Ends On Sour Note

The Washington Capitals wrapped up their rookie camp with a rookie game against the Philadelphia Flyers rookies/AHL players. While the end result wasn't the what the rookies hoped for (a 7-3 loss), the week proved to have more positives than negatives for the young skaters.

Having a good week was John Carlson. Not only was he one of the best players on the ice for the rookie game, but Carlson just seemed head above shoulders over the other players though out camp. He has improved his hockey sense to go with his heavy shot and good speed. It will be interesting to see how he progresses into next week with the veterans.

Trevor Bruess also had a great camp and played very well in the rookie game. He is all sandpaper in the way he plays. He spent some time this summer before camp practicing with some of the veterans. Cody Eakin also impressed. Eakin had a goal and his speed was lethal against the bigger Flyer defenders and through out camp.

It was a bit disappointing not to see Stephan Della Rovere take the ice for practices or the rookie game. I am hoping to see more of him in the next couple of weeks and maybe for some of the preseason games.

The players that just didn't impress through out the week includes Anton Gustafsson. Lil' Gus has some seasoning to do. Not to say that the son of Caps great Bengt Gustafsson hasn't been working on improving, but he is just not there yet. He needs to work on core strength and staying on his feet. As well as a season or two in the minors should help improve his hockey sense a bit.

A few of the defensemen had good camps, but in the rookie game they were a bit sub-par. Eric Mestery and Kevin Schmidt had a rough go of it through out the rookie game. They just could not control the Flyers forwards in front of the net.

Dmitri Kugryshev also had a rough game. Not only was he elbowed in the first period and shook up, but his play was a bit sloppy and took a bad offensive zone penalty when the Caps seemed to build momentum. He was eventually replaced on the power play line for first time forward Joe Finley (that could be they wanted to use Finley's size in front of the Flyer goaltender).

Speaking of Finley, the once defenseman now forward was the talk of rookie camp. He did okay for his first game as a winger. He still looks a bit shaky on the break out and has to learn to make that transition and head man the puck once the pass comes his way. Otherwise he was sound positionally and made a few good cuts to the net during the rookie game.

As a whole, the Caps rookies did a good job up in Voorhees New Jersey to take on the Flyer rookies. It was a bit of a lopsided affair with the Flyers 20-21 year-olds against the Caps 18-19 year-olds, but I felt the Caps future held their own. They definitely out chanced the flyers and out shot them. A few lucky bounces the other way and it is a different game.

Now camp goes from development to the real deal. Veterans report to camp tomorrow and are available to the media in the morning. Their first practice is not until Sunday morning, but they will be going through physicals and some off ice testing until then.

It will be interesting to watch what happens when the rooks skate with the big boys. It will be easy to see how jumps out and who just gets washed away in the crowd. There will be some big battles for back up goaltender, defense jobs and third and forth line jobs. Will the Caps take chances on some up and comers in the system, or will we see basically the same roster as last year? All questions will be answered in a few short weeks.

Bring On The Cup '09 - Fearless Predictions Pt. 2

San Jose looks pretty good coming out of the Western Conference, but what about the East. With the playoffs just hours away now, it's time to see who I predict will come out of the East to play with the Sharks.

The Eastern Conference could have been a toss this year, much like last season. But there are a few teams that have some momentum going and I doubt it is as wide open as some may think. There are some very good teams like Boston and Carolina that seem poised for a good run. While other teams seemed to flounder down the stretch. The East's teams were set early on, nearly a week before the end of the season. But I smell upsets up and down the Eastern seaboard.

Round 1

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens - These two teams seem destined to play each other in the post season. Although this year the roles have been reversed from last year. The Canadiens were atop of Eastern standings and the Bruins just squeaked in. Boston has been a monster all season long, playing staunch defense and finally their scoring is up. The Canadiens struggled, fired their coach and fluctuated in the standings only to wind up at the lowly 8th spot. But don't count them out, if Alexei Kovalev gets inspired and Boston goalie Tim Thomas plays inconsistent it could be a disappointing end to a whirlwind Boston season.

Briuns limps out in 7 games.

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #7 New York Rangers - A lot of "experts" are calling this the upset of all upsets. Really? The Capitals did not look like a playoff bound team in their last few games of the season. They have allowed 20 goals in their last six games. However, the Caps will be facing a Ranger team that has struggled scoring. If the Rangers can not get the puck in the net, it should be a very short series for them. They will make it interesting though, with the tough play of Henrik Lundqvist in net and pest Sean Avery mixing it up. Plus, the Capitals have a bit of history and luck on their side, their goaltender Jose Theodore is a perfect 4-0 in the first round in his career. It is just the second round you need to be careful of.

Capitals win in 6 games.

#3 New Jersey Devils vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes - It's been a story book year for Martin Brodeur. His injury sidelined him for much of the season, but when he returned the Devils helped him secure his spot in the history books as the winningest goaltender of all time. It could end there for NJ, because they struggled to finish the season. Suddenly they had a lack of scoring and Brodeur didn't look like Brodeur. On the other bench, the 'Canes finished the season with flair. Cam Ward has been playing like he did when they won the Cup years ago and the team seems to be rallying around him. This is a series where both teams seems to be traveling in opposite directions. Upset alert.

Hurricanes win in 5 games.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers - Rematch of last year's Eastern Conference final. Only this time the Flyers will be better rested. The could pose a problem for the flightless fowl who have had trouble finding their identity this season. The Penguins however made a few smart acquisitions at the trade deadline and a coaching changes seemed to spark them. The Flyers, when healthy and on top of their game are a pretty scary team when they want to be. This will be a hard fought, battle of Pennsylvania. I like the Flyers this time, they are holding a grudge.

Flyers win in 7 games.

Round 2 (probable matchups based on Round 1 predictions)

Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes - Interesting matchup. If Boston can stay healthy through their first round against a passionate Montreal squad, I don't see any reason why Boston can't dominate this series. Oh yes I do, Ward. When the 'Canes get the momentum and if they can quickly dispatch of New Jersey, the Bruins will have their hands full. Boston must score early and often if they wish to make it to the conference final. I will flip a coin on this one.

Bruins win in 6 games.

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers - After an emotional series with Pittsburgh, the Flyers could ride the momentum through the next round, much like they did a year ago when they met Montreal. The Capitals will be shocked to see a grittier team than the Rangers were. If the Capitals' defense shores up in the first round, they should be tougher on the Flyers scoring barrage. But Theodore will have to be sharp. Maybe because it's bias, but I think the Caps can pull it out.

Capitals win in 6 games.

Eastern Conference Final

Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals - When the Caps faced the Bruins in the regular season, they were tight one goal affairs. A chess match that the Capitals seemed to have an edge on. But if the Bruins break out the scoring, it is going to be tough on a Capital squad that is in new territory, deep in the playoffs. It will all depend on which team is more tired and more injured going into the conference final. I like the Capitals depth, but I think Boston will pull it out.

Bruins win in 6 games.

Stanley Cup Final

San Jose Sharks vs. Boston Bruins - We are going to extremes here. Just about as east coast as you get against just about as west coast as you could get. Travel will be a key and I expect home ice will come into play in a big way. Time fluctuations and long plane rides will kill momentum in a heartbeat. The Bruins are not used to that kind of travel on a regular basis, so it is an edge for the Sharks. But the Sharks have to be weary of Boston's attack. In the end, Bruins give it a valiant effort but the Cup stays out west.

Sharks win the Cup in 7 games.

NBC will get their money's worth on that series. The Sharks just look good this year, and if they don't pull out of the west it will be a disappointment for them this season. The one thing that can trip them up is overlooking their first round opponent. It is a hurdle for every team once they get a one or two game lead then blow it down the stretch.

I like Boston coming out of the east just because of their play all season (although being a homer, I would like the Capitals better). But it should be an interesting and winding road for any team out of the east.

About noon today I should be coming out with a game preview of the game tonight with the Caps and Rangers. Don't forget I will be updating on twitter through the whole series. You are happy to follow along at twitter.com/pckhdsthghts.

Caps Win Fifth Straight Road Game

Capitals 2, Flyers 1
Scoresheet - Times - Post

Bruce Boudreau told reporters a week ago that it takes two victories to get out of a slump. What makes the last two wins more impressive other than just breaking a four game slide would be the Capitals getting those wins on the road against two very tough teams. The Caps keep to their tough defensive stand and get the same result as the game before. They ground the Flyers in their barn 2-1.

Alex Ovechkin got the game winner in the second period when the Flyers just coughed up the puck to Alex Semin who found Ovi wide open in front of the net. Brooks Laich also scored in the first period off a slap pass from Ovechkin on the powerplay. The Caps defense and Jose Theodore take it from there as a slight breakdown led to the Flyers only goal.

The Caps end their season set with the Flyers by playing just about the perfect road game. An early power play goal kept Philadelphia honest. Taking the physical play away from the Flyers played into the hands of the Capitals who were satisfied playing a tight checking game through the neutral zone and keep Philly at bay.

The first two periods was a chess match as both teams were systematically working a way to defeat the other. The third period was nothing like the first two as both teams had goals washed out due to an incidental contact by the Capitals and an interference penalty by the Flyers got the Philadelphia crowd to life and opened the game as both teams shared chance after chance down the stretch.

Both Marty Biron and Theodore exchanged great saves late in the game and the Caps take the one goal lead and the two points back to Washington. The KLF line, Viktor Kozlov, Brooks Laich and Tomas Fleischmann, was a potent line all night getting chance after chance. The trio found some pretty good chemistry and dang near had a couple of goals late in the game.

Micheal Nylander came into the lineup to replace an injured Donald Brashear, although he didn't fill in the enforcer role. He played well enough, but found himself on the bench late in the game as the Caps shortened their bench. Sergei Fedorov was a last minute scratch as he was feeling ill. The Capitals recalled Alexandre Giroux for that very reason although the Caps didn't say who was ill until minutes before the game.

Puckhead player of the game goes to Jose Theodore whose 35 saves helped keep the Caps in the game and could have taken home a shut out. He made some great acrobatic saves as well as a few just solid routine saves that killed offensive momentum of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Caps have one more home game Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes before a long road trip due to the Frozen Four in house at the phone booth. They will be in and out of hotel rooms for the next five games before coming back home to face the Lightning on March 27. The Capitals would like to keep their good fortunes rolling on the ensuing road trip.

Dangerous Teams On The Bubble

The Washington Capitals have a habit of not taking teams on the bubble very serious of late. That has lead to four straight losses at home, a place that was a tough place to play in for opposing teams. The Caps' trail doesn't smooth out anytime soon as three of the next five opponents are on the playoff bubble and they will have to finish the month of March on the road playing the next seven of nine games in someone else's barn.

The Nashville Predators will be the next test for the Caps who have not done well against the West this season. The Preds are sitting in eighth place in the west and there is a log jam for teams trying to make the playoffs there. The Preds are looking to solidfy a playoff spot in a very tight race in the west. There are signs that they are starting to get out of their slump, but like Bruce Boudreau alluded to, it takes two wins to officially get out of a slump.

The next in line would be the Philadelphia Flyers. A team that the Caps have yet to figure out since the post season a year ago. The Caps are 1-2 against Philly and will have to face them at the Wachovia Center. The Flyers are not on the bubble, but this rough and tumble team are the kind of teams the Caps seem to have trouble with. And the tough opponents will not stop there.

After a tough road trip, the Caps will have to come back to the phone booth to face the Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes have been playing very tough and are on a 4 game winning streak that includes beating the Caps, Flames, Rangers and Lightning (they pounded the Bolts 9-3). They too are trying to make the playoffs after having to sit out last post season, at the hands of a surging Capitals team that pushed them out of the playoffs in the last game of the season.

The next three games should be more than enough of a test for the Capitals who desperately need a few wins to keep the pressure on for the top of the East Standings and keep Florida and Carolina at bay in the Southeast. I would be so bold to say that these next three games could be the biggest games of the season for the Capitals.

NHL Notes:

• Guy Carbonneau got the boot in Montreal as the story here seems to be a break down in communication. That makes seven coaches that got their walking papers in the NHL this season. That is a 23% unemployment rate, damn this economy! That is a lot of nice suits in the soup line.
  
• Former Capital Brian Sutherby found a home for the next two years. He signed a two year contract worth $1.6 million with the Dallas Stars.
• The General Managers' meeting in Florida seems to be obsessed with fighting... on the ice that is. As Brian Burke put it, "This will sound really silly, is there a way to [make fighting] safer? You know, guys like me who believe fighting has an intrical part or intrical place in our game. What's the best way to do it in a way that senseless or needless injuries can be averted."
  

Great Start, Bad Finish

Caps 2, Flyers 4
Scoresheet - Wash Post

The Philadelphia Flyers are known for their shorthanded goals. The Washington Capitals had two prime opportunities shorthanded to increase their lead in the first period. Both breakaway chances, one by Nick Backstrom and the other by Dave Steckel, were wide shots. Missed opportunities the Capitals should have capitalized on, because it came back to bite them in the butt.

Alex Ovechkin was quite the force early in the game. His fake shot pass set up an easy power play goal for Backstrom. Then in the second period, while being hit by his own player (Mike Green), he snapped the puck for the Caps second goal.

It looked like that Caps could do no wrong, but the Flyers are too talented of a team to be counted out. The Flyers got a little bit of life in the second period scoring on the power play. Then they played their system to a tee, wearing down the defense with their physical play and letting their talented forwards go to work.

"We kind of lost our head there in the third. We didn't play smart defensively. We were running around a little bit," Boyd Gordon told reporters after the game.

The Capitals continue to hurt themselves night after night by taking bad, unneccisary penalties. Alex Semin's delay of game penalty after throwing the puck out of the rink set up the Flyers power play goal. The Caps took nine minor penalties, the Flyers only eight. Everytime the Capitals go shorthanded, it kills their offensive momentum. And the Caps seemed to have the Flyers on the ropes playing 5 on 5 for at least two periods.

"They want to limit the obstruction," Brooks Laich told reporters following the game. "We just seem to take lazy, undisciplined, sometimes they can be criticized as selfish penalties. Every game we shoot the puck in our zone over the glass. We've got to limit that. We spent basically [the second period] short-handed."

If the Caps had survived the first two with two goal lead, the third might have been different. But they didn't capitalize on their chances. Backstrom had a breakaway chance and hit the post, Dave Steckel had a breakaway and missed the net by a country mile. Both opportuinties could have put the Caps up 3-0 by the end of the third. Brooks Laich had a chance when he split the defense in the second period but was walled by Antero Nittymaki.

"That was theme of the whole night: not cashing in on chances," Bruce Boudreau said. "We had five or six breakaways. Brooks Laich hit the net on his, but everyone else missed the net. If you don't score when you have the opportunities to, eventually the opportunities dry up and the other team gets opportunities."

The Caps just lost all of their energy in the third. What is so frustrating is we know this team can be so good in the third period. But the game tying goal by the Flyers and the Caps' penalty trouble was just too much to overcome. It is a perfect equation for a loss.

Serious Rivalry Brewing With Caps And Flyers

As much as the National Hockey League would like divisional rivalries to become more the norm, the Washington Capitals seem to be an anomaly that Gary Betteman probably didn't consider. Even though the Caps have been sent to the Southeast Division in the '98-'99 season, old habits die hard. It's still a Patrick/Atlantic Division rivalry that has now the whole league seemingly on the edge of their seats to see.

Even though the Flyers took the first game decidedly 7-1, that hasn't seemed to cool the jets of head coach Bruce Boudreau.

"They have 50 points and we have 55. ...a) we don't like them and b) the importance is continually getting ahead of them in points," Boudreau told reporters Monday morning at practice in the Kettler Iceplex. "It's either going to be a three point lead or a seven point lead. We want to be the first place team. If we want that to happen, we have to go through the Flyers."

For the Flyers, this is more about ending a road trip healthy. It's a different attitude for the Philly side, who are coming off a long holiday road trip that saw them finish their last five games 2-2-1. And while venom is spewing from D.C., Paul Holmgren paid a compliment when asked what he thought about the All-Star selections: "The fans must not have been watching Ovechkin."

While the rivalry seems more low key from the Philly camp, Alex Ovechkin is getting his house pelted with eggs for a 7-1 defeat to the Flyers, the head coach is looking for just desserts over last game's loss and urinals will be filled with Flyers' faces at the phone booth.

Even in the rookie game, weeks before the season was to start, Caps fans were ravenous for a Capitals win at Kettler over the Flyers' rookie team. It was a charged atmosphere that the Caps' camp attendees fed off of and beat their guests 7 to nothing. The Caps fans took some consolation in that win. It was not a suitable vengeance win over the Flyers who had ended an amazing Caps' season-ending run. While it doesn't avenge the game seven's overtime sting back in April, it did feel good to see that score.

The rivalry isn't one sided, maybe just more intense on one side more than the other. It is clear that the Flyers don't care for the any Capitals, and the Capitals don't care for any Flyers. Even when the Flyers took Steve Eminger during the summer, they couldn't get rid of him fast enough to Tampa Bay. Just because he still had that Capitals' smell to him (in all fairness, I am almost certain that is not the case, but it is funny to surmise it).

Simply put, the Flyers are now an elite Eastern Conference team. For the Capitals to climb atop the conference, Boudreau hit the nail on the head: they have to go through Philadelphia to get there. And a rivalry is only good if both teams are at or near their peak.

Home Record At Risk?

Philadelphia just leaped frog over the Rangers last night with a shoot out win in Anaheim. The Rangers and Flyers are now tied, but Flyers lead the charge in the Atlantic Division due to games played. This is going to make the game against the Rangers tonight that much more of a challenge for the Capitals. Teams always seem to play better when they have a goal or a hurdle in front of them, and I don't expect the New York Rangers to be any different.

Not only that, but the Caps face a familiar foe in the Philadelphia Flyers not too long after that. It's a confident Flyer squad that seems to have the Caps number. That impressive 16-1-1 record is definitely going to be challenged tonight and on Tuesday.

Makes you wonder what the heck is going on with Pittsburgh?

Caps notes:

• According the the St. Pete Times Forum, Jamie Heward didn't remember much about the hit that landed him at Sibley Memorial Hospital. But when he was told it was Alex Ovechkin, Heward was quick to dismiss any dirty notion.
  
  "Once I found out it was Alex, he's in my opinion, he's probably one of the cleanest players in the NHL as far as being honest," Heward said. "He'll play hard on you, but now that I know it was him, I know it wasn't intentional. I played with him for two years. We were pretty tight when I played there. I totally agree, and I think it was an accident."


• Jose Theodore gets the nod tonight against the Rangers, a team he sort of turned it around on. Not that Brent Johnson is no slouch either. But the team really needs consistency in net. Who is going to provide that? Your guess is as good as mine.


• Alex Semin is back. Another dangerous weapon on the ice (with some kind of back protection hopefully). Chris Bourque has been sent back to Hershey.