GM Adds Plenty Of Depth

George McPhee had a plan going into this year's trade deadline. Add some depth to get through the playoffs. Injuries played a bit role in the past two post seasons for the Capitals. Forcing younger players to mature much faster than planned.

"I like what we did," McPhee told reports as the dust settled on trade deadline day. "We got better, and deeper, and we didn't give up our future to do it, and we didn't take on any bad contracts to do it, so I was really pleased with the way it went."

What they got were a pair of forwards and a pair of defensemen for a development player, a defenseman and two second rounders, a sixth rounder and a seventh rounder.

The Capitals bolstered their blue line with the return of Milan Jurcina come back from Columbus and big guy Joe Corvo from Carolina. McPhee felt that getting Juice back puts his best shut down pair of Poti and Jurcina back together. Jurcina played solid enough to get a start every night for the Blue Jackets earning him a roster spot on the Slovakian national team at the Olympics in Vancouver.

Joe Corvo will bring a heavy shot to the point and some solid veteran defensive skills back there too. TSN.ca analyst Micheal Peca broke down Corvo's role with the Capitals: "I think Mike Green's going to need some support. You get into the playoffs, as an opposing team you identify certain players that you're going to target and try to affect physically, and I think if Washington has the ability to reduce Green's minutes early on in the playoffs, it'll benefit the team in the long run. I think Corvo's the guy."

With the pair of defensemen, McPhee took on some more grit and veterans up front. Eric Belanger and Scott Walker add some muscle and some set up ability for the Capitals up front.

"Belanger brings us some speed and experience at center ice," Mcphee said of his new centerman. "[It's] the sort of thing we were looking for, and he's also real good on faceoffs."

"We like his experience and his ability to shut people down, he's on pace for probably 18 goals this year, which is fine; he'll help us on our penalty killing. We just got another player who is a hard guy to play against."

"I like Walker because Ovechkin and Semin are going to face a lot of physical attention, come playoff time," Peca said on TSN. "Walker is a great equalizer. He's a guy who will identify the other team's best player and you don't know what's coming."

The Capitals did lose Brian Potheir and development player Oskar Osala. But for the most part, McPhee was able to keep his core of youth together while getting the players he wanted. "We had an untouchable list and we didn't give away any of those players," McPhee explained.

Overall, I give the Caps and GMGM a B. He was successful in adding the depth he needed, but the market wasn't there for better players. He didn't give up anything he couldn't live without and in the end that is probably the most important fact on day's end.

Fitting the new players in will take some time for everyone. But they won't have too much time to think about it since they play a pair of back to back games, then play a game every other night through March. A busy schedule will force the coaching staff to figure it out on the fly.

Distracted Caps Lose Divisional Battle

If George McPhee was looking for a bit of "shock and awe" with his trade before the Capitals played the Carolina Hurricanes, the shock may have back fired. The Caps allowed 3 first period goals and never recovered as the Hurricanes blow away the Caps 6-3.

What preceded the game left both fans and players a bit on edge as the team's captain Chris Clark and defenseman Milan Jurcina were traded to Columbus for Jason Chimera. Yes, the same Chimera that got under the skin of the Caps and was involved in the play that may have injured Alex Ovechkin. McPhee wanted more grit and some salary space. He got it with this trade, but he also disrupted a very tight locker room.

The Caps changes in the past 2 and a half years has not had a shake up like this in it's ranks, unless we are talking about goaltending. McPhee even came out and stated he would like to keep the group together for as much as he could to give them another chance. He already has a tight nit group of guys and this shake up may have caught them off guard.

The end result is a team that was off kilter, off game and a team that failed to win against a weaker team and slipped in the standing a point behind the New Jersey Devils. All for more grit. McPhee may have realized his team lacked a bit of toughness. Chimera will bring that edge that is not quite a fighter and not quite a saint either.

What McPhee brought in was someone to add some energy to a team that seems to only thrive on goals. A player that can mix it up, and still have the speed to cut to the outside and make a play. Not so much a fighter, but an agitator. It is something the Caps have lacked since saying good bye to Matt Cooke, choosing Matt Bradley instead.

GMGM has also made room for another possible trade or pick up at the trade deadline. He dumps salaries of $2.5 and $1.375 million off his cap will only absorbing $1.875 and a contract through 2012. In a word, some cap "srtategery" going on here.

It was a shock for the Caps to make the move and deal the players that seemed to grow on the fans. Captain Chris Clark was the leader of this team, and a close friend to many in the locker room. His play through injury and hard working attitude seemed to satisfy the Capitals' faithful. Jurcina would probably be the last defenseman you would think be traded. He was a physical player that had a laser of a shot. The trade does ease the log jam of defensemen the Capitals have as well.

That shock seemed to rub on to the Caps as they took the ice to get their ninth straight win against a divisional foe. But that didn't happen. In one of the worst first periods I have seen the Caps play in some time, the Hurricanes took advantage of a stunned Caps' team scoring three goals in the first and never really looked back. When the Caps needed a save, they didn't get one from Jose Theodore. Not that it was entirely his fault, but he certainly didn't look very special out there.

In the grand scheme of things, it was simply just another loss. We sill need to see how Chimera fits into the locker room and how his play will affect the Caps as a whole. There might be more moves to come out of GMGM and that remains to be seen as well.

3 Interesting Things To Watch For At Camp

The Washington Capitals technically started their camp today with veterans reporting to Kettler Iceplex for physicals and information. They also had a chance to meet up with the press. Questions about last year's disappointment to the outlook for this upcoming season were zinged left and right at players who just got into town. When the players do hit the ice tomorrow, they will just be four days from their first preseason game against Buffalo.

Just about every player has his own story and what they will try to accomplish in this year's camp. There are three that are interesting to watch as you gaze upon the practices at KCI.

Battle Between The Pipes

Bruce Boudreau is pretty big on seniority. That was made clear when he told reporters over the summer who was the number one goaltender for the Capitals. It was Jose Theodore.

Theo was benched in favor of the up and coming Semyon Varlamov in the playoffs and was returned only when the Caps trailed badly in game seven against the Penguins. But Theo has always claimed (and rightly so) that he was the whole reason for the Caps second place finish in the Eastern Conference to begin with.

But who is number two (bad bathroom humor aside). That is a battle to watch. Varlamov seems to be the obvious choice, but Micheal Neuvirth was in net when the Hershey Bears won their championship. It should be the battle to watch between the two. While Varlamov had some success in the NHL and in the playoffs, Neuvirth jumped from the ECHL to the AHL and going on to backstop for a championship. The battle should be one to watch and the Caps could gain from some outstanding goaltending throughout the preseason.

Knuble's Chemistry

Mike Knuble was the biggest off season acquisition the Capitals made. He comes in to replace the leaving Viktor Kozlov(who choose to go home and play in the KHL), which means they are most likely going to use Knuble on the Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom line as a grinder. It's not a guaranteed spot for Knuble, but his signing in the off season is meant to add some sandpaper to the Caps forward lines.

If Knuble can dig in the corners and win battles on the boards, that could mean some open ice for Ovi and his wicked shot. The two are expected to work off of each other if they are paired on the top line, and it will be interested to see if the two really have some chemistry together. The two may not be paired until late in the preseason, but I would expect Knuble to share some time up on the top line during practices and scrimmages.

De - De - Defense

If there is one position the Caps have a log jam of good talent, it is on the blue line. Here is the list of defensemen who have a good shot at one of the six to seven positions available on the Caps roster: Karl Alzner, Sean Collins, John Erksine, Mike Green, Milan Jurcina, Shaone Morrison, Brian Pothier, Tom Poti, Jeff Schultz, Tyler Sloan and an outside chance for John Carlson. That is eleven players for only six spots.

I don't think there is doubt that Green, Poti, Pothier, Morrisonn and Jurcina will make the opening night roster. That really only leaves one or two spots open for the rest. That battle for those final spots should make any mistake by a defensive player a huge deal. The competition should make for some great defensive efforts on the Capitals' blue line.

NHL Notes:

• Dany Heatley is a Shark according to TSN.ca. A trade that took long enough. Heatley and a 5th round pick to San Jose for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second round pick. I think Ottawa won in this trade to be honest. I don't think that Heatley will boost the Sharks offense anymore than Cheechoo could.
• If the Coyotes weren't confused enough about their owner, they are really confused now that Wayne Gretzky was a no show for the first day of camp. No owner, no coach, what is going on in Phoenix? Ulf Samuelsson is filling in as head coach. This organization just went from sad to pitiful.
  
• On a totally non-hockey subject, things will be changing big time for the Puckhead family. We found out in July that my wife is expecting our first child. It is the reason I have not been updating the blog as often as I would like. So as my life changes on the home front, I am sure it will be more difficult to keep the blog up to standard at all times (considering I do this for the love of it and don't get paid at all). We are super excited and before the season is out, there will be a new little Caps fan that Uncle Ted will want to sell a season ticket to.

Thank goodness hockey is back!

Season Of Change

You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but Micheal Nylander clearly needs to change his game if he wants to gain favor and playing time from Caps bench boss Bruce Boudreau. Nylander opened up this summer to a Swedish newspaper saying that Boudreau didn't think the forward was "good enough." I don't think anyone doubts Nylander's skills as a player or think he is not good enough for the NHL, but there are somethings he can improve on or get rid of to play the kind of hockey his coach likes to play.

The following is three things Nylander can improve or drop to be a better player in this system. Let me preface this by saying that I am not Bruce Boudreau. These changes are what I have observed watching him play in the new system under Boudreau. In particular is a game early in Boudreau's reign against Florida. That was when Nylander was still a first and or second line center.

Change #1: Stop calling for the puck. I had a coach once tell me that there really is no need to slap your stick to call for the puck if you are in the right position. If you are were you are supposed to be, your linemates will find you. Nylander developed the bad habit somewhere and listening to his stick pounding on the ice is a bit like listening to Morse code. Dit-dit-dit-da-dit translated to "I need more ice time."

No matter where he was on the ice, he was calling for the puck. In Florida, the camera would nestle in on the play, but in the back ground, off screen, one could here the tap-tap-tap of his stick. Instead, Nylander should be jockeying for a position; working as hard off the puck as well much as he is on it.

Change #2: Cough up the puck. This is a two parter. One, Nylander has to head-man the puck. In the game against Florida in December of '08, he had Alex Giroux open in the middle to enter the zone. For some inexplicable reason, Nylander turned and skated back into the neutral zone. What's more astounding than the reset was if he had head manned the puck, Giroux had a breaking winger with him that could have resulted in a two on one inside the zone. Instead, the play was broken up when the Panthers were able to regroup and thwart the play.

Two, Nylander spends way too much time with the puck to begin with. A good skill to have, but he doesn't seem to head to the net or make an aggressive move with it once he has it. In some ways the skill is great to have on the powerplay, but is tough to swallow at even strength. He would clearly miss open players, fail to develop plays or odd man rushes, as well as a plethora of other problems for hanging on to the puck a moment too long.

Change #3: Be more aggressive. Nylander has to be more physical in the offensive zone. Instead of going for the hit, he would try to stick check allowing the player to slip past him. He has to stand up his player and get more physical, much the way Boudreau would like to see all his forwards play. We are not asking Nylander to be like Alex Ovechkin and destroy the other man. Rather, he needs to stand up his man and put pressure on the opposition's defensemen.

Maybe with these glitches fixed, Nylander could once again be an important part of the Capitals' line up. A trade to Edmonton may not be a bad deal either.

NHL Notes:

• The Russians have invited some Capitals' players to it's camp this month. On the list are the obvious Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and goaltender Semyon Varlamov. And there are a few former Caps like Viktor Kozlov (KHL), Sergei Fedorov (KHL) and defenseman Sergie Gonchar (PIT). While Milan Jurcina has been invited to the Slovakian camp (but will not attend) and former Cap prospect Sami Lepisto will be attending Finland's camp this month.
• Nikola Zherdev is an unrestricted free agent since the New York Rangers walked away from his arbitration result. The Rangers (much like the Caps) are walking a thin line to keep their team under the salary cap. Zherdev was in all 82 games for the Rangers last year, he had 58 points to show for it. He didn't score a point in seven games in the playoffs against the Caps.
• Finally, in the Danny Heatley saga, it looks as if more than one team will be involved in possibly moving Heatley to San Jose. The Montreal Canadiens could facilitate a trade that would see as many as 9 players in new sweaters come October. But just like before, it may just be all talk.
  

Jurcina Scores Big

Milan Jurinca was awarded a one year, $1.4 million contract in his salary arbitration hearing. It was a hearing that was reported as very professional between both parties. The Capitals can not walk away from Jurcina's contract and he should become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Shaone Morrisonn was awarded a one year, $1.975 million contract last summer for his arbritation hearing. He signed his qualifying offer this summer to remain with the Capitals.

Update: Okay, maybe the score isn't that big, official word is Jurcina was awarded a one year, $1.375 million contract in arbitration.

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?

Jurcina Files For Arbitration

Milan Jurcina is the only Capital that filed for arbitration, as is his right to being a restricted free agent. The other Capitals that were given qualifying offers did not file for arbitration.

Shaone Morrisonn filed for arbitration last year and was awarded a one year, $1.975 million contract and remained a RFA. His qualifying offer was a flat $1 million and due to his hearing result of $975,000 more it had put the Caps over the Salary Cap at that time. He had an opportunity to file for arbitration this year but did not. Along with Mo, forwards Eric Fehr and Boyd Gordon did not file.

Jurcina made $912,500 last season.

It's A Three Game Series

Capitals 3, Penguins 5
Scoresheet - Times - Post

Another great start for the Capitals turns to disaster as we finally see the human side of Semyon Varlamov. The Penguins finally soften up the rookie goaltender and got the goals they needed. The Cap however looked lethargic at times and just out of sorts others. The Penguins bring the series back to Washington with the series now tied at two games a piece with a 5-3 win.

Again, the Caps get off to a great start when Nick Backstrom scored just :36 seconds into the game. His slapshot slipped past Marc-Andre Fleury and the away team had scored it's fourth straight first goal in the series. The celebration was short lived as the Penguins came back to score the next three goals.

Varlamov, for the first time in the playoffs, has looked beatable. The first goal was a clear shot from Sergei Gonchar that beat him. Then the Pens got a garbage goal from Bill Guerin and Varly was beat again. This time from a Ruslan Fedotenko shot that somehow beat Varlamov's glove. Soft goal number two allowed the Pens to build up a two goal lead.

"He struggled," Bruce Boudreau said of his goaltender's performance. "There were four soft goals out of the five. But he'll bounce back. He's a real competitive guy."

From that point on, the Caps just did not look very good. They couldn't get their break out under control, their passes were sloppy and they just looked disconnected. The Caps did get a late goal in the second to make it interesting. Alex Ovechkin carried it over the blue line and centered the puck to a break Mike Green down the middle. Green made a few good moves and hit the post with his shot. But Chris Clark was there to put in the garbage when the puck bounced on the goal line.

The Caps power play could have been called their sloppy play. There was no movement, they were just standing around watching the puck carrier. The passes were sloppy and often anywhere but on the tape of their teammate's sticks. Some key power plays ended up with one shot on net and a slew of missed opportunities.

"They were desperate down here," Boudreau said. "Alex is only human, he can't be unbelievable every night. He's a great player, he just had one of those nights where he's not going to get three goals."

The Caps felt they had to press and got caught being a bit too aggressive. The result was a two on one the other way for the Penguins. They restore their two goal lead and the Caps took a penalty not too long after that. Things were looking pretty dire for the Caps when a surprise shorthanded goal gave the Capitals some late life. Milan Jurcina cashes in on some great hitting by Matt Bradley. The puck gets up to Jurcina on the point and he rifles a shot past Fleury.

But that would be the high water mark for the Capitals as once again Varlamov let in a soft goal with just over 5 minutes left in the game. The Caps pulled the goalie in a last ditch effort to score, but the damage had been done. They couldn't get past the Penguins' as they built up a wall around Fleury by blocking shots. The Caps just couldn't get the puck to the slot in front of Fleury.

The Caps, once again, did not play their game. Instead they sat back and let the Pens come at them. When they had the momentum, they just couldn't sustain any more pressure. They just need to pick what kind of team they are going to be when they play the Penguins. They either have to be the aggressive team or the lay back defensive team. This hybrid way of playing is screwing them up.

There was some dirty stuff in the game that seemed to stem from Ovechkin's leg hit on Sergei Gonchar. The hit was leg on leg and Ovi was penalized for tripping on the play. The Penguins, however, want the league to look at the tape and deal with Ovechkin's hit severely by suspending him. Ovechkin did look like he was going for the shoulder check when Gonchar stepped aside to try to avoid the hit.

"Yeah, it probably was knee on knee. I tried to hit him with my shoulder and he just moved left [into] the same spot," Ovechkin said.

The Penguins took some liberties toward the end of the game as well. Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal double teamed a hit on Shaone Morrisonn. Evgeni Malkin elbowed Jurcina that was not called either.

As bad as things look, there are some positives. Clark's goal was a good for the Caps who need to start crashing the net and putting pressure on a defensive squad that does break down. Jurcina's goal was a goal of opportunity and the Caps needed a shortie just to get something down for special teams. And the Caps can pull from Bradley's push in the offensive zone to create havoc and give his team a chance. If they can add more energy and spark, the Caps will do okay.

Jay Beagle was the recalled forward who saw some good action early and played well for a shift and half. That was until he got hit in the first and we never saw him again. He played two short shifts in the second and didn't see any ice time in the third period.

Tyler Sloan sat out in favor of John Erskine coming back into the line up. Erskine played okay, but he was a little out of sorts at times with his team. Karl Alzner was sent back down to Hershey as the Baby Pens won tonight 6-3 to tie their series in the AHL with the Bears at two games apiece.

Now the series returns to Washington, just 24 hours after the drop of the puck for game four. The Pens have the momentum coming back to DC as each team jump on a plane and head back to the phone booth. The Caps can draw on their home crowd for some jump, but they can't afford to play like they did in games three and four. It's the little things that are killing them, that extra little effort that the Penguins are showing and the Capitals aren't.

Series Breakdown

The Washington Capitals are used to doing things no one has done before. This time they came back from a 3 games to one deficit to beat the New York Rangers. The Rangers have never lost a series when they have that kind of lead, until last night. They are now 12 and 1.

While things started shaky for the Capitals it turns out a rookie goaltender was there to save the day. Simeon Varlamov came in to relieve Jose Theodore who got beat for 4 goals in game one. Theo's play did not go over well with Bruce Boudreau. He considered pulling Theodore after he let in a couple of shots he needed to save, but Boudreau said he didn't want it to look like they "panicking."

"There's times when you sit there, you need the save, and he didn't make the save when we needed it," Boudreau said.

Enter Varlamov who had only started a total of 5 times for the Capitals in the regular season. Even though the Caps would lose the next game, Varly had a better save percentage than his counterpart Henrik Lundqvist. The Capitals seemed to feed off Varlamov's good play by winning game 3.

The cool and calm Varlamov would finish the series with a .952 save percentage and only allowed seven goals in six starts including two shut-outs. An amazing start for a young goaltender who just turned 21 on April 27. His save percentage ranks him third among all goaltenders in the playoffs.

With the drama in net solved, the Caps needed goals against the league's stingiest defenses. When the Caps needed the goals the most, they came from unlikely sources. In game five, a must win game, Matt Bradley was the hero scoring two quick goals in the first period. In game six, three Capitals' defensemen scored the first three goals. In game seven it was Sergei Fedorov who scored his biggest goal as a Capital.

The Rangers did not make it easy. After stealing away games one and two, New York pushed the Caps to the brink of elimination with three chances to put the series away. They even had the Caps on the ropes early in game seven scoring the first goal. But their failure to support their goaltender with the scoring ending up costing them the series.

Credit the Capitals' defensive core who showed up just in time. John Erskine had a great series run. He was tough and smart. He took a swipe from Sean Avery and made a couple of key defensive stops through out the series. While Erskine played a great series, Milan Jurcina had a fantastic game seven. Jurcina battled with the Rangers best line of the night and was able to make some outstanding plays on the blue line.

Other Capitals that had a great series were Dave Steckel and Boyd Gordon. Both were solid in the face off circle and helped the Caps PK. Viktor Kozlov picked up his game for the playoffs scoring his first ever playoff goal. He finished the series with two tallies. Alex Ovechkin had the highlight reel goal of the series in game five. MVP of this series has to go to Varlamov, he backstopped the Caps to a series win.

History Repeats

Capitals 5, Rangers 3
Scoresheet - Times - Post

The Washington Capitals have tied up the series with the New York Rangers with a 5-3 win at MSG. The Caps force a game seven for a second straight year. They came out with the same kind of intensity as in Game 5 and it is the defensive core that breaks through in Game 6.

Milan Jurcina got the first goal as the Caps score off of a Ranger give away just inside their zone. The Rangers were able to tie it up on a ensuing power play and Mike Green answered with his first goal in the series on the power play to pull the Caps into the lead again. Tom Poti finished off a beautiful 3 on 1 and the Caps' defense scored the first three goals of the game.

Viktor Kozlov added a great goal that he worked through two other Ranger players then rushed the net and put the puck perfectly up over Henrik Lundqvist for his second goal of the series. Alex Ovechkin finished up the scoring for the Caps as he deflected in a Poti shot to make it 5-1. The Rangers were able to score a couple down the stretch, but by then it was far too late.

Poti played the best game as a Capital ever. Not only was he playing well defensively, he connected three assists to finish with a 4 point night. Poti made a great defensive play on the last Ranger 5 on 3 has he dove to take the puck off the Ranger stick. The move also looked to hurt him a little as he winced in pain after the play. He received the game's first star.

While the Caps looked to be in total domination for most of the game, they did lose their focus late. They took a couple of bad penalties that lead to two 5 on 3 chances for the Rangers. It was a beautiful beginning, but a messy end. The Caps have to finish games off much better than this.

The Caps were called for called for eleven minors in Game 6. They had been averaging about 5 minors in their last four games. They must stay focused and stay disciplined. Other than those problems, it was hard to find fault in the Capitals during this game.

Lundqvist looks human suddenly. If Lundqvist struggles Tuesday night, than the Rangers are in trouble. His counterpart, Simeon Varlamov has continued to play well, making the save when his team needed it. That has been the difference right now between these two teams, goaltenders going in different directions.

Sean Avery returned to the Ranger lineup only to be a non factor. While Avery was trying to play the good son, other Rangers tried to play it tough for the home faithful. Bradon Dubinsky threw his weight around and Ryan Callahan took a couple shots at Ovi.

The biggest hit came in the first period when Donald Brashear made a heavy hit against Blair Betts. The hit I am sure will go to the league for review as the hit was a tad bit high. Betts didn't return to the game and Brashear was only penalized for roughing after the play.

The Caps force a Game 7. They did the exact same thing last year against the Flyers only to lose at home in overtime. The Caps look to play on their experience to pull them through another Game 7. It is a brand new series for the Capitals and Rangers. And if it comes to only one game, I favor the Capitals over the Rangers.

Caps Squeak Out Of Long Island

Capitals 5, Islanders 4 OT
Scoresheet - Wash Post

One could say in the last few games that Alex Ovechkin has scored in, his goals were no considered clutch. No one could consider that now. The Caps blew three 2 goal leads as the Islanders pressured to tie the game pushing it to overtime where Ovi scored the game winner with a mere 11 seconds left in the extra period.

It started off pretty good with some much needed secondary scoring. Boyd Gordon stuffed a goal for only his second of the year. Brooks Laich had a pass go a wry that ended up in the net anyway when Joey MacDonald tried to stop it with his stick and snuck in through his five hole. Milan Jurcina added a goal and Ovechkin tallied the last two including the game winner.

The Caps seemed to be in control of the entire game, but the Islanders just kept hanging around. The Isles were able to cut off the Capitals' break out. The Caps just couldn't clear their zone cleanly all night, and those turnovers finally bit them in the butt. The Caps were ahead 2-0 to see the Islanders cut it to 2-1, then cut a two goal lead again for 3-2 and 4-3 finally getting the game tying goal off of Cap killer Jon Sim pushing the game to overtime.

It may have been a good loss for the Islanders and a bad win for the Capitals. The Caps had the win and let the Islanders out work them. For the Islanders it was quite the comeback. It would have been nicer to get the win in overtime.

Brent Johnson played really well and deserved better than 4 goals against. The Caps penalty kill had some trouble keeping the Isles at bay, while their power play was stagnated going 0 for 3. Johnny did have a couple of beauty stops keeping the Caps from losing total control.

The schedule does not get any easy for the Capitals. They head home for a game with St. Louis before hitting the road to play both Philadelphia and New York Rangers. Two teams that will be unforgiving to the Caps. Hopefully they can shore up the break out.

Highlights by NHL.com:

Depleted Defense Help Caps Win

Capitals 2, Maple Leafs 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Toronto Star

The Capitals just couldn't catch a break when it came to injuries. Even the call-ups are getting hurt. Sean Collins was called up to replaced injured Tyler Sloan as the Caps never ending carousel of injuries borders on ridiculousness. As deplete as they were, it was two goals by the defensemen that propelled the road win as the Caps squeak by the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1.

Milan Jurcina's third period goal was a response to a Leaf goal just 60 seconds earlier. Karl Alzner scored his first NHL goal, on Canadian national television as well. Even though Alex Ovechkin didn't earn a point, he played a style we are all accustomed to and earned the games number one star. Alzner was the game's second star.

The Caps seemed to have a step on the Leafs who have just returned from a road trip. Alzner played the best game so far. He was solid on defense and was able to break the scoring early int he second that seemed to stabalize the Caps through the second and through out the third. His goal was a result of his hustle. The Leafs tried to dump the puck out of their zone and Alzner was able to keep it in and get one past the Leafs' netminder.

The Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala was a big reason the Caps were only able to net two goals. He had a plethora of great saves that denied the Caps top scorers. He got some help from the pipe and Brooks Laich's goal that was called back because he kicked the puck in (although it looked like his stick touched it before it crossed the goal line).

The Caps played a much better road game as they made a better effort to crash the net. They were able to pressure the Leaf defenders too deep in their zone and that led to scoring chances and a goal that was eventually recalled. In the past two games the Caps have gotten good scoring chances just by getting dirty and looking to score that ugly goal.

Washington's powerplay was brought to a halt, thanks mostly in part due to the Maple Leafs discipline. They had only two chances with the man advantage. Proving that the way to keep yourself in the game against the Caps, stay out of the penalty box. However the Leafs' lone goal was a power play tally. Proving that the Caps can't afford to take too many penalties themselves.

Jurcina had a good game. Not only did he net the game winner, but he looked much more solid at his position. Kieth Aucoin was another solid gamer tonight. He nearly squeaked one past Toskala in the first, it trickled wide.

Caps' schedule does them no favors, as they are off to face the Carolina Hurricanes for a 5 pm start in Raleigh. That is less than 24 hours away.

Just some interesting things I observed about the game non-hockey related. The Comcast Sportsnet broadcast was not in high definition. I have noticed that the last couple of road games they have done. The frame is still 16x9 but it's not in 1080i. The picture just didn't look very sharp.

Also, Slapshot was on this road trip as the mascots are in town for who knows what. He was attacked after a break in the first by other mascots with his own sign and bags of popcorn. It was a pretty funny scene to watch.

Highlights by NHL.com:

Domination

Capitals 5, Canucks 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Van Sun

It was the second straight game the Capitals had let in a goal on the first shot of the game by the opponent, but just like the home opener, they were able to overcome. The Vancouver Canucks could only muster 10 shots on net as the Capitals shut down what was considered a very high powered offense winning 5 - 1 on Columbus Day.

Scoring for the Caps were Alex Semin (netted two goals), Mike Green (power play goal), Milan Jurcina (his first of the season) and Micheal Nylander (who scored on a penalty shot). Brent Johnson was able to stop 9 out of 10 shots (not bad) for his 100th win. The Caps chased Roberto Luongo from the net after two periods of play, but it's all they needed. Luongo surrendered all 5 goals, but to be honest, it really wasn't his fault.

Semin was all over the place tonight. The puck seemed to follow him around, especially in high traffic areas in front of the net where he scored both of his goals and secured the game's first star. In both goals, which seemed identical in a way, the Caps drove hard to the net and Luongo had a hard time buttoning down the rebound. The puck squirted loose right to Semin's stick both times; once on the backhand, the other on the forehand. With the Canuck netminder down and out, Semin shot to a wide open gaping net high.

What created problems for Vancouver was the Caps' aggressive forecheck that seemed to rattle the Canuck defense. Nylander, who was then only Cap with 3 points (1g, 2a) tonight and the game's number two star, scored on a great deke on a penatly shot that was awarded late in the second period. It was the first successful penalty shot for the Capitals since November 2005.

Sergei Fedorov (who got the game's third star) was positioned on defense and the transition was seamless. He was the only Capital to finish a +3 and added an assist. Putting him back on D kept the speedy Vancouver forwards honest and his offensive skills kept the Caps in possession all night. His ability to move the puck up ice and his calm demeanor with the puck was a confidence booster for the whole squad. Apparently the switch worked perfectly as the Capitals defense held the Canucks to only 10 shots the entire game (35-10).

The Caps didn't need Alex Ovechkin, everyone seemed to be able to contribute. But boy, did Ovie throw his weight around in this one. Three goals were scored by forwards, 2 by defensemen which means the Caps are moving the puck around successfully. Penalties really were not a factor in this game has both teams stayed pretty clean throughout the game. Both teams did net a power play goal however.

Viktor Kozlov left the game in the second period with an injury and did not return. New NHL rules state that a team does not need to divulge any information on an injured player during or after the game. So as you can imagine, the Caps management were pretty tight lipped about what happened with him. I thought Kozzie played well in both home games. He was strong on his feet and his big size and speed helped him with his aggressive forecheck.

I have been hard on Nick Backstrom lately, but I made a point to watch him closely this game. I found out why he gets lost so much and the blame mostly comes from Green. Every time Green streaks up the ice, Backstrom holds back to cover his position. He is actually doing the correct thing. So while he is often slow to join the rush, especially if a defensemen decides to jump up on the play, Backs is being defensively responsible.

This was a very good showing for the Capitals, and if anything it shows how dangerous they can be if they play within their system and everyone works hard. Johnny looked good in net when he needed to be. The Caps kept a very explosive offense from getting no more than 10 shots on net, a new franchise record for the Caps.

In fact the only faults I could find was the only Vancouver goal and the not so sold out Verizon Center which broke it's consecutive sold out streak to 9 which includes the playoffs from last season. 16,847 was the head count, but the crowd was still pretty loud.

Bruce Boudreau is playing his cards pretty closely with Pittsburgh coming, neither confirming or denying that Fedorov would be back on defense. The Caps face off with the Pens Thursday 7 pm in Pittsburgh.

Highlights courtesy of NHL.com:

Boudreau Discusses Tightness

Capitals 2, Bruins 1 OT/SO (2-0)
Scoresheet - Wash Post

I thought I would catch your eye with that title. We will get to Bruce Boudreau's comments in a bit. But first, the Caps pulled out a big win and it certainly didn't come easy. Even with the Bruins missing Zdeno Chara, Boston clamped down on the high flying Caps. It did it make for heavy drama in Chinatown.

Sergei Fedorov scored his first goal as a Capital (only his 10th on the year) and Cris Huet showed why he was one helluva goaltender as the Caps get two points via the shootout. Ideally the Caps would have loved to come out with 2 points and leave Boston with nothing, but I also want a swimming pool lined with gold (some things just aren't in the cards).

The Caps were able to hold off the Bruins who suddenly found their offensive spark, but they didn't do it the easy way. Milan Jurcina allowed the Bruins to tie the game in the second with some pretty stupid penalties. But Huet was up to the task, and the Caps survived a third period onslaught of Bruin attacks. He stopped 39 shots, allowing only a power play goal by him. The Caps survived overtime then took it to the shoot out. Both Alex Semin and Viktor Kozlov scored while Huet was made a stellar save on Chuck Kobasew and the Bruins were held scoreless in the SO.

The Caps gladly snatch up their two points and now find themselves just 2 points from Philly for eighth. They are still 5 points from Carolina (who won again) and still tied with Florida (who have also been successful in keeping pace). The Caps still have a game on Carolina and Florida, but lost their game advantages to both the Flyers and the Sabres. And things don't get any easier.

Now the Caps hit the road as the phone booth plays host to the NCAA basketball tournament and the Circus (everyone loves the Circus). Six games on the road where they will face off with Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay and finally Florida to round out the month of March. The last four against all Southeast Division foes if you weren't paying attention.

Bruce Boudreau talked about how tight the players were in his post game comments. It's something that plagued them the last few games that were huge. "It looked like we were afraid to make a mistake instead of, 'Let's go get them,' and play the way we can," Boudreau said. "That's the difference between teams that aren't in it, they play loose... A lot of times they're beating the other teams because they're playing loose. We were tight a little bit out there because of the importance of the game."

I couldn't agree more. The Caps do tend to psych themselves out when it comes to big games or "must win" situations. If not for Fedorov's heroics (he looked pretty calm to me putting the puck in the net), the Caps may have never scored. That is what veteran leadership can bring to this team. So many times the Caps have rolled over, too scared to make a mistake that they don't play their game. The other team takes advantage, and soon they are making mistakes because they aren't playing their game.

Under Glen Hanlon, it was X's and O's and if the Caps lost it was because they didn't know them well enough. But these guys know it and it's time to push past whatever mental hangups they have and just play the game. The X's and O's will always be there, this team has the talent and the know how to completely control a game. Just play. Do what you know you can do. Boudreau knows it isn't a strategy problem like Hanlon fell back on, it's an attitude adjustment. They need some of that kind of swagger for the next six games.

An interesting moment happened last night that made me smile. At the end of the game Fedorov and Olie Kolzig were the last ones off the ice. Both gave each other a pat on the back and a wide smile. My, how life has changed in the past ten years for both players. It's hard to describe what I was feeling seeing that moment the two veteran players shared, but I couldn't help but smile seeing two old foes walk off victors.

XM Capitals Interview

If anyone has XM Satellite Radio on XM Ch. 204, Milan Jurcina, Shaone Morrisonn and Mike Green will be on the NHL Live show that broadcasts from the Reebok Edge store in NY. The Interview is sometime in the 1pm hour (eastern time).

Update: the Interview went well. Most of the talk was about foreign players getting use to playing in North America. And there was talk about Morrisonn's fight with Vinny Lecavlier. Sounds like they were going to a nice dinner on Holloween night. Hope they had fun.

Home Sweet Home

Capitals 2, Hurricanes 0
Scoresheet - Wash Post

The 'Canes were seeing red. Not just from the new uniforms the Capitals wore for the first time at home or from the many in attendance wearing red, but from the Caps new game. The possession game is working for the Capitals.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 99th career goal, Milan Jurcina added the insurance and Olie Kolzig posted the shutout (his career 35th). Now that is what I call domination. This early success has got Caps fans buzzing, but it won't take long for opposing teams to work out a defense against it. But for now it's working and the Caps are a great improvement from last season.

Uncle Ted wasn't in red, sure he had a red tie on. But he was in a dark suit and blue shirt, but no red. I thought that was a bit weird. As far as red goes, I did like the red uniforms on the boys this year. It took a little while to let my eye adjust, but the look was good. Besides if they keep winning, I could care less about what they are wearing.

Ovie played a masterful game once again, the like with Viktor Kozlov and Ovie has been exciting to watch. The Alex Semin, Micheal Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom line could use a little pick me up though. Semin just looked lost out there, also looked about half speed.

Next game is against the Islanders Monday night. The Islanders have been surprisingly tough in there last two contests. The Caps must remain out of the penalty box and continue what ever it is they have been doing so far, because it's working.

10/8 Capitals at Islanders, 2 pm
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Satellite Radio: XM Ch. 204
Terrestrial Radio: 1500 AM, 107.7 FM and 820 AM

Jurcina Signed

Milan Jurcina, a trade deadline acquire, is now a Capital for 2 years. Jurcina showed some promise in the waining moments of last season. This is a good keep by the Caps in my opinion. Jurcina is big plus for this team.

O' Canada

Canada romped the Finns 4-2 for gold in the IIHF's World Championship winning their 24th gold medal overall in hockey. It ends two weeks of relatively obscure hockey across the pond in Moscow. Russia holds on to win in the Bronze Medal Game beating Sweden 3-1. If you are wondering how our Capitals did, well wonder no more. I did all the stat digging for you. I am sure the boys over at On Frozen Blog who were there have a better scoop than me.

Alex Ovechkin
Ovie finished with just one goal and two assists. He was a +1, and assessed 29 PIM. Not his best work. He might have been a little shaken up though after a shocking hit on a Swiss player after stepping out of the penalty box. The player hit left the game with a concussion.

Although he didn't have the numbers, he was a very potent offensive threat for Russia. He always seemed to be on the ice for a Russian goal, but also on the ice for goals against Russia. Ovie had 3 points, but 14 other Russian players matched that or were better. The numbers just weren't there for Ovechkin.

Chris Clark
He captained the U.S. squad and had a great start to the tournament, only to lose his scoring touch late in the tournament. Clark finished with 2 goals and one assist. He was USA's grinder in this tournament, always in front of the net and mixing it up along the boards.

The Americans gave a much better performance than in the Olympics in Turin. But their medal hopes were dashed after a shoot out loss against Finland. The Finns went on to beat Russia and lose to Canada in the gold medal game.

Brian Potheir
Not a huge stand out on the American squad, Potheir did make a difference on speeding up the defensemen for this tournament. Potheir never produced any offense other than one assist but while Team USA's defensemen of the past were big bruisers Potheir added speed and offensive threat that the Americans have a hard time producing.


Milan Jurcina
I didn't see a whole lot of Jurcina, but I heard he had quite the tournament. He had a goal and an assist and was a +6. He played well against some top lines and always seemed ready to help produce.

In big game situations, Jurcina responded well. Staying defensively sound and helping his team score in clutch situations. He is certainly coming into his own as a defensemen, and hopefully that can translate into next season rewards.

Nicklas Backstrom (future Capital)
So he is not a Capital yet. And I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch. Backstrom's father promised his boy would be in a Capitals' uniform next season, but other sources say he may stay in Sweden for another year.

That being said, Nick had an okay tournament. Although his team Sweden did not medal, they did play well. Backstrom finished with 1 goal and 5 assists, proving he is a set up man, and most likely will play that role on the Capitals squad. Backstrom held his own against some NHL Caliber teams and his feisty attitude should fit in with a scrapper of a club like the Caps.

All in all it was a pretty good tournament, Canada can breath a collective sigh of relief now that the gold is in their pocket and USA Hockey looks pretty good considering they went with a younger squad. Maybe one of these days they will broadcast the Championships next time here, but don't hold your breath.

By the way, we could be looking at the opening lineup for the '07-'08 season.

Caps Split Series With Leafs

Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post

What a difference Olaf Kolzig makes in net. It's quite clear what kind of team the Capitals have without Kolzig in net. The Caps need that injection of leadership back in net to look like a semi-normal team.

Alexandre Giroux scored his first NHL goal off an weird bounce that confounded Andrew Raycroft. Also scoring for the Capitals were Alex Semin, Boyd Gordon, Kris Beech and Thomas Fleischmann. Alex Ovechkin was actually held pointless in this one. Where were these hot hands a month ago?

For the Capitals to have success they need more goal support which they enjoyed against the Leafs. Milan Jurcina continues to impress me with his play, making the most of his new start in a different uniform. Since being traded from the Bruins, Jurcina has been a physical presence and has been pretty good with the puck.

The Capitals face Tampa Bay on Sunday. Let's see if they can continue this little streak, it would go a long way to get a few solid wins under the belt before making those tee times.

Will Trade Improve Post-season Outlook?

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching (Feb. 27) and it seem very unlikely the Caps will move anyone or acquire any players. Milan Jurcina was acquired after the Caps lost Brian Potheir to the dreaded injury list, which is filled with nothing but defensemen (John Erskine and Bryan Muir are also out), has tons of potential, but no experience.

If the Caps did make that trade to beef up their lines, would you want another defenseman, or are you looking for more offensive power? The Capitals do need more experience on the blue line, but also need something to bring some consistency on offense as well. I don’t believe the Caps will do anything if it isn’t for a top prospect or a draft pick, which is a disappointing outlook for this team to round out the rest of this year.

But who would the Caps move, who isn’t getting the job done and is expendable? Certianly some thought in to moving the likes of Jakub Klepis after he has shown very little improvement through the course of this year. Klepis has been touted as an exceptional play maker, but Klepis has made only 2 assists in the last 17 games, forcing management to scratch him from the lineup. Or is there another player that has failed to meet expectations that may be let go of?

Right now, the way I see it, GMGM may have a plan in place to do just that: stay in place. It does not seem very likely GMGM will get very much in return if he did do a deal with what he has. This leaves the rest of this team to scrape for points with little help from management, for this season anyway.

The Caps know how important it is to start accumulating points if they are ever going to taste the playoffs this year. However, the higher ups maybe throwing the towel in on that idea if they let the trade deadline go without improving the team’s makeup.