Caps Fall In Season Opener

Capitals 3, Lightning 6
Game Summary - Event Summary

AP

Okay, let us go through the list of excuses. It is a new system. There was really no time to effectively implement said system. It is a work in progress. But a loss is a loss. The Washington Capitals failed to take two points from a divisional rival as the Lightning down the Caps in their season opener 6-3.

"I think some of the mistakes came from conditioning," said head coach Adam Oates of the loss. "We got tired at times, the game went in waves. I think some of the penalties in the third period, you can't really give them a five-on-three to start the third period. That obviously hurt us."

The Capitals got off to a good enough start. Two power plays right off the hop as Ryan Malone and Brian Lee took early penalties. But the Lightning would strike first with a point shot from Eric Brewer that beat Braden Holtby. Joel Ward would even the score with a late power play goal, but it didn't take long for the Lightning to regain the lead.

A complete break down in the defensive zone lead to a Vincent Lacavalier goal passed a sprawling Holtby. Ward would answer the call again as a quick rush up the ice with John Carlson led to a Bolts' delayed penalty. Not quitting on the play, Ward crashed the net and the puck ended up past the giant Anders Lindback to tie the game up at 2 a piece.

That is when Tampa's power play woke up. They would once again retain the lead when Marty St. Louis stuffed a back door pass from Lecavalier. As the Capitals landed in penalty trouble down the stretch, a four on four goal where new comers Mike Ribeiro fed a nice pass to Wotjek Wolski for his first goal as a Capital. It would tie the game up going into the second intermission.

But the third period did not fare well for the Caps' penalty kill. They allowed two more power play goals by the lightning and a bad break down by the Capitals defense made it a rough night. Conditioning was also a contributing factor according to Oates as the Caps seemed to lose steam as the game wore on.

"A lot of little mistakes, to be expected," Said Oates of his impression of the game. "And a little bit of conditioning; we got a little tired at times."

As predicted by Oates, the Capitals were sloppy and disheveled in his coaching debut. The Caps learning a new system on the fly cost them points early on, but as more games are played how this team will do under the new system will better take form.

"It's tough," Oates said of his team's chemistry. "It's going to take the guys a while. And we've talked about that, and hopefully we can win enough games until it becomes automatic. Tonight wasn't our night, but there's a lot of positives in the game and we'll talk about that on Monday."

The Capitals' power play could have capitalized early with the chances the Lightning gave them. Double that missed opportunities with the number of penalties the Caps took from lazy stick work, and the Caps were looking at a rough night with a potent power play facing them. The penalty kill was less than stellar, but give the Lightning as many opportunities as the Caps did with soft penalties bad things will happen.

There are no do overs for the Capitals, they are playing for points now. The learning curve will have to be quick. They have two days before the home opener Tuesday night. It should be enough time for the coaches to put video in front of the Caps and work out the kinks.

Caps Notes:

• Jack Hillen was injured when he was taken out by Lacavalier who was not penalized for the hit. He did not return after the hit.
• Tom Poti made his official return to the ice as a Cap. After missing almost two years, the veteran defenseman did not see a lot of ice time, but did get an assist on Ward's first goal.
• Matt Hendricks and Troy Brouwer were the only centers over 50% on draws (Hendy 6-6 100%, Brouwer 6 -10 60%).

New Look Division - Lightning

The Washington Capitals might have made the Southleast Division into one of the toughest divisions in the NHL. After winning the division title for the last 4 years (regular season eastern champs for the last two), the division is wising up and bettering their teams to make the playoff push. The influx of better talent into the division makes this year's division champ a toss up. But all the pundits agree, it is Washington's to lose.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

The Lightning took just about everyone by surprise last season. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2004, the organization has floundered. Even with some great draft picks, the Lightning could barely climb into a playoff spot. After a circus of free agency two seasons ago and some ownership problems, they cleaned house and Guy Boucher gave them the one-three-one. The team finally found it's stride and did away with their divisional champs with a four game sweep in the playoffs. The Lightning were one game, one goal, one game seven from making it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Who's in: Teddy Purcell and Steven Stamkos were resigned over the summer. Tom Pyatt, Micheal Ouellet, Ryan Shannon, and Matt Gilroy were signed in July. Dwayne Roloson signed on for another year.

Who's out: Matt Smaby, Simon Gagne, goaltender Mike Smith, Sean Bergenheim, Randy Jones were all allowed to sign with other teams.

Not much is going to change this team since they have found some chemistry under the direction of Guy Boucher. The core of Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier will remain the Lightning's solid production. Their special teams, mainly their power play is dynamic and dangerous.


With the addition of Eric Brewer, the Lightning defense took their play to a different level. Along with Victor Hedman on the back end and their one-three-one system, the Lightning will be tough to score against. Add in veteran goaltender in Roloson, the Lightning are hungry for more.


With any new fandangled system, it doesn't take long for the league to find a way to beat it. While the one-three-one confounded some teams, the Capitals included, other teams have found ways to beat it. If the Bolts want to take the division title away from the Washington Capitals, they either have to perfect their new trap system or mix it up against teams they face the most.


The Lightning are a dangerous team, and it is likely they can take the division. If Stamkos has another big year and the offense continues to hurt teams on transition, Tampa could find themselves battling for another Eastern Conference championship.

Capital Collapse

Capitals 3, Lightning 4 (Tampa leads 3-0)
Game Summary

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Washington Capitals looked at game three as a must win game to stay in the series. But their first power play goal did not help. Their first lead in the series did not help. A lead going into the third period once was chalked up as a win, but that did not help. Instead the Capitals have a mental brain cramp in the third period and the Bolts score :24 seconds apart to put the visiting team on the brink winning 4-3.

The Capitals do not seem to be playing the same inspiring style of playoff hockey that did away with the New York Rangers in five games. Perhaps their luck has run out. It is the little things they do not seem to be doing that is so important in post season play. They are losing battles along the boards, not passing crisply or quickly and failing to win battles along the boards and in front of the net. They are not going to the net, they are not grinding it out and they are making poor decisions with the puck.

If Michal Neuvirth is on any other team, he would be outstanding. The saves the Caps' goaltender made should have been inspiring even in the waning moments of the game when the Caps were trying to get the game back to even. I am sure he would like back a few shots, like Steven Stamkos shot form the high slot, he seemed to far back in his net. But for the most part, it was the team in front of him that let him down.

Again the Capitals were given some golden opportunities on the power play. While they scored on a 5 on 3 power play, they were zero for four on the rest of the night. Even taking away Mike Knuble's first period goal when a mental breakdown and six skaters were on the ice. It would have been the Capitals first period one goal and first goal in the game in this series.

The Capitals are lacking some secondary scoring. After a brilliant first game and nearly scoring several times in game one, Alex Semin has all but disappeared from the post season. Out side of a good shot or two, he has become the biggest non-factor for the Capitals. They also have not seen any consistent offense from  outside the top line.

Mike Knuble scored first for the Caps in the second period to tie the game up and one. They would take a 2-1 lead on John Carlson's heavy slap shot. It would be the Capitals first lead of the series. It would not last long as Vincent Lecavalier, a thorn in the side of the Caps this post season, tied it back up about five minutes later in the second.

But the Bolts got into some penalty trouble and the Caps score their first power play goal of the series on a 5 on 3 opportunity and go up 3-2.

AP

The third period doomed the Caps when Mike Green did not return. It shuffled up the defensive pairs and some miscommunication between Scott Hannan and John Erskine allowing an open shot for Stamkos in the slot that would beat Neuvirth. Then the Caps played poorly following the goal, not taking care of Ryan Malone in front of the Caps net and a centering pass bounced off him and into the net making the collapse of the Capitals in game three complete.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have not won anything yet, it is still a seven game series. The Caps will have to drum something up in less than 24 hours if they have any chance of coming back in this season. But the odds are against the Caps, and there are more questions than answers after would could be a season that would see the mighty Caps swept in four games.

Caps notes:

• Matt Hendricks was a healthy scratch for a second game in row. 
• Brooks Laich, Alex Semin and Marcus Johansson were a -2 in this game. They combined for one shot in game 3.
• In franchise history, the Capitals have never come back from being down 3-0 in a playoff series.

Lightning Strikes Twice

Capitals 2, Lightning 3 OT (Tampa leads 2-0)
Game Summary

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Washington Capitals just kissed their home ice advantage good bye. Again the Caps could not come up with the first goal and found them selves trailing or tied in this series thus far. Vincent Lecavalier would be the hero scoring the early first period goal on the power play then ending the game just over six minutes into overtime. The Caps are left scratching their heads and looking to find a way to win on the road down two games to none after this loss 3-2.

Devil Is In The Details

Often in the playoffs, even the minor plays make quite the difference. That was ever more prevalent in game one between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Caps lost game one due to the little things the Lightning were able to accomplish. A lesson Tampa learned and carried over with them from the seven game win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Rocking The Rust

Capitals 2, Lightning 4 (Tampa leads series 1-0)
Game Summary

AP

Bruce Boudreau alluded to what the press would decide on the result of game one. If the Caps won they would be rested, if they lost it would be considered rust. The later would be true. The Tampa Bay Lightning fresh off their series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins would put the Caps behind in the series by a game winning 4-2.

Southeast Showdown

#1 Washington Capitals (4-1)

vs. 

#5 Tampa Bay Lightning (4-3)

Round two is set. The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Washington Capitals. The Lightning were down three games to one to the depleted Pittsburgh Penguins to win in game seven 1-0. What has been surprising about the Bolts win is they did it with their defense, a soft spot during the regular season. And having Dwayne Roloson in net didn't hurt either who has won 7 straight elimination games.

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.

Deadline Deeds

The Washington Capitals' general manager George McPhee faced what could be his toughest trade deadline of his career. How can he spark a struggling offense without giving up too much in return? While it remains to be seen how the newly acquired players will form into the collective, one thing is certain; McPhee certainly got the most bang for his buck.

Acquisition #1

Claimed LW Marco Sturm off waivers from Los Angeles Kings

Sturm '10-'11 Stats: 17 GP, 4g, 5a, 9p, +6, 1ppg; 32 years old, 6', 194 lbs.
Contract 1 yr $3.5 million UFA

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Sturm brings some offensive punch. Although coming off of an injury and only playing 17 games this season with the Kings, he has nine points in his last 17 games and can add some scoring power to the Caps sputtering power play. A smart pick up for McPhee as it costs nothing in way of trade bait as in player assets or draft picks. Sturm has one day of practice under his belt already and will start against the New York Islanders Tuesday night.

Acquisition #2

Caps trade prospect Jake Hauswirth and a 2011 3rd round pick to the Florida Panthers for D Dennis Wideman

Wideman '10-'11 Stats: 61 GP, 9g, 24a, 33p, -26, 8ppg, 11ppa, 75 h; 27 years old, 6', 196 lbs.
Contract 2 yr $3.9375 million UFA

With question marks on Tom Poti and Mike Green, McPhee felt he needed to step in and help his defensive core.

"Not knowing Tom [Poti's] status, I felt like geez, we may need to pick up another defensemen," McPhee said of the decision to trade for Wideman. "I thought maybe we could tough it out with what we have. But when Mike [Green] went down I thought it was really important to help this team now."

AP

Wideman is another vet that can handle the puck well and quarterback the power play relieving some of the pressure on John Carlson, who has filled the void with injuries. Wideman's 19 power play points will inject some life into the struggling power play for the Caps. He also has another year on his contract.

"Wideman seems to be a real good fit," McPhee went on. "Because he is an offensive guy, he is good on the power play, he is a right hand shot. We were pleased we were able to do that deal."

The Capitals give up prospect Jake Hauswirth. Hauswirth impressed the Caps in his first development camp with the team, but then fizzled to make any head way in the organization eventually landing in the ECHL playing for the SC Stingrays once he signed as a free agent. The lack of depth in the Florida ranks may see him excel in the AHL level where the Caps' farm team is loaded with more than enough talent.

Wideman was obviously excited:


Acquisition #3

Caps trade C David Steckel and a 2011 second round pick to the New Jersey Devils for C Jason Arnott

Arnott '10-'11 Stats: 62 GP, 13g, 11a, 24p, -9, 2ppg, 3ppa; 36 year old, 6'5", 220 lbs.
Contract 1 year $4.5 million UFA

AP

Jason Arnott's return to New Jersey hasn't gone smoothly. His numbers are down from a season ago. What he does bring is some Stanley Cup experience. McPhee is hoping that not only can Arnott hold down the center position on the second or third line, but also be a leader in the locker room. McPhee compares his trade with the one that saw Sergei Fedorov boost a team that was in need of some leadership and direction.

"There weren't many centers available," McPhee said as he talked about targeting Arnott. "He [Arnott] was one a lot of people wanted to have and he had a no trade clause... He was hoping to work it out with us."

The trade comes at a cost as McPhee had to give up David Steckel in return. Steckel's trade not only secures a centerman the Caps wanted, but also frees up some cap space to do it.

"We took a player out of our roster that we love," McPhee said of giving up Steckel in the trade. "[Steckel] is such a great guy, he has done really well for us here, he has become an NHL player, a solid NHL player. But we thought we had some depth there with Boyd Gordon and Jay Beagle."

Overall Grade: B

To pick up Marco Sturm, Dennis Wideman and  Jason Arnott for one roster player, a prospect and no first round picks is something to be admired. McPhee played his hand close to his chest and it payed off. The only reason it's not an A grade is because I am not sure how these players will blend into the Caps' collective. It is a wait and see sort of proposition.

McPhee bolsters his defense core with a player that can make an impact now. He gets two veteran forwards that have playoff experience and the Caps see a ray of light at the end of the regular season tunnel. If the newcomers can gain some chemistry with the rest of the team, this is going to be a tough Caps team to beat in the post season.

Capitals are five points from their division rivals the Tampa Bay Lighting.

Division Foe Brings Out Caps' Best

Capitals 5, Lightning 2
Game Summary

AP

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a tough team to beat at home with a 17-5-2 record at St. Pete Times Forum. Winners of six straight going into this divisional battle with the Capitals, the Bolts were looking to put some distance between the two. But Nick Backstrom had other plans as his two goals propel the Caps to a solid win on enemy ice, 5-2.

In a game that could play into post season positioning at the end of the year, the Caps' top line came to life. Backstrom had a four point night with a pair of goals (13, 14) and a pair of assists (35, 36). Alex Ovechkin was no slouch either scoring the game winning goal on the power play (20) and added up 3 assists (33, 34, 35) to boot for a 4 point night for himself. Brooks Laich (10) and an empty netter by Jason Chimera (8) rounded out the scoring for the Caps.

From the onset, this was going to be a rough battle as both teams brought the physicality to open the game. The first four penalties the Lightning took were a pair of roughing calls followed by a pair of fighting majors. Matt Hendricks played another physical game getting into a fight with Bolt bad boy Steve Downie. Matt Bradley would also get into the fighting action with a tussle with Adam Hall.

The Lightning strategy was to play "hands-off" hockey and clog the neutral zone. It was a strategy that played well against the Capitals in their last two wins against Washington. But the Caps were prepared just to lay back and take their time, not forcing the play up ice just turn the puck over. It would result in quite a few moments when the Caps' defense were holding the puck in their zone and letting the clock burn out as the Lightning sat back.

When the Caps were able to break the neutral zone they made the most of their opportunities by getting quick shots to the net and funneling all the play there. The result was some golden chances off of rebounds and the Caps were able to clean up on the sloppy seconds.

Down by one, the Caps strategy would work as Mike Green held the puck in the zone making a nifty deke to the inside and shot the puck in on Dwayne Roloson. The Bolt goaltender would make the first save, but both Ovechkin and Backstrom were there for the rebound. It looked as if Ovi had scored the goal, but on video review, they gave the goal to Backstrom. It is only his 13th goal of the season.

AP

The Caps would take the lead on the same strategy getting the puck to the net. After some board work, Mathieu Perreault and Jay Beagle would work the puck to the front of the net. Laich would get the biscuit in the slot and make a sweet backhander count, scoring top shelf over Roloson's shoulder.

Ovechkin would get his 20th goal on the power play simply by picking his spot and letting go a wicked snap shot over Roloson's blocker shoulder. The power play tally would stand as the eventual game winner and put the Caps up 3-1.

It wasn't all roses as the Capitals penalty kill, which has been a shade better than good, was tested one too many times against a good power play team in Tampa. They would let a goal in but also doused another three extra man attempts for Tampa. The Lightning would score in the waning moments of the second period to cut into the Capitals' lead 3-2 and seemed to have momentum go their way.

But some smart goaltending by Semyon Varlamov kept the Bolts at bay. He would stop 23 shots and post a .920 save average. After he made a spectacular pad save, the Caps broke the action the other way and Ovechkin just had to put the puck on net. Roloson made the first save, but the puck bounced to the open slot and Backstrom was there to score his second goal of the night and to add some insurance with over seven minutes to play in the third period.

Add a Jason Chimera goal to the equation (after Ovechkin gave up the goal for his third assist on the night) and the Capitals play a full game. It wasn't perfect at times, but they were able to rebound from an early soft goal and stifle the Bolts explosive offense. It helped the top line finally got some points on the board as well.

If the Caps are looking to take back the Southeast Division lead, they need to play more like they did tonight. They need to play with passion, a physical edge, discipline and out work their opponents. The goals the Caps scored weren't results of pretty plays or cute passes, but more from just getting the puck to the net and jumping on loose pucks.

This sets up another marquee match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins on national television. The NBC broadcast will once again shine a light on the league's biggest rivalries. The Caps are looking to keep their winning ways going but will most likely play a Penguin team minus Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on Super Bowl Sunday.

Caps Notes:

• Alex Semin was slated to return to the lineup for tonight's tilt with the Lightning, but instead stayed in D.C. still nursing a groin injury. 
• Chimera made a return to the top line next to Backstrom and Ovechkin. The strategy seemed to work as Chim's speed opened some space for both of his linemates. He would finish with a goal and an assist and a plus 2.
• The Capitals ended their 139 minute, 31 second stretch without a goal against Tampa Bay Lightning. They have been shut out in the last two meetings. In fact three of the last five games Tampa and Washington have played included a shut-out (two by the Lightning, one by the Caps).
• Backstrom would get the game's first star of the night, Ovechkin the second.

Thunder Struck

Capitals 0, Lightning 3
Game Summary

AP

Whatever the Capitals learned from their losing streak in December, they soon forgot it in Tampa Bay. In an important game for the Caps to retain the lead in the Southeast Division, they allow the Lightning a 3-0 lead and could not recover. They would give up the two points to Tampa Bay and lose the game 3-0.

Dwayne Roloson made the Bolts' general manager Steve Yzerman look like a genius as he continued to plague the Capitals who have yet to score on him in a Lightning uniform. There are just some goaltenders that seem to have a mental edge over the Capitals that it seems hard to score against, Roloson is one of those. He would pitch his second straight shutout of the Capitals and help his team take the lead in the division.

The Caps would just have one bad bounce after another. It seemed that Alex Ovechkin couldn't keep a stick intact for any quality shot on net. He would even get a quality chance after jumping from the penalty box, but the puck would stop on him lot letting him break free for an open chance on net. The Capitals just seemed to be on the wrong end of penalty calls, wrong end on bad bounces and if it weren't for bad luck they would have no luck at all.

Jeff Schultz, usually a pillar of solid defense for the Capitals, would be a mortal -3 in this game. He often looked a step behind and a gear too slow against the Lightning. Even veteran Tom Poti seemed to look out of sorts on the ice against the speedy Lightning. Mike Green himself just seemed to psych himself out of set ups and just made the wrong decisions with the puck.

The Caps' offensive slump continues and does not look like there is any improvement in sight. While the coaching staff has put emphasis on defense, the Caps offense seems to be squandering chances and players are trying to do it all on their own. Frustration was the emotion of the night for any Capital, forward or defenseman. Even when the Caps seemed to gain a little momentum, it would be a bad penalty or a bad play that would negate any chance they worked for.

Penalty killers for the Capitals seemed to have returned, if you are looking for a bright spot. They did pitch a shut out with a man down to get back on track. The Caps' power play however continues to struggle. The Bolts played a discipline game, not giving the Caps much to work with with the man advantage. Washington's power play would only touch the ice for 2:22 on two penalties and finish 0-2 on the night.

It was a stinker of a game for the Caps. It is much the same struggles they faced in December and it seems old habits die hard. There was zero energy late in the game, making any comeback impossible. The Caps would come away with just a single point on their Florida trip. They return home to face the Vancouver Canucks, a team considered much better than the Lightning.

One thing is certain, the Caps can not continue to play this way.

Caps Notes:

• For a second time, the Capitals fail to overtake their divisional foes for first place in the Southeast. The Caps would fall to the Lightning almost a week ago to a overtime 0-1 loss, a first in Capitals' franchise history.
• Alex Semin would miss his second straight game since getting hit in the first game of the home and home with the Florida Panthers. He would not be replaced by Brian Willsie however, Boyd Gordon would make his return. 
• Marcus Johansson continues to struggle in the face off dot, only winning one draw in 8 tries.
• The best Cap on the ice was Semyon Varlamov who got little or no help from his defensemen. He would stop 35 shots including some dazzlers on the penalty kill.

Lights Out

Capitals 0, Lightning 1 OT
Game Summary

Steve Yzerman knew what he was doing when he brought some goaltending muscle in Dwayne Roloson in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Tampa Bay Lightning play the perfect road game against the flat Washington Capitals who were coming off of an emotional Winter Classic win. When the Caps finally got their legs moving, it would be too little, too late as Roloson shut the door and Martin St. Louis puts the finishing touches in overtime as the Lightning take sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division with a score of 1-0.

Semyon Varlamov played as perfect a game as one could with a team that just didn't have much of a jump. He would turn away all of the Lightning 33 shots in regulation. He would face another 5 shots in overtime, but the fifth one got by him after poor coverage in front and an errant rebound landed right on St. Louis' stick. Varly earned the Caps single point tonight.

The Capitals had such a sluggish start that it was hard to believe this was the same team that seemed to out hustle the Pittsburgh Penguins New Year's Day. They only managed 5 shots in the first period. They would pick up the pace in the second period by getting 21 shots to the net, but Roloson was stellar in net. In overtime, the Capitals didn't even get a shot on net.

Again the Capitals' power play failed to convert on three chances, including a golden opportunity in the third period. The Lightning's aggressive penalty kill was partly to blame for the Caps' troubles with the extra man, but the Caps failure to convert even just a single power play goal in tight games is hurting this team.

Caps better find a way to score on the power play and play tougher against their own division as their next three games are against division foes. Twice against the Panthers in a home and home before they play the Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. Caps will have to make up some ground on the Lightning who take over first in the division by a point.

Roloson Comes To The Southeast

In some division news, the Tampa Bay Lightning make a trade to pull in better goaltending. The Bolts trade for Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. The trade bolsters the Bolts' goaltending core and may make things interesting for the Capitals.

In 13 games played, Roloson is 6-4-3 against the Capitals with a 2.40 goals against average and a save percentage of .909. A much better record than Dan Ellis and injured Mike Smith. Neither Bolt goaltender have a win against the Caps.

As Tampa is looking to de-throne the three-time Southeast Division Champs, they needed to get solid goaltending. Why not get a goaltender the Caps have had a hard time with in Roloson. Although the Caps did open up with 4 goals in 12 shots the last time they faced him, chasing him from the net after the first period.

The Caps may get their next chance to face Roloson on Tuesday night as the Lightning visit the Caps at the Verizon Center. The Caps next four games are against division foes in the Lightning and the Panthers.

Caps' Skid Opens Door

The recent losing stretch the Capitals find themselves on hasn't just relinquished the lead in the Eastern Conference, it has also given an opportunity in the Southeast Division for teams to make a run to knock off the defending divisional champs. The seven game losing skid has the Caps on the ropes with teams like the Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning playing the role of spoilers.

At the moment, the Capitals allowed a once double digit lead in the Southeast dwindle to a mere one point advantage over the Thrashers within the division. Atlanta saw the opening the Caps gave them and made the most of the chance by accumulating 10 points in their last eight games. Including a 3-1 win over the Capitals.

Tampa has also made a push getting 6 points in their last six games and find themselves with an opportunity to also leap frog the Caps with a pair of wins.

For the Capitals, another loss or two and they could find themselves out of third place in the East and struggling with the middle of the pack teams jockeying to just stay in playoff contention. With two tough back to back games with Boston and Ottawa over the weekend, they must find their winning touch again if they hope to keep home ice advantage in April, or worse, just staying in the playoffs.

Sem-sational

Capitals 6, Lightning 3
Game Summary

The Capitals are having a hard time finding their game in the first period this year. They would once again fall to an early opponent goal by the Tampa Bay Lightning. But a superb second and third periods and a hattrick for Alex Semin helped the Caps down their Southeast Division rivals 6-3.

Alex Semin would net the game winner after scoring a pair of goals in the first half of the third period. One on the power play, the other even strength. It would cap a 5 point (3 goals, 2 assists) night for the Caps dynamic winger as he also got the empty netter at the end of the game to give him the hattrick.

In his first game back, Tom Poti would make an early impact in the second period by roofing a back hand rebound shot to give the Caps their first goal. Mike Knuble would bury a broken play in front of the net with himself below the goal line. But his reach back and chip it would beat a defenders attempt to clear and rang off the far post and in.

Alex Ovechkin is back in the goal column as he sprang Semin lose for a break away then followed up the play. When Semin was hooked he circled and found his fellow countryman in the slot and Ovi didn't miss shooting it seven hole on Bolts' goaltender Dan Ellis.

Back in the Swing of Things.

Nick Backstrom finished the night with a whopping four assists on the evening. His assist on Semin's power play tally was another amazing feed from the corner as the Bolts were quick to cover the pass to Mike Green on the point leaving Semin open in the slot. He would finish with a +3 on the night.

Contract Year Heroics

Alex Semin just hasn't been impressing with his laserbeam shots or his golden hands. The Capitals winger has been solid on both ends of the ice. In this game he was the lead back checker and thwarted the Lightning on more than one occasion. It was his second hatty of the season, sixth of his career.

Gr8 Eight

Ovechkin is sporting a eight game point streak and he can add a goal and 3 assists tonight. He has goal 9 and assists 13 and 14 giving him 23 points on the season so far.

A Little Spooky

It's my annual look at the league as Halloween comes around. Can't skip on tradition, so here is a quick look around the league to take a look at some of the scary things that are afoot in the NHL.

Penguins' Horrifying Home Record: 2-4-0 in their brand new building, including two losses to heated rival Philadelphia. One thing they have going for them, the Winter Classic will not be played at CONSOL Energy Center. The only teams they have beaten at home have been Ottawa and an overtime win against the NY Islanders. Still it is not as bad as Phoenix that has only won once in Glendale Arena.

Devils' Decapitated Cap: After signing a whopper of a contract with Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils have run into salary cap troubles. They started the season with only twenty players on their roster, leaving little room for injuries or bad play. They have dressed as little as 17 players for a game. Lucky for them, some injuries have helped to alleviate the pressure. But unless a trade is looming, they will have to make tougher choices further down the road like letting a veteran player go.

Tim "Trick or Treat" Thomas: What a great and scary start for the Boston goaltender. He has won every start this season for the Bruins (5), but what is really blood curdling is his goals against average at this point in the season, .50. Yup, that is half a goal allowed per game. Credit a great Bruins defense and Thomas' recent spooky-good play.

Steven "Slimy and Scary" Stamkos: 18 points through nine games. He is averaging 2 points a game. Not a bad start kid.

Alex "The Invisible Man" Ovechkin: Usually a man in the lead of the scoring race or close to the top, it is hard to find Ovechkin's name in the top twenty of either the goals column or points. It is still early, but his scoring production has dropped sharply, including three games where he failed to score a single point. He started the season with five straight games with at least a point. Not good news for you fantasy players out there.

Carolina's House of Horrors: Zero goals on home ice. That is it for the Hurricanes. Shut out in their last 2 games by both Washington and Pittsburgh, the 'Canes are looking for answers on to their home ice woes. They did score a goal while in Europe when they were considered a home team. But since returning to RBC Center, the 'Canes offense has sputtered.

Eve of Halloween Routs: These games weren't even fair in some cases. Philly routs NY Islanders 6-1, Pittsburgh embarrasses the Hurricanes 3-0, Boston veto the Senators 4-0, Detroit dismantle the Predators 5-2, Dallas shoots down the Sabres 4-0, Colorado unravels the Blue Jackets 5-1,  and Capitals douse Flames 7-2. In all the winning teams scored a combined 56 goals while the losing end only mustered 14 goals.

New Leader For Tampa

The Capitals face a tougher division this year than the supposed "cake walk" it was a season ago. I am going to preview the Southeast one team at a time, and finally a look at Tampa Bay.

The Lightning have been sort of a conundrum for the past two years. Despite having a boat load of talent, the Bolts have far under exceeded expectations. Now that the team is under one entity ownership and Steve Yzerman has taken the general manager reins, things could change in Tampa Bay.

Gone is Rick Tocchet as head coach and in steps new coach Guy Boucher. If the Lightning players can buy into Boucher's system (and by all accounts they have been through the preseason), then the Bolts could be a tough team to beat. With veteran players like Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier re-energized and Steven Stamkos can repeat the kind of season he had last year, the Lightning could have a really tough team to play with.

Forwards - B+

Much like last year, the Lightning will once again have some great talent up front. Stamkos, Lecavalier, and St. Louis make up the core. But add in Simon Gagne (acquired from Philadelphia), Ryan Malone, and Steve Downie and the Lightning should be okay offensively. But can these players create the chemistry they lacked last season? That is the big question mark for the Bolts and keeps this category from being an A.

Defense - D

With all their concentration on building up the forward lines, the defense was left to dry a bit. Their defenders are not bad, but not that great either. The Lightning were 27th in the league in goals against (3.08), and there is not much improvement on the blue line from last year.

Goaltending - C+

When he isn't getting blasted off Twitter Dan Ellis brings some consistency in goaltending they have been missing. Ellis was a capable starter in Nashville, and could bring that starter experience to a team that struggled between the pipes after laying all their hopes with Mike Smith. Smith couldn't handle the load, but maybe if he splits the time with Ellis the result could be advantageous.

Intangibles

The Lightning look so good on paper, but which team will show up night in and night out remains to be seen. It was the same problem they had a year ago and it is a problem that both Boucher and Steve Y. have to deal with. This is the basically the same team from a year ago. If they can't make it work, expect some major changes through out the season.

Caps Finish Road Trip With Win

Capitals 3, Lightning 1
Game Summary

Alex Ovechkin returns from his two-game, league-enforced suspension. His return meant a winner in Tampa Bay for the Capitals and a goal to put him back in the swing of things. Just a few thoughts on the game tonight.

• Ovechkin's goal was pretty, but the pass by Nick Backstrom to the Cap's top scorer was even more impressive. Nick passed it off the boards past the Bolt defense to Ovechkin in full stride past them. Before anyone in a Tampa jersey knew the better, Ovi was in on Antero Nittymaki and made good on his held shot to beat the goaltender. Backstrom has been on fire for the Caps as he has accumulated 8 points in this last four games (3g, 5a). If Backstrom directly passes to Ovi, it's picked off. Ricocheting the puck off the boards, he catches Ovechkin onside and the puck is in the net.
• Tomas Fleischmann is probably the most underrated player on the Caps. His numbers aren't sky rocketing, but he is quickly making a name for himself in the league. Tonight he finished off a pretty passing play for the game's opening tally. Flash will sometimes cough up the puck, but tonight he made up for Martin St. Louis stealing the puck from him by picking his pocket afterward.
  
• David Steckel loves to play the Lightning. Tonight he was sort of the quiet guy that made the difference. He had a secondary assist on Flash's goal and drew the penalty after Steve Downie punched him to try and goad him into something. Steckel didn't retaliate and the end result is a hard earned two points from a divisional foe.
• Speaking of Downie, here is a guy who should just get an automatic two minute penalty for being an idiot. Downie tried to get under the Caps skin rather than playing the game. For the most part, he seemed to be getting away with it. That was until hockey karma caught up with him with less than two minutes left in the game when he tried to goad Steckel into a fight or penalty by punching him in the face. Just not smart.
  
• Jose Theodore had a great game. So did Nittymaki for that matter. Both goaltenders really could not be blamed for the their goals against. Saying that, Theo just came up with save after save after as the Capitals clung to a one goal lead. He made 33 saves in route to the game's number one star. Well deserved.
• Congratulations to Scott Walker on being the only Capital not named Matt Bradley or John Erskine to drop the gloves this season. I kid of course, but his fight with Zenon Konopka did seem to spark both teams and set the tone for the game. This was a dirty game, a lot of swings thrown on both teams and some nasty talk and unsportsmanlike candor to this one. All in all, one of the more entertaining games from a nasty physical standpoint the Caps have played all year.

Unless the Lightning actually make the playoffs and sneak into eighth place (they are just 6 points from 8th in the conference), this will be the last time these two teams will meet this year. The Capitals stretch their lead in the league to 10 points with just 10 games remaining in the season.

Their lead in the East has grown to 16 points over the second place team Pittsburgh. And wouldn't you know it, they face off on Wednesday night. All eyes will be on Verizon Center as these two teams duke it out in their last regular season meeting. Should be a good one.

Caps Outworked

Capitals 2, Lightning 3
Game Summary

The Washington Capitals dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning at times. But that didn't matter. The Caps had the Bolts on the ropes, outshooting them 13-0 at the start of the second period. But the Bolts found ways to score anyway. The Capitals fail to hit the century mark in standings points as they drop a tough one against the Bolts 3-2.

"There is no excuse," Bruce Boudreau said about his player's effort tonight. "[They] just got outworked."

It started well enough for the Caps. They seemed to have the legs and the jump on the Lightning. But Antero Nittymaki came up with some big saves. The Bolts took some penalties in the first and the Caps were quick to get things going. Alex Ovechkin pulled the puck out of the corner and found a perfect passing lane to Tomas Fleischmann on the far side. Flash put in the puck and the Caps looked good from there.

But the Lightning would work their way back into the game. Brandon Bochenski fired a rocket past Semyon Varlamov that gave Tampa life. It looked as if Varly wasn't square to the shooter and the puck was a perfect shot to the top corner. Then the bounces went Tampa's way.

Matt Walker scored off the face off when his shot bounced off Brooks Laich's foot and past Varly. Then a point shot hit Vincent Lecavalier in the arm and the puck bounced into the net under Varlamov. The goals happened less then four minutes apart and late in the second period.

"Once they started to believe that they could win, they won every battle and they outworked us," Bruce Boudreau said of the Lightning effort. "It's pretty simple, you don't win if you don't work hard."

They were able cut into the two goal lead when Matt Walker took a slashing penalty. The point shot was deflected by Laich and he slapped the rebound past Nittymaki. But it would not be enough as the Caps drop one to their divisional rivals. It could have been chalked up as a bit of bad luck, but not according to Boudreau.

"You make your own luck," Boudreau frowned. "Very rarely in any sport that luck is the outcome. If you are not working hard you are not going to get [bounces] in the front of the net... Did we do it enough? No, we didn't."

The Caps just didn't have the jump in the third period like they have before the Olympic break. "We certianly haven't been scoring at the clip that we did before the break," Mike Knuble said of the Caps sudden scoring woes. "I am not sure what the reason is."

The Lightning played a gritty game that seemed to keep the Capitals off sync. Most of their shots were from the outside and most were blocked, making it easy for Nittymaki. While the Caps looked to be dominating the Bolts, they looked more tired than the team the Lightning that played the night before.

"We should never lose in regulation in our own building," Joe Corvo said. "There are key moments in the game where we are scrambling in our own end. It's just costing us."

It is not too much cause for concern yet, the Capitals are 14 games away from the playoffs. But consistency and work ethic has always been an issue for the Caps. Things need to be nailed down before they even start thinking about playoff hockey.

"We didn't do the job as forwards and defensemen," Boudreau said shedding his goaltender of any fault to the loss. "We stayed out too long, we got outworked and we didn't play the way we are capable of playing and that's the reason we lost."

"If we are not going to work then, you know, it doesn't mean a whole lot," Knuble said. "You got to have the effort."