Talkn' About... Practice

The earliest training camp would start is Wednesday. But to get players in and the coaching staff primed, the likely start of camp would be Friday. But this won't be like training camps of the past. With only a week (or less) to prepare for a sprint of a 50 game season, Adam Oates will be in cut down mode from the get go.

What would a shortened camp look like? More like a practice during the regular season. A small contingent of players form the AHL will make an appearance, but most likely it will be the contract players the Caps signed and have under contract. Formal rosters will be submitted in the next day or so, but for now we can speculate who will be at Kettler in the next week.

In the way of goaltenders, the possibility of bringing up three for camp seems likely, but the coaching staff might stick to two. Braden Holtby and Micheal Neuvirth most likely will be the team's one and two netminders, although not necessarily in that order. If Oates decides to make it a competition for the top spot, the Caps could see some young goaltenders duke it out over this 50 game stretch. To round out camp, the Capitals could bring up Danny Sabourin. It is more likely that the organization wouldn't leave the Bears with out a goaltender, so we may only see Holtby and Neuvirth at camp.

Your standards at defense will return. Karl Alzner and John Carlson most likely will be the top two blue liners. Rounding out Dmitry Orlov, Mike Green, Roman Hamrlik, John Erskine and Jeff Schultz will all report to camp. Jack Hillen will be the new face on the back line. Patrick McNiell might get a call up for a look.

Washington's forwards will have some new faces with the acquisitions of Wojtek Wolski and Mike Ribeiro. (Rumor has it Ribeiro has been playing in the DC area for the last couple of months with some men's leagues) They will be in fused with the return of Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom returning from Russia where they played with Moscow Dynamo. Troy Brouwer, Jason Chimera, Matt Hendricks, Brooks Laich, Mathieu Perreault, Joel Ward and Marcus Johansson will be the regulars for camp.

Joey Crabb, Mattias Sjogren, Filip Forsberg and Stanislav Galiev might make an appearance to see if they need to call up anymore talent from Hershey or beyond. For them to crack the line up, they most likely would have to fill in for an injury (Laich ended his brief stint overseas after sustaining a groin injury) or if someone's game went downhill.

In any event, and who ever does show for camp, the Capitals' coaching staff will have to quickly evaluate, cut and mold their team for a short season. Oates priorities will to be bring a flowing chemistry to the team in a short amount of time, make the power play work at a consistent level and shore up the defensive end of the ice for the Caps to make a run at the playoffs and beyond.

You Make The Call - Was it Offside?

Was Daniel Sedin's game winning goal offside? It appeared that way to me. Let me state my case through the majesty of photo evidence taken from the Comcast Sportsnet Mid Atlantic's feed.

First lets take a look at Chimera getting poked checked by Jannik Hansen. That is reason enough to probably miss what is happening at the top left of the screen at the Vancouver bench. What you will see is #15 Tanner Glass heading to the bench to make a change with D. Sedin who is rushing off the bench after seeing the turn-over in the neutral zone (through the pics keep your eye on #15 at the top of the screen):

In the next shot you will see Glass not off the ice and inside the Caps' zone. Even if Glass is going off the ice and within reach of the door, he is still technically offside before the puck enters the zone:

Next shot shows two things: 1) Glass is still on the ice and still inside the Caps' zone and 2) the referee is right there to see the whole thing, which means the linesman should be on the opposite wall and should make the call that the play is offside. He should be looking at Glass and realizing he is on the ice and inside the zone before the puck crosses the blue line:

The last shot is Sedin in the clear on a break away scoring what would be the deciding game winning goal.

You make the call, was it off side?

9 Is Fine

Capitals 4, Panthers 1
Game Summary

The Washington Capitals started this nine game winning streak with a shoot-out win over the Florida Panthers. During that span they have scored 44 goals while only allowing 19 goals against, scored 11 goals on the power play and one goal shorthanded and increased their lead in the Southeast Division to 22 points and 6 point lead in the Eastern Conference. Their ninth win came over the same Panthers that forced overtime nearly two weeks ago and it would not take overtime or a shoot-out for the Caps to come away with a 4-1 win.

Mike Knuble scored a pair of goals, while Nick Backstrom and the Sarge Jeff Schultz made up the difference. Alex Ovechkin factored into the score sheet just on an assist.

But the win did come with a cost as Mike Green took a knee on knee hit and took the worst of the encounter from Dmitry Kulikov. Green would come back in the third but the coaches decided against him playing any further in the game. The hit was clean as Kulikov led with his shoulder and the knee on knee contact just was a consequence of the hit. Bruce Boudreau called it "more of a charly horse than anything else."

Michal Neuvirth played well, controlling his rebounds and coming up with the big save when the team needed it. Jose Theodore did dress to back up the young goaltender, but he might be in danger of losing his number one seat if Neuvirth continues to play at the level he is. His calm demeanor in net and his ability to gobble up shots, not giving the opposition a second chance on rebounds, has made Neuvy a goaltender that might have some staying power with the big club.

What is more remarkable than winning nine games in a row is the fact that the Capitals do not have to rely on Alex Ovechkin to carry the team. Even though the Caps' superstar has managed an average of two points a game during the winning streak, the large amount of their scoring has been sprinkled around. Fifteen different Capitals have scored a goal during the game winning stretch.

The Caps also have won five straight just against the Florida Panthers. Their dominance in their division continues as the team has now stretched out to a 22 point lead in the standings over their closest rivals Atlanta Thrashers.

Special teams again have come through for the Caps as they were able to score a power play goal while at the same time killing off all of their penalties.

Caps notes:

• In 6 of the nine games the Caps have won during their winning streak, a Cap player has scored two goals (Semin in two games, Knuble in two games, Laich and Ovechkin). The Capitals do not have a single player with a hattrick yet this season.
• This would tie the second longest winning streak for the Capitals Franchise and just short of the ten straight wins in '83-'84. This is the longest winning streak for Bruce Boudreau since taking over as the Capitals head coach.
• The last time the Capitals lost was against the next team they face. The Tampa Bay Lightning embarrassed the Caps at St. Pete Times Forum 7-4 before the Caps went on to beat Florida, Toronto, Philadelphia, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, New York Islanders, Anaheim and again Florida in that order.
  

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!

This Or That?

With the Capitals' training camp dates set, it's time to start thinking about the competition to make the opening night roster in October. While it really isn't fair, putting one player up against another is a fun way to get to know the players coming to camp and who has an outside shot on making the team.

The defensive squad may be the hardest nut to crack as almost all of the defensive squad from last season will be returning. A few have played up with the big club after injuries hampered the Caps through out the season, but permanent jobs have been hard to come by. It is interesting to think that some of those players could possibly fight off some contract players returning.

That leads us to our first pair. It may look cut and dry here, but the decision is anything but.

Karl Alzner or Jeff Schultz?

Both are stay at home defensmen, both are first round picks. But both couldn't be more different kind of players.

It is all about size with Schultz. At 6'6" he towers over his teammates on the ice. He played 64 games for the Caps missing most of the rest of the games with a finger injury. He wasn't an offensive threat, but had a respectable 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists). He was also a +13 on the year.

Schultz does have good hands with the puck and can move it out of the zone quickly. But it was his failure to stop Brandon Dubinsky's inside-out move in the first round of the playoffs that has many fans on his bad side. It could be because of his injury or his bad play, but Schultz did not see another minute of ice time for the remainder of the playoffs. Schultz is not as physical as his teammates Milan Jurcina and John Erskine.

Alzner may not have the huge stature of Schultz, but his time in Hershey was very productive. In 48 games played for the Bears he produced an impressive 20 points (4 goals, 16 assists). Not bad for a player that admits he struggles to become more offensive in his play. What Alzner also brings to the table is leadership. He was a captain for his junior team and he has some proven leadership that has brought him defenseman of the year honors.

Unfortunately his time with the big club wasn't the best. In 30 games as a Capital he only produced 5 points and was a minus 1. He was just invisible in a Caps' sweater.

Alzner could make things interesting if he spent an entire year with the Caps. But the likelihood of that happening is very slim. There is something in Schultz the Caps' management likes. Whether it is his size or something else, Schultz should be a mainstay for the club.

Group A Dominates

Sorry for the late post, I had engagements this evening.

Group A didn't just win the game by dominating almost the entire game, but also by scoring seven straight goals in the third period. Dustin Carlson's nightmare as the blue team's goaltender. It capped a great scrimmage for the boys in the white Capitals' practice jerseys in the second of three scrimmages schedule for the week as they win it 8 - 3.

Group A had three dominating lines, the Backman/Glass/Bruess line (or the BBG line), the Perreault/Mitchell/Sheen line, and the Dubuc/DiSimone/Broda line. Each one of the lines scored at least two goals. Michael Dubuc now has 5 goals in this summer's camp, while Mathieu Perreault scored a pair today. The BBG line was a great grinding line that kept the blue side frustrated and making bad mistakes.

The overall play was a bit sloppy, a sign that the week is wearing long with some of the prospects. Bad passes, misplays with the puck were the norm. If it were not for Garrett Zemlak putting forth a tremendous effort for the Blue team in the first half of the game, the white score could have easily reached 10 or 12 goals. But Zemlak kept his team in it, as he posted a shut out in the 30 minutes he played.

Dmitri Orlov has been having a great development camp. In his scouting report they call him an "opportunistic hitter" and he did find a couple of opportunities to pull out his hip check. He has the speed to make up for mistakes, he knows when to pinch in and when to back off. Very rarely was he ever out of position. Toward the end though, the Group B just couldn't over come the skill and speed of Group A and Orlov was not completely immune from being taken advantage of. Perreault pick-pocketed Orlov for his second goal of the day and that was the dagger in the heart of any comeback for the blue team.

Speaking of blue team players that impressed, Cody Eakin also did well. His speed factored in two goals for the blue team. One an assist, the other a goal. John Carlson also helped the blue team's cause with a couple of good clears and some great passes. He has yet to have a chance to open up and use that cannon of his.

There was a scary moment in the scrimmage when Jake Hauswirth crashed the net with Anton Gustafsson. The pair of them went into the net hard and Lil' Gus got the worst of the goal post. He cut his forehead really bad and he was stunned and on the ice bleeding as trainers came to the rescue. Hauswirth and Zach Miskovic (who also was in the collision) looked to be a bit shaken but okay. Braden Holtby, the white team's goaltender, was hardly hit at all as the players dove to miss him. Gustafsson did not return.

Injuries weren't uncommon on the fourth day of Development Camp. Patrick Wey caught a puck in the mouth, required stitches. Stefan Della Rovere had to sit out due to a sprained shoulder (he also had stitches on his upper lip). Joe Finley took a stick up high and got cut on his lower lip. It is a sign that every player is playing as hard as they can to impress the Caps' management.

Finley has been slowly improving through the course of the camp. On day one, he seemed to want to hit everything in sight, often slipping out of position to do it. In scrimmage two, he played a better positional game, letting the hits come to him. He also tightened up his discipline after getting whistled for two penalties in scrimmage one.

I would not be surprised if the coaches decide to mix up some of the players between Groups A and B. Group A just was too much for in the second scrimmage. The only answer the blue team seemed to have was being more physical and pray their goaltender can help them out.

Saturday's scrimmage should be a good one in either case.

Caps Notes:

• Jeff Schultz did sign his qualifying offer, but faxed the one year, signed contract not to the Caps office. Instead he faxed it to NHL headquarters. It doesn't void the contract, usually the Caps will alert the league's office of the contract signing. But the confusion made for some he said, they said comments last night. In either case, Schultz will be back as a Capital for next season.
• Japers Rink figure a way to see everyone tweets from development camp. It was very sweet of him to include mine, as choppy and mis-spelled as it was.
• The Caps' prospects got a guided tour of the DC and WashingtonCaps.com was there to film it. At one point Jake Hauswirth is wired for sound, it is both funny and educational! Also if you watch within the opening song sequence you will see Garrett Mitchell almost miss the bus after the White House stop.
  

Pressure On Caps For Game 2

With a game one loss, the Washington Capitals admitted it was a tough loss. But not the end of the world. The Rangers 4 - 3 win shocked the Verizon Center faithful and left some questions on who was going to start in net for game two. But that question turned into an answer closer to the end of practice yesterday.

"You'll see it in the warmup," Bruce Boudreau teased reporters. "But look it, it's not a big surprise. Theo is our number one goalie."

Jose Theodore took the blame for the loss on Wednesday night. "There really is no excuse," he said following Game 1 Wednesday night. "You need to make a couple of key saves at the key moments."

The team was quick to come to the defense of their goaltender with several Caps talking about giving the Rangers too many scoring chances. A problem they plan to rectify in Game 2. "I mean, (the Rangers) were getting shots from the slot," Mike Green said. "If we're getting shots from the slot we're usually going to score, too. We can't leave (Theo) out to dry like that."

There will be changes made on the defensive side. Jeff Schultz, who also took some of the blame for the game winning goal when he was outdeked by Brandon Dubinsky, will sit out this afternoon with an undisclosed injury. Brian Potheir will make his first appearance in the series.

The Capitals also want to do a better job creating traffic in front of Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. "We have to make some traffic," Alex Ovechkin said. "We have to make some rebounds. We have to pay some price." Lundqvist was clearly the best Ranger player in Game 1, and the Caps have to make his job a lot harder.

On the flip side, the Rangers sounded like they just got away with shoplifting a candy bar from the corner drug store. "I thought we were a nervous club, but that we rebounded well in the second period," Ranger coach John Tortorella said. "(We) found a way to get our legs underneath us. (We had) big plays at big times. We were fortunate to get a win."

The Rangers seem to be fooling the Caps with some fancy drop passes just inside the blue line, that is how they scored two of their four goals. The Caps have to do a better job of stepping up to the blue line and forwards have to be sharp on the back check.

Sean Avery would have to be a saint after getting away with the stuff he got away with in Game 1. Running interference will raise some red flags for the officials who I am sure have taken a look at the replay of the game to recognize some errors.

In this tilt this afternoon the Capitals will have to do a better job on the penalty kill. They have a allowed the Rangers two big goals with a man advantage. Their power play is sufficient, especially against one of the best PK units in the league, but they have to simplify their play and get the puck to the net.

Bottom line for the Capitals, they have to take advantage of their scoring chances. "It's the playoffs and if you do get chances to score goals you have to use them," Ovechkin told reporters following practice. "We didn't use our chances and we lost the game. Next game, we just have to use our chances, play smart in the offensive zone and be more responsible on our chances."

The Showdown At The Igloo

Capitals 6, Penguins 3
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Pitt Post Gazette

Probably the most anticipated rivalry since October 16th and it didn't disappoint. While both teams scoff at any animosity and claim it's only "Washington versus Pittsburgh," the game was heated, emotional and very tense. While there is talk about how much a rivalry the Capitals have against the Flyers, it doesn't compare to the hate these two teams seem to have for one another.

The Capitals were on a losing streak and looked a bit snake bitten. The Penguins thought they had turn things around in Philly and were about to start a five game home stand. At the end of the night those roles seemed reversed, it was the Caps with the confidence and the Penguins did what they always do when they are frustrated, chirp. In the end it was the Capitals that came out on top beating the Penguins for a second straight time at Mellon Arena, 6-3.

Alex Ovechkin pulls back into a tie with Flyer Jeff Carter for scoring leader in the league scoring his 28th and 29th goals. Both goals were huge, but Tomas Fleischmann's power play goal was the back breaker for the Penguins. Alex Semin, Viktor Kozlov and a Jeff Schultz empty netter rounded out the scoring. Nick Backstrom had a good night with a play maker, three assists.

Don't let the score fool you, the game was pretty tense through two and a half periods. It seemed when one team scored the other team responded. When one team made a big hit, the other team had to answer. Whether you are a superstar or not, it really didn't matter. The hitting was intense and purposeful and Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby were not immune on this night.

Evgeni Malkin scored the game's first goal, and that was the last you heard of him (besides a couple of hits on Ovechkin). At the end of the night he was the only Penguin to finish with a -3. Instead it seemed that Sid "the Kid" wanted more to do with the Caps/Pens rivalry than Malkin. Crosby was enemy number one for the Caps, hit early and often. The only good chance 87 had to score was just 1:20 into the game when he broke loose for a break away and shot it wide.

For the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin had another one of those amazing nights, a MVP night if you will. But he didn't do it with one of those blinding slap shots or laser wristers to the top corner. Two of his biggest contributions, an assist on Fleischmann's game winner and the added security goal later on, were light wrist shots to the front of the net. On the game winner, Ovi simply put the puck on net with a shot that would be considered more of a pass than a shot. The puck thudded off of Marc-Andre Fluery's pads (who I believe thought it was a harder shot than what it was) and right to a diving Flash who buried the puck.

On Ovi's insurance goal, instead of taking the puck shooting from the boards (patent Ovechkin) he cut the puck to the middle and went to his off wing and simply threw the puck to the front of the net, a planned pass to Backstrom. The puck went off of a Penguin defenders foot and past Fluery. Both goals were simple hockey plays, getting the puck to the front of the net and good things will happen. It didn't have be a blinding slapper that screams wide or is quieted by the goaltender's glove.

The Capitals' power play was better, they were 2 for 6 and one of them turned out to be the game clinching goal. Their penalty kill improved as well, only allowing a goal and killing off a full two minute 5 on 3 (although the Penguins scored mere seconds after the penalized Cap player stepped on the ice to make it 5 on 4). Ovi had a ten shot night, seconded only by Semin's 7 shot night. Bryan Helmer had a tough night, besides being almost completely invisible, he was a -2, while Schultz had a good night with a goal and the only Capital with a +3.

The Capitals break a 3 game losing skid. Under Bruce Boudreau the Capitals have never lost four games in a row, and it looks like that trend will continue for now. The Caps jump back to a three point lead over the Rangers for second in the Conference. They are now 12 points ahead of Carolina for the division crown.

Photo AP, Gene J. Puskar

Some Perspective, Bam!

I am not one to jump on many Caps fans, but the whining about the last two games has got me perplexed. Perhaps we need some perspective ala Emeril Lagasse.

Would you rather have a team that is 18-21-5 through Jan. 13th? That was where the Capitals were a year ago. How about a team that is 14-24-5 ('05-'06)? The Caps are 27-13-3, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, first in the Southeast and have a 18-2-1 record on home ice. Bam! Perspective.

The Captials have called up 12 players from their farm club due to injuries and still the team is performing at a high level, including putting two long winning stretches together. A five game winning streak (Dec. 10-18) and a seven game winning streak (Dec. 23 -Jan. 6). Bam! More perspective.

They lost the last two games, it happens. It is an 82 season schedule in a very competitive league, losses are going to happen. It's how you respond to those losses that is key. When the Caps were shut out 3-0 against Columbus they came back and played a tough game the very next night against Montreal at the Bell Centre. I would imagine with a couple of days off the Caps are ready to respond tonight against Edmonton. Bam!

Caps Notes:

• The Capitals spent some good quality time working on the power play during practice yesterday. They moved Alex Ovechkin from the point to down below, replacing him with Sergei Fedorov. Having Fedorov back there is more defensively responsible. The Caps have let in 4 short handed goals this season, in Bruce Boudreau's mind that would be four too many. At least they are not as bad as the Rangers who have 13 shorthanded goals against so far this season. Ouch.


• The potent line of Ovechkin-Nick Backstrom-Alex Semin has stalled Ovechkin's scoring. When it has been Ovechkin-Backstrom-Viktor Kozlov, that line seemed to have more chemistry. The last goal Ovi registered was a shorthanded tally in the New York Ranger win on January 3rd. Currently he is on a 3 game scoreless skid.


• Tonight's game against Edmonton and then subsequent game tomorrow night in Pittsburgh is the second straight back to back games where the Caps must travel. The Capitals this year have never won both games on a back to back this year.


• Tyler Sloan and Sean (don't call me Shawn) Collins have been sent down to Hershey making way for the return of John Erskine and Jeff Schultz. Tom Poti is still on the LTIR until Wednesday. Karl Alzner's days are numbered if Poti comes back.
  

Caps End Rollercoaster November On Sour Note

Over the past month, we have seen the good, the bad and most definitely the ugly. This rocky road the Caps seem to find them on this season has them stuck trying to figure out if they are really good or not. The Caps started the month of November much how they ended it, underachieving.

The Capitals first game where they failed to score was on November 1st. Buffalo shut 'em down 5-0. Follow that up with a narrow overtime loss to Ottawa, both losses on the road. But a three game home stint was just what the Caps needed to get back on track. They knocked off the 'Canes, Rangers and Lightning in impressive fashion.

Alex Ovechkin broke his scoring drought with a redirect past his pal Olie Kolzig and the Caps seemed to fix what was ailing them. For another two games anyway. The Caps started a long western road trip with a home and home with the Devils. The Caps won their game at the phone booth, but lost to the Devils at the rock.

It looked like the Caps got over what ever kind of funk they were in as they beat Anaheim in their building on the second game of the western swing. But then it didn't go well after that. The Caps dropped the next three games and players dropped like flies due to injuries. They were manhandled in the next three, dropping to Los Angeles, San Jose and Minnesota.

In the process Jeff Schultz broke a finger, Mike Green hurt his shoulder, Tom Poti tweaked his groin and John Erskine got a few cobwebs up in the ol' noggin. Not to mention players like Sergei Fedorov and Alex Semin found themselves watching from the sky boxes nursing ailments.

When the Caps got back into friendlier confines, it seemed that a few call-ups was all the Caps needed to win the next two home games in pretty impressive fashion. They won the next two with a Hershey heavy roster that included call ups Graham Mink, Chris Bourque, Sami Lepisto, Karl Alzner, Tyler Sloan and Bryan Helmer.

The ship had been righted, well for two games at least, until the Capitals were embarrassed in Columbus being shutout 3-0. The Caps started November posting a goose egg, and they finished posting a second goose egg.

During the month of November we saw Tomas Fleischmann continue his pace for a 30 goal season. Ovi's point streak stretched to 10 games. Jose Theodore had a 4-2-1 record and had his frist shut out as a Capital. Nick Backstrom went on a 9 game point streak in which he posted a career high of 5 points against Devils.

What the Capitals need to work on for the month of December is consistency. Let's hope for consistenly good, and not consistenly bad. It seems when the Capitals have something rolling, it can be gone in a blink of an eye. And maybe this shut out in Columbus is a wake up call for the Caps that they have to be ready to play every night, home or away.

Wee, Wee, Wee All The Way Home

It's been 12 days since the Caps have dropped the puck at the Verizon Center. They have been on a 5 game road trip that did not treat them too well. One win in the last five, they have been outscored 26 to 18 and lost now seven players due to injury (I am sure we will find out how severe those injuries are today).

The Capitals' goals against are just about even with their goals for (67-68). Which puts the Caps in interesting territory. They are 27th in the league in terms of goals against, a stat I am sure they would like to see changed. Meanwhile, they are also 5th in the league goals for, a stat I am sure they would like to keep.

Venturing away from the phone booth, the team has been mortal. They are badly outscored 52 to 40 when they don the white sweaters. At home? They have outscore their opponents 28 to 15. Good not great.

This all sets up the Capitals to face a team that suddenly has found its scoring touch. The Atlanta Thrashers will be rolling into town after playing a physical high scoring game against Toronto. They put up 6 goals and Johan Hedberg stopped 33 including a couple of ten-bell saves to shut down the Leafs. This is also the team that scored a 7 spot against the Caps back on October 10th, the last time these two teams faced each other.

Injuries aside, the Caps will have to find a way to keep the puck from behind their own net.

Caps notes:

With Jeff Schultz now out 4 to 6 weeks with a broken finger (no word on which finger and if he can still give the bird) the Caps most likely will put him on the IR. Making room for Sami Lepisto to join the club, who costs less that Karl Alzner. They also need a puck moving defensemen in the absence of Mike Green in the line up.

The Caps are hurting big time. Sergei Fedorov is listed day-to-day (ankle), Mike Green is listed day-to-day (may return this weekend), Boyd Gordon is listed day-to-day (back spasms), John Erskine is listed day-to-day (unknown), Alex Semin is listed day-to-day (may return tonight), Schultz is out 4 to 6 weeks (broken digit), and now Chris Clark may be out with inuries (status to be updated, retweak of the groin?).

A Home Coming Of Sorts

The Washington Capitals embark on their first significant road trip that will take them from Calgary to Dallas in less than a week. Their first stop however will be a special occasion for a few Caps who call Calgary their home.

Mike Green has rented out a suite at the Pengrowth Saddledome for friends and family attending tonight's game. The Calgary native played with the junior team here, the Hitman. Jeff Schultz is another native who has friends and family that will be in attendance as well.

Tyler Sloan, who was called up for the first time his career to the NHL is also a Calgary boy (or Calgarian, as they liked to be called). Sloan's father, who made the trip to Hershey to see his son play, has to jump on a plane and head back to Calgary to witness his boy's first NHL start. Racking up those miles.

There some are other connections to the Calgary area that has some Capitals feeling at home. Chris Clark was apart of the Flames amazing run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2004 only to lose in game 7 to Tampa Bay. Micheal Nylander has also donned the Flames sweater for parts of 5 seasons. And assistant coach Dean Evason is a former coach of the Calgary Hitman.

While the Caps may feel comfortable in the Stampede City, they are still there to win a game and getting off on the right foot on this road trip is important. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Caps tied in points (7), the race for first is starting in the Southeast Division.

The Caps will face a dangerous, but struggling, Calgary Flames squad. Since the Flames haven't gotten the start they were hoping for, one could surmise that they will be playing the Capitals pretty tough. I expected a physical game as Jerome Iginla will never back down from a fight (both literally and metaphorically). It should be a good game.

Capital Notes:

The Caps signed goaltender Braden Holtby to an entry level contract. It doesn't mean much as Holtby will stay with his team. He made quite an impression in development camp and beyond. Congrats on becomeing a Cap!

Tom Poti, Viktor Kozlov and Donald Brashear are all making the western swing road trip. All have been nursing injuries, but the possibility of them returning to the line up during the trip west has them on the plane with the rest of the team.

It looks like Nick Backstrom has been demoted (if you want to call it that) to the second line with Alex Semin. That pushes up Sergei Fedorov to the first line, where he was for the playoffs. Backstrom and Semin both found a chemistry together last April as the series with the Flyers dragged on. With Semin's hot hand, this might spark Backstrom's performance after a slow start. Also Matt Bradley has moved up to a scoring line. His hard work has him adding some toughness to the Caps second line. He is a guy to also get into the corners and dig out some pucks from scrums. Hopefully a few of those pucks go to an open Semin.

Pittsburgh Smarts

Saw this on the Pittsburgh-Gazette NOW website:


Yea, the only problem is that isn't Ovechkin. It's actually Jeff Schultz. Don't get me wrong Schultz is a good looking guy, but he's no Alex Ovechkin. Way to go Pittsburgh! You are not suppose to eat the steel, just manufacture it.

Shut Out

Capitals 0, Bruins 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post

What is it about the Boston Bruins that has the Capitals so screwed in their heads? The Caps came off two big wins against one of NHL's elite teams only to be blanked by a somewhat struggling Bruin squad who had lost six of their last seven coming into this contest. The Bruins seemed to have the same mental edge over the Capitals as the Caps do over the Senators.

The Caps end their first half of the season with a loss, a disappointing one at that. When it seemed all the offensive angst the team had been fighting seemed to be lifted, the Caps once again find it hard to score. The Caps had a glorious opportunity to make some head way in the Southeast Division, but couldn't manage a single goal against the Boston squad.

While the Caps floundered, Olie Kolzig was spectacular. Besides being left to dry on the two goals scored against him, Olie played one of his best games of the season. Too bad the rest of his teammates seemed to be in slow motion. Alex Ovechkin's point streak comes to an end at 7 games. Nick Backstrom, who earlier was named rookie of the month, had more shots on net then Ovie but was held pointless after going three straight games with a point. Jeff Schultz also played one of the worst games I have seen him play, he knocked over Kolzig for the second goal, and the Boston forwards seemed to have their way with him. Schultz didn't impress me too much in this game.

Let's hope the effort in Montreal is a shade better than that of this game against Boston. The Caps must continue to scrap for points. They are now four points behind Florida who is ahead of them in the Southeast. That is two games they have to make up and they have to do by beating teams like Boston and Montreal. Teams that are not the elite squads, but are solid performers in the Eastern Conference. With the Southeast easy for the picking, the Caps have to earn points every night they play. 41 down, 41 to go. Get 'er done.

Brian Potheir left the game injured and did not return for the third period. He is listed day-to-day. Add him to the list of key injured players Chris Clark, Alex Semin, Tom Poti and Brent Johnson. As much as Steve Eminger was hot to play, he hasn't seen a game since Nov. 26th.

Caps Surprise At The Joe

Capitals 3, Red Wings 4 OT/SO (1-3)
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Detnews

For a team - with the start of a season they had - to walk into the Joe Lewis Arena and go toe to toe with the Red Wings and get a lead then come from behind to tie late in the third is nothing short of a miracle. The Washington Capitals worked their butts off and escaped with a point from a team that has made other teams look like Squirt level squads with their possession game. Yes, it would have been nice for Olie to stop at least one Red Wing in the shoot out, but the Capitals have no reason to hang their heads at the effort they gave at the Joe.

Alex Ovechkin tied the game at one with a 5-hole blast on the power play in the first for his 24th tally of the year. Jeff Schultz once again scored a clutch goal to give the lead to the Caps late in the first and Alex "it's about time you started scoring" Semin got the clutch goal late in the third to take the game into overtime. Both David Steckel and Ovie had chances to put the Caps ahead. Steckel chance came early in the third where he missed (I mean by mere millimeters) an open net and Ovie had a semi-breakaway in OT, but Dominik Hasek was there with his glove and pad, Ovie just couldn't get it up.

The Red Wings had trouble playing their game in this one, and at times it looked like the Caps were the possession experts. Semin's first couple of periods were a bit ho-hum, but he picked it up in the third getting good hard shots off on Hasek. Shots were even at 30 for both teams which pretty much indicates a well hard fought game against to virtually even teams.

As good as this game was Ted Kulfan gave all three stars to Detroit players. Homer. You have to be kidding me. This guy's out of his mind, all three stars to the Red Wings, did you not just see the Caps come in and almost beat this team? Kulfan, I can clearly state, is an idiot. That was a major injustice to the Capitals in this game.

Now, I am not saying that the Caps were perfect. Olie is still letting in soft goals and was just atrocious in the shoot out, all three Red Wings scored - it wasn't even close. Ovie also didn't play his best game, he was good at points but he did turn the puck over on Detroit's third goal after trying to do a little too much. The Caps were able to overcome those mistakes and it shows their potential if they ever do play a perfect game.

With this one point performance the Caps are no longer last in the Eastern Conference, they are instead tied in last with Atlanta. The Caps have some time to rest and tighten up their game before they take on the Montreal Canadians at the phone booth. Hopefully some of that hard work continues for the Caps. They are starting to see the light from the basement of the Eastern Conference. Now is the time to take that step up and get back into this thing.

Some good quotes from the game:

Mike Babcock - "I was really impressed, I really was. It was a hard battle for us. Not a lot of teams have kept us off-kilter like they did. We didn't show them respect at the start, but we got better, but they made it hard for us." - Detnews.com

Henrik Zetterberg on Ovechkin and Backstrom - "They have a real good future, both of them. They're real mature for their age and they'll be big stars for a long time." - Detnews.com

Olaf Kolzig - "It's nice, but we had a chance to win the game. I just couldn't get it done for the boys in the shootout." - WashingtonPost.com

Shaone Morrisonn - "We got one point out of it, which is better than nothing. But we felt like we could have won it. We had some power plays in the third period and we gave up two goals on the penalty kill. It's tough." - WashingtonPost.com

Bruce Boudreau - "We're not quitting. There is a good chance if we just keep getting two points here, one point there, rise in the standings and then once they start to believe they are a really good team, then good things usually start to happen." - WashingtonPost.com

Caps Rally

Capitals 5, Rangers 4 OT
Scoresheet - Wash Post

The Capitals come out on top in one of the most entertaining third periods the Caps have played this season. In a contest where the Caps and Rangers traded goals in the third period, it seemed fitting that the game winner by Mike Green in overtime was appropriate. The Rangers floundered after a two goal lead and the two teams went to the wire.

Joe Motzko scored the two goals to get the Caps back to even. It seemed the Ranger defense just went to sleep after the two goal lead and the Capitals took advantage. Alex Ovechkin gave the Caps the brief lead with his 22nd tally of the year, and Jeff Schultz and Mike Green added timely goals to tie then win the game respectfully.

What are they feeding Jeff Schultz? The young defenseman has three goals in three straight games, helping the Caps on their three game winning streak. The same could be said about Mike Green who is finding the back of the net. Donald Brashear is getting into the action as well getting two helpers in this game and a fight with Colton Orr.

The Caps have been able to win without veteran leadership, Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti have not scored during the 3 game stretch and Micheal Nylander has been out of the line up with an injury. What every Bruce Boudreau's preaching in the locker room, has the youngsters up in arms and ready to answer the calls. And Ovie doesn't mind as long as the Caps are winning.

The power play still needs some work, every goal scored was at even strength. And a the Caps did let a goal in even though the penalty had just expired, but it was basically a power play goal for the Rangers. Special teams need to be cleaned up a little if the Caps want to keep this streak moving along. But all in all, it was an entertaining game and I am still wearing my red mullet they gave away at the game for '80s night, much to my wife's disapproval. She thinks it smells funny.

Caps Hold Off Devils

Capitals 3, Devils 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post

Quintin Laing is known mostly for his hard work, blocking shots and his defensive capabilities. But it was his offense that gave the Capitals a win against a team that had just beat them 3 nights before by the same tally. Bruce Boudreau's critique in this game was a complete 180 turn around from that night they lost in New Jersey. Apparently so did the Capitals' game.

Laing scored his first ever NHL goal and the team made sure it was a game winning goal as the Capitals gave the streaky Devils their second straight loss. Jeff Schultz and Nick Backstom also scored for the Caps that have now won two in a row.

The Capitals definitely had a step on the Devils in this one from the start. While most NJ fans would claim they were robbed from a goal that was disallowed, the Caps could have said the same on a quick whistle with Tomas Fleischmann on the doorstep to shove the puck under Kevin Weekes.

The Caps' forecheck was a thing of beauty tonight and the line of Matt Bradley, Donald Brashear and Backstrom has created havoc for the opponents defense in their zone. Also looking better is Alex Semin. His speed is coming back and his stick handling looks okay. Semin has to improve on his shots though, they look a little sloppy and slow for someone who can rip the puck pretty well. He is starting to look more and more of the Semin of old.

If the LA Kings lose, the Caps could be tied for last place rather than holding the bottom rung. The Kings play Vancouver tonight and have stalled at 24 points. The Caps just make 24 with their win tonight. However they are still on the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They are just 8 points, 4 games from claiming a playoff spot at 8th place (32 points). Of course all of those teams ahead of the Caps would have to lose their games until then. It ain't over 'til it's over.

Update: No such luck for the Capitals, the LA Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks 4 - 2 leaving the Caps still at sole possession of last place in the league with 24 points.

Finally, Someone Else Scores

Capitals 6, Thrashers 3
Scoresheet - Wash Post

These are the types of games I am going to miss this month. Boy did I miss a whopper. The Capitals finally get secondary scoring. Besides 2 goals from defenseman Mike Green, 4 different Capitals scored against the Thrashers. It's something that the Caps must continue to do if they want to jump back into the playoff question.

Nick Backstrom started the scoring off a give away by the Thrashers' defender. Goals were followed up by Jeff Schultz, Alex Ovechkin, Green and one player who needed to find the back of the net this season in the worst way - Matt Pettinger.

Another player that looked closer to normal was Alex Semin. He was faster than he had been all season and it looks like he is getting back in the groove. Semin was close to scoring on several opportunities.

Bruce Boudreau's comments the night before sparked the Caps. Olie Kolzig let in a couple of softies late, which wasn't that bad since the Capitals were in control. Kolzig started in his second straight start, something he hasn't done this season. Boudreau called out the veteran goaltender against the Devils on the first goal and Kolzig responded with some solid saves early in the Thrasher game, but those soft goals still bother me. The Capitals had an chance to keep this game way out of hand, but the Thrashers were allowed to come back.

The Caps didn't score on the power play either. That needs to change tonight against the Devils. The Capitals look to avenge their loss to NJ at home. The Caps are getting a team that has seen it's winning streak snapped in overtime at MSG against the Rangers. The Caps can take advantage of a tired team at home.

After the big win, many of the players decided to celebrate, by throwing Shaone Morrisonn a birthday party after the game. Morrisonn's birthday is actually Dec. 23, but it seemed the appropriate time to go and party which I am sure the Caps did with a big win over a hated rival.

A Night Of Firsts

Capitals 7, Leafs 1
Scoresheet - Wash Post - Toronto Star

You had the feeling that this team was about to break it open. The frustration over the last couple of games spilled out into a blitz of goals for the Capitals as they smacked the Leafs in Toronto 7-1.

Scoring their first goals of the season were Matt Bradley, Brian Sutherby (who has been a healthy scratch for a while), Jeff Schultz (his first NHL career goal as well), Boyd Gordon and Matt Pettinger. Micheal Nylander added a playmaker (3 assists) and Alex Ovechkin had the two other goals and an assist. Olie Kolzig stopped 32 shots, and looked much better in net this game.

This is a big road win for the Caps. After starting their road trip with a lose to St. Louis, it looked like the team was doing everything right but nothing to show for it. Playing the Leafs - a team that started a little shaky this season - seemed to cure the Caps' ills.

Olie still looks like he is lacking a little confidence right now. He look as if he too far back in the net and not challenging shots. It looks like he is trying to hard to make the big save, when all Olie has to do is be Olie. His goaltending has to continue to improve as the season moves on.

Nick Backstrom is still without a goal, although his assists are starting to pile up. He has been close on several chances, but has yet to get a solid shot on net. Looks like his teammates are helping him out though, every game he is getting a nice feed or two in front of the net. Once Backstrom gets that goal, he may loosen that grip on the stick a lil' bit and gain some confidence.

The Caps seemed to have some of that "killer" in them in this game. Even getting the home crowd to turn on the Leafs. In the Toronto Star:

By the time the third period started, at least one third of the Air Canada Centre was empty and one small section could be heard chanting "Let's Go Raptors!". The NBA season starts Wednesday for Toronto's club.

Now that hurts.