Caps Game Winning Streak Snapped

Capitals 3, Islanders 4 OT
Scoresheet - Post - Times

The Washington Capitals didn't play a bad game, but they didn't win it either. The New York Islanders finally find a way to beat the Caps in overtime 4-3. The home team was able to put together a better effort and got some offensive infusion from Tomas Fleischmann who scored his first two goals of the season and had chances for even more as the game wore on.

Alex Ovechkin continues to be on pace for another spectacular season as he started the scoring after the Islanders' Kyle Okposo was called for a double minor high-sticking infraction. The Capitals' power play, which has looked inept and stationary of late, was more animated in this game. Knowing the Islanders were going to block a ton of shots, the Caps moved the puck well. They even showed some creativity that led to some pretty good chances, but just came short of scoring.

Fleischmann, who was playing in only his second game of the season as he was recovering from a blood clot in his leg at the end of last season, played one of his best games as a Capital. Both goals he scored were tight affairs where he was at the Dwayne Roloson's welcome mat.

The Caps played a pretty solid game, but it was very mistake ridden. Often they seemed to lose focus or just unfortunate luck did them in. Mike Green was a victim of some Halloween trickery. His mis-play of the puck led directly to a goal.

The Islanders just found a way to hang around and in the overtime period, they took advantage of a Caps team that was being just overly nonchalant with the puck in their net. Jose Theodore played an inconsistent game, but an overall good game. He came up with some whopper saves in the second and third periods. It was the first and third goals that seemed to give the Caps' goaltender fits. Both goals squeaked under Theo and he just didn't look ready to make saves on either shots.

New York kept in the game with some really good goaltending in Roloson. He stopped 37 shots and didn't face a single shot in overtime before his teammates scored the winning goal. The Islanders benefited from some hard work and some fortunate take-aways. But the Caps couldn't get their scoring going with any consistency. Their power play, which was 2 for 6 tonight, couldn't seem to get that next goal they needed.

Caps Notes:

• The top line for the Caps of Nick Backstrom, Alex Semin and Ovechkin continues to struggle 5 on 5. The trio combined for one goal, one assist and a collective -2. Part of the problem is their willingness to give up a puck to their teammates instead of taking the shot. It was frustrating to watch the line get a great scoring chance and give it up for an extra pass. Bruce Boudreau is thinking about splitting the line up for Sunday's game.
• The Caps have cut down on their penalties, only sitting in the sin bin three times this game. The new discipline is great as the Caps kept the Islanders from getting much on their power plays. Theo also played outstanding during the penatly kill.
• When the Caps play on Sunday against Columbus, they will have a player very familiar with the Blue Jackets in Brendan Morrison. B. Mo has played in 30 games against the Ohio team and has 28 points in those games. The Caps have never had the best of luck when it comes to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Having B. Mo around should help.
  

Caps Struggle To Close Out The Thrashers

Capitals 4, Thrashers 3
Scoresheet - Times - Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caps Notes:

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

Caps Squeak Off Long Island

Capitals 3, Islanders 2 OT
Scoresheet - Post - Times

It may have not gone according to plan, but the Washington Capitals were able to grab 4 points on their quick two game road trip. The Caps rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the New York Islanders just a minute into the overtime period. The win wasn't a perfect game for the Caps as they were badly outworked through the first half of the game. Their power play has also suffered during this two game stint as it went 0 for 4 on the night.

"In the first period we were definitely out-worked and out-played and out-hustled," Caps bench boss Bruce Boudreau said.

"The game in Atlanta, I thought we played well in the first half and then we let them back into it. And tonight I don’t think we played well in the first half and played well the second half," Brooks Laich said of their effort in the last two games. "Winning you are always happy. But we are not satisfied where our game is at. And we will be better."

Mike Green finally broke out of whatever funk he was in to score in the first half of the third period and get the helper on the game winner in overtime. Kieth Aucoin was able to tie the game just seven minutes later to get the Caps into overtime. From there Green sparked the game winning play by doing what he did best, using his speed to gain the zone. He threw the puck to the slot to a waiting Brooks Laich who squeezed the game winner under Dwayne Roloson's pads.

The Caps found themselves struggling early to get any kind of spark going as the Islanders played a solid defensive game against them. Jose Theodore, who returned to the ice after back spasms kept him from starting the last three games, played an inspired game stopping 28 shots and keeping the team within striking range.

But things seemed to turn for the Caps after a knee on knee hit. Nate Thompson took out Green in the second period by swiping his knee with the Caps' defender. The hit seemed to be a wake up call for the Caps, and to Green in particular.

"Maybe the hit woke him up a little bit, made him a little angry," Laich said of Green's performance in the second half of the game. "But the goal he scored was just a big time goal."

"[Green] got mad and he said “To heck with this” and he played the way he can," Boudreau quipped about his defenseman.

The Capitals power play through the last two games is 0 for 11 and has now allowed two short handed goals against. That is Caps power play zero, opponent's penalty kill 2. Not a especially good place for a power play of the Caps' caliber to be. There seems to be a lack of movement and an aggressive penalty kills knocks the them off kilter. Their pitiful power play will continue to hinder this team if they can not start scoring on opportunities their opponents give them.

Alex Ovechkin nearly spent a second game off the scoresheet, until his helper on Aucoin's game tying goal. He seemed to be struggling through the game to get shots through the Islander's defenders who blocked 25 Capitals' shots on the night. Ovi had 5 of his shots blocked on the night and only registered a pair of shots on net.

Bottom line, the Caps come away with 2 points. But their overall effort in the last two games has been not something the Caps are particularly proud of. Nothing will help the Caps more than some focus and effort on their part.

"[We are] happy with the four pionts," Laich summed up. "[But,] I think we still have a lot of things to work on."

Caps Notes:

• Just when you think Don Cherry has run out of hot air, he comes back at Ovi over his "slew foot" hit at the end of the Atlanta game:
  

  "Ovechkin - I love you as a guy, I love you as a player, you play my type of game. You take no prisoners, that's fine. But you're running out of lives, I'll tell you right now. Watch what you've done. Too many times have you hit guys from behind. You won't fight so guys right now have you on a list. I'm telling you, you better be very careful right now. You're going to be very, very sorry some day because somebody is going to cut you in half. I hope it doesn't happen because he's an exciting player. ... When he gets it, it's going to be a goodie."

  Perhaps in response, Ovi was first to give Islander Thompson a good shove after his knee on knee hit on Green.
• Jeff Schultz's goal in the Atlanta game maybe taken away after video shows the shot being deflected off of Mike Knuble's stick. Even if Schultz gets an assist on the play, he now has 4 points in the last two games with an assist on tonight's game tying goal.
• Boudreau did some line shifting through out the game. Often putting Chris Clark on the top line with Nick Backstrom and Ovechkin and keeping the tandem of Brendan Morrison and Knuble together. The line shifting mostly had to do with poor play from some players and exceptional play from others. He put Aucoin on as a winger for his play making ability and it paid off with the game tying goal.
  
• The face off dot was not a fun place to be for the Capitals. Backstrom was only 28% on draws and Dave Steckel was worse at only 28%. The Islander second goal was a direct result of Backstrom losing the face off.
  
  "I was just praying for no more face offs in our own zone," Boudreau said of the face off fiasco. "We got terribly out played in the face off circle tonight."
  
  
• Backstrom was also the only Capital on the ice for both goals against and was not on the ice for any of the Caps' goals. He was listed as having a -2 rating. Which is incorrect, because a plus or minus would not be given to any players for short-handed goals just as they are not given on power play goals.

Odds and Ends

As The Nylander Turns

The Micheal Nylander drama that is starting to turn into the Capitals' "What not to do with a contract you not happy with" took a turn for the weird yesterday when they sent him to the minors for a conditioning stint. Send him to Hershey? Oh no, the Caps don't want to risk the playing time of their young prospects (I mean, they sent a first round pick back to Sweden to play a second tier team because he wasn't cutting it). Instead, they sent Nylander to Grand Rapids, the Detroit Red Wings' AHL affiliate.

This is not a trade, the Caps are still on the line for Nylander's salary and he still takes up a spot on the roster. Think of it as a young girl looking for the right prom dress, she has to put it on in the fitting room to see if she likes it. Nylander has to play so that teams in the KHL or other teams in the NHL have a chance to evaluate him. But why Grand Rapids?

Well if you ask anyone in management, on or off the record, they are pretty tight lipped about the move. A KHL team may have had some interest in taking the 37 year old forward off the Capitals' hands. But that interest waned when Nylander didn't see the line up. Whether George McPhee is keeping him off as to not hurt him, or McPhee and Bruce Boudreau can't stand it when he is in the line-up (or Hershey's line-up either) remains unclear.

If Nylander's presence is such a nuiscence, why are the Caps so hard pressed not to take a pitiful pick in return? Why not place him on waivers (not sure if that is stipulated in his contract)? Why not buy him out of his contract and take the hit (They are still on the hook for buying out Ben Clymer, remember him)? OR, why not just play him if other team's want to see his conditioning? No one really knows the answers to those questions but McPhee, and thus far his moves have been a quandary.

This move to send him to Grand Rapids could be a precursor to him being traded here or sold overseas. But at this point, who really knows.

Nylander's contract drops from $5.5 million down to $3 million next season.

Bank On Aucoin

Due to Alex Semin feeling a bit under the weather (hope it isn't H1N1), the Caps have recalled Keith Aucoin. Aucoin is quickly becoming a favorite of the Caps in call ups (mostly because Chris Bourque is a crutch they can't go to anymore). He shows flashes of brilliance at the NHL level and if given the time to work up some chemistry, I believe he could help the Caps' third line get a little offensive punch.

Back In The Southeast Division

Tonight marks the first time this season the Capitals will play a team from their division. The Caps head to HOT-lanta to face a Thrasher team that is off to one of their better starts. It looks more like a match up between friends rather than divisional foes. Head coaches from both teams shared a friendship in their AHL days (that still continues to this day). Star players from both teams also share an off ice friendship. But when the rink door closes, neither team seems to like each other.

The dislike stems from a Andy Sutton's high hit on Mike Green in 2006, although it could have been brewing way before that. Sutton's dirty antics set off a parade of Thrashers and Capitals to the penalty box with roughing and fighting majors sentences to serve. Ask any player on the Caps' squad and they will tell you that there isn't much love for Blueland.

The Dizzy Birds are 4-1-1 through their first six games of the season, hot on the heels of the Caps in the Southeast Division trailing by only one point (Caps 10, ATL 9). This should be a statement game for the Capitals who look to repeat as Division champs, otherwise the Thrashers could leap frog them for the lead in the division.

Sluggish Start?

There is no real need to panic. So why is everyone acting like there is? Could this team have real problems with finishing games? Could it be the Redskin effect (great talent, marginal effort)? Could it be we are just too Cup fixated just 8 games into the season?

In the first eight games of the Capitals' season they have faced teams that have averaged 113 points last season, and six of those teams made the playoffs (four of those were division champions). It's easy to say that the Caps faced some of the league's toughest teams and the result was above .500. Also, they have yet to be blown out of a game (lost with a margin of two goals or more).

Compare that to someone who has a 7 and 1 record like, um... let's say the defending Stanley Cup Pittsburgh Penguins. In their first eight games, they have faced teams that had an average of 82 points last season and only three of those teams were in the post season last spring (none of which were division champs). Talk about a team easing into a schedule.

Part of the problem to this whole panic thing is we know how good the Washington Capitals can be. With convincing wins against teams like Boston and San Jose, fans have seen the best and want that result every time. But we haven't seen the Caps lose a game in total disaster. There haven't been 6-2 losses and the Caps have yet to be shut-out this season. All their games where they have fallen have been one goal games.

Small mental mistakes mostly do the Capitals in. Whether it is a bad penalty here, a must-stop save that isn't or a break down in defensive structure, the Caps do have the propensity for being human. These small errors in judgment are frustrating to witness because they end up resulting in a goal for the bad guys.

I am pretty confident that the Caps will be able to shore up those problems as the season progresses. The power play will show their bite against teams that don't have a great penalty kill unit. Mike Green will take advantage of those teams that can't handle the fourth man into the zone and Alex Ovechkin will feed on goaltenders that are destined to be back ups. That is why the Caps and a few level-headed fans are not worried about the sluggish start of the season.

Caps Notes:

• Redskins' Chris Cooley took in a game Thursday night at the Verizon Center and as he was coming out of the locker room he was heard saying, "Isn't this environment so much better than ours? The people are so nice here."
• If you think that the Caps' games are sold out, think again. According to the Washington Times, the Verizon Center can squeeze in about 800 more souls to see Ovi do this.
• Caps finally face a team with in their division (to be honest, I didn't miss it). They play the hot Atlanta Thrashers who are off to their best start in franchise history Thursday night.
  

Rough Finishes

Capitals 3, Predators 2 OT/SO (1-0)
Scoresheet - Post - Times

Just when you think the Capitals are unstoppable, they always seem to shoot themselves in the foot. On a night when it looked as if Washington was going to run away with a win, they once again allowed a lesser team to get back into the game. The Nashville Predators were able to erase a 2-0 deficit to tie and send the game to a shoot out. They would eventually lose to the Capitals 3-2.

Alex Ovechkin had another stellar start. He netted his first power play goal of the year then followed that up with a lucky bounce off the boards to give him two goals in the first period. The Caps looked as if they might dominate again, but mental breakdowns and unfortunate bounces gave the Preds a chance to get back into the game.

First periods for the Caps have been awesome. They have outscored their opponents 13 to 2 in the opening frame and have never trailed. Eric Fehr drew a couple of penalties that eventually led to the Ovechkin power play goal. Their execution in the first shows how dangerous this team can be.

But the Caps have once again failed to preserve that lead and fail to score when they seem to need it the most. The Caps had some very good opportunities to take to add to their score or to take the lead back, but failed to so. Either teams are making adjustments after the first period to counteract the Caps' offense or the Caps are just failing to execute what they were able to accomplish just one intermission ago.

The power play was a disaster to start with. The Predators seemed to be able to turn the puck over at their blue line and get a jump on the Caps aggressive defenders (Ovechkin and Mike Green were the defensive pair). It would give them two back to back breakaways on Semyon Varlamov. Varly would come up with both saves, bailing out the Caps power play that would eventually lead to Ovi's PP goal later. Varlamov, who came in for the injured Jose Theodore, played solidly through out the game but couldn't overcome a bad defensive play and a puck that he should have been able to stop.

A shoot-out was inevitable after the Preds played a much better defensive scheme and their goaltender, Dan Ellis, was able to bail them out with some great saves. The Caps dodged a bullet as the first two Nashville shooters missed the net and Varly came up with the save on the last one. Ovechkin's goal in the shootout was a show in stick handling and deke, as he got Ellis to move to the left as Ovi went right. The goal prompted a few fans to throw their hats on the ice, but it is not a hattrick for the Caps' winger.

Caps Notes:

• Shaone Morrisonn was scratch after he suffered a lower body injury in the last game. Tyler Sloan was his replacement. Sloan nearly had a goal after an aggressive play, he shot the puck and the rebound came right back to him. He rang the rebound off the post.
• Braden Holtby was called in to be Varlamov's back up. His stay with the club didn't last long, as he was sent back to South Carolina following the game. Theodore claims his back is now a dull pain rather than a sharp one that prevented him from finishing the game against San Jose.
• The Capitals are second in the league in 5 on 5 goals with 20. They are second to Edmonton (22). On 5 on 4 power plays the Caps are tied in 8th place with 5 other teams at 7 goals. They are ranked 5th in the league in goals for average per game with 3.50.