Caps Outworked At MSG

Capitals 1, Rangers 2
Game Summary - Event Summary

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

John Carlson scored just 1:19 into the game against the New York Rangers. It would be the only highlight of the Washington Capitals as the Rangers out worked the visiting team at MSG. Outside of a brilliant goaltending by Braden Holtby, the Caps struggled with the Rags' aggressive style and their winning streak comes to a dead stop as they lose 2-1.

Being "Hockey Day in America", NBC Sports Network highlighted John Carlson's time playing for Team USA at World Juniors in 2010 where he scored the gold medal winning overtime goal. Carlson didn't disappoint when the Caps came out on a tear to open the game to a Ranger team that seemed to be running around. The puck came around to Carlson who blasted it top left corner over Henrik Lundqvist blocker side. It was a good start for the Caps.

But after a few penalties in the first, a "too many men" penalty and a couple of boarding calls, all the momentum the Capitals had built up in the first few minutes of the game disappeared. The Rangers perhaps were a bit stand-offish of the Caps new system, not sure what to expect from their playoff rivals from a season ago. Once they settled into their game, the Rangers gave the Capitals bad fits in the defensive zone.

Mike Green was a scratch with a lower body injury and was listed day to day. The Caps certainly missed his ability to leave the zone and set up the forwards through the neutral zone. The Caps did have some shots on the power play, but it lacked a good quaterback on the back end where Green was before his injury. Carlson filled the role, and didn't do poorly. But he made some poor decisions with the puck.

The story of the night was the game's third star Braden Holtby. He faced down all twenty shots in the first period and made 38 saves on the night. He stone cold robbed Marion Gaborik, Rick Nash close in on several occasions. He was the only reason the Rangers didn't put up a 5 or 6 spot on the scoreboard. He was in the zone, reading the plays coming across the zone and had a little luck along the way. The two goals that beat him was a redirected point shot and a power play tic-tac-toe play that gave him no chance to make the save.

Bottom line for tonight, the Capitals just got out worked and out hustled at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were aggressive on the puck and forced the Caps to make quick decisions that they were not prepared to make. Mark it down as another growing pain in learning a new system by the Caps. Lucky for them, they come home for a three game home stretch.

Caps Notes:

• The Capitals were solidly out hit against the Rangers 34 to 22. The physical play was something the Caps had difficulty dealing with, but something they will need address going forward.
• After going on a five game win streak, then being blanked against Tampa, Mike Ribeiro had an assist tonight against the Rangers. 
• Eric Fehr also recorded an assist on Carlson's goal, giving him a four game point streak with (3g, 3a during that stretch).

Stealing 2 Points In Sunrise

Capitals 6, Panthers 5 OT
Game Summary - Event Summary

The Washington Capitals showed tremendous grit and determination in Sunrise Florida as they came from behind not once, not twice, but three times including scoring 3 straight goals to overcome a two goal deficit. They beat the Florida Panthers 6-5 in overtime to complete the comeback.

Just some quick thoughts on the Caps' first road win of the season.

- Mike Ribeiro is worth his weight in gold. Re sign him now! Ribeiro scored a goal and had two assists to give him a three point game. He scored the first goal of the game on the power play, and has been the most consistent offensive threat the Caps have had this season.

- Alex Ovechkin had one of his Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde games. But his compete level has upped in the last two games. After his brief skirmish with Kris Versteeg, Ovi was flying. He misplayed the puck from time to time. But is wrister that tied the game was a thing of beauty. He now has a point streak stretched to five games and has a goal in the last three. He received the game's third star.

- He might not be scoring goals, but Nick Backstrom is starting to heat up. The Caps' go to centerman took 29 draws against the Panthers and won 19. He had two of the biggest assists of the night. A secondary helper on Ovechkin's game tying goal and a pretty pass to spring Troy Brouwer loose on Scott Clemmensen for the overtime winner.

- Caps distribution of goal scoring was evident again tonight. Six different goal scorers included (in order when they scored) Ribeiro, Carl Alzner, Matt Hendricks, Eric Fehr, Ovechkin and Brouwer.

- At times the Caps were sloppy in their own zone. It led to a lot of Panther scoring chances. Credit the Panthers for jumping on the Caps' defense and a strong forecheck that had the Caps reeling in their own zone at times. A couple of lucky bounces seem to do the Caps in from time to time. For them to not only mentally over come the bad play and bad bounces is a testament to this team's mental toughness to bear down, get the goals they needed to win and take two points home. It wasn't pretty, but it will do.

- The Caps penalty kill stifled the number 12th PP unit coming into this game. In fact, special teams was a huge factor in this one for the Caps. The penalty kill was a perfect 5 for 5, and they were 2 for 3 on the power play which the second PP was Ovechkin's game tying tally.

The Capitals will have to shore up some of their defensive zone play against their next opponent Tampa Bay. The Lightning have been known to give the Caps fits and breakdowns in their own zone will make for a long game Thursday night.

Finally... Free Wings

Capitals 5, Panthers 0
Game Summary - Event Summary

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

It has been awhile since the Florida Panthers have won a game at the Verizon Center. The Washington Capitals have won the last five games at the phone booth and have had 3 of the last four games end with a Caps' shutout. Tonight would prove to be a tough game for the visiting Panthers as the Caps romp Florida 5-0.

Coming into tonight's game, the Capitals were committed to focusing on what is ahead of them. With a hard practice on Friday, they were looking to be in the right frame of mind for sixty minutes against Florida. The players even held a meeting to get things back on track.

"We had a team meeting with the guys just to press the reset button and to calm down and go out there and support each other and make plays," Joel Ward said. "Today we made a good effort."

"I had a feeling right away that we were going to play well," Alex Ovechkin said of the mood of the team before the game. "Everybody was focusing and not joking around. That’s how we have to play. The first goal was huge for us. The whole team was better."

Braden Holtby has now four career shutouts and also a assist, only the second of his career. His power play assist led to a big goal for the Capitals to exorcise the demons they have been fighting in second periods this season.

"It was a great play, and a big goal," head coach Adam Oates said of the play. "It obviously hurt that [the Penguins] had scored one of those against us. It’s a pass down the ice; that means [Holtby] is involved in the game."

Troy Brouwer had a big night with the first two goals of the game. The first one looked as if John Carlson scored his first goal of the season, but his shot glanced off Brouwer's leg before fooling Jose Theodore. Brouwer's second goal was a sniper blast after receiving a pass from Holtby on the power play. He skated down the right side and powered it past the Florida net minder. It would be Brouwers fourth and fifth goals of the season.

Also on the scoresheet, Ward scored for his fifth goal of the season. The aggressive forecheck of his linemates Eric Fehr and Matty Perreault coughed the puck up to Ward's stick as he headed for the net. He snapped it past Theodore to make it 3-0. Ovechkin scored his first even strength goal of the season after Ribeiro won the faceoff and Jason Chimera chipped it to Ovi at the top of the slot. Add a Perreault goal to give the Verizon Center faithful free wings, and the Capitals finish off their best performance under Adam Oates to date.

This was a good sixty minute effort from a struggling squad that needed a desperate win to stop a three game skid. Their play was much better after the first period. The second period, which has been a house of horrors for this Capitals squad, was not the disaster in waiting much like it has been for the Caps of late. For the first time all season, the Capitals have actually outscored their opponent in the second frame.

Special teams was a hot button issue for general manager George McPhee. Concerned over the Caps taking a few too many penalties, he could find some comfort as the Caps were a perfect 2-2 on the penalty kill and a 1-2 on the power play. It was a good sign the PK is improving especially against a good power play team in the Panthers who are ranked 11th in the league.

Holtby was pretty solid. He was controlling rebounds and making smart decisions with the puck. His pass to Troy Brouwer to catch the Panthers on a line change while on the power play led to the game's second goal. The goal was huge for the Capitals as they stretched their lead to two goals and forced the Panthers to play a more conservative style of hockey for fear of giving the Caps another power play.

"The traffic in front of the net tonight was non-existent today," said Holtby to reporters following the game. "Our defense and our forwards really took it to heart this last little while that we need to bear down on our end and it was outstanding tonight. We’re going to need that to keep moving forward."

The Capitals will get a much needed day off to rest then back at the rink on Monday before they head to the Sunshine state for a second rendezvous with the Panthers in Sunrise Florida. This is definitely a game the Capitals can grow off of. As long as their work ethic can continue, the Caps certainly have the time to crawl back into playoff contention.

Caps Notes:

• Holtby was named the game's first star followed by Brouwer (second star) and Ward (third star).
• Ovechkin continues his point streak to now 4 games with 2 goals and 3 assists during that span.
• Perreault scored his first points of the season with a goal and an assist. He has been in and out of the lineup sharing duties with Marcus Johansson. Perreault did not play against Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
• The promotional double whammy, Caps scored 5 goals and won which means the 18,506 in attendance won free wings and everyone in the DC Metro region gets Papa John's Pizza half off tomorrow (by using promotion code CAPS50).

Carlson's Chance In Sochi

Carlson celebrates his game winning OT goal vs. Canada in 2010

In the February issue of USA Hockey Magazine, they featured their picks for 2014's Team USA to represent in Sochi at the Winter Olympics. The games officially open February 6, 2014, a year from now. On that list to represent the United States is a Washington Capitals' defender, John Carlson.

Our Take: Team USA’s youngest defenseman will also provide the red, white and blue with a presence along the blue line. The 6-foot-3 Carlson is one of the league’s up and coming defensemen.

There is still a long way to go to see if any NHL players will even be allowed to go to Sochi, but Carlson would be on the short list of defensemen to make America's team. He has international experience from the World Junior Championship in 2010. His gold medal winning overtime goal against team Canada (in Canada) has endeared himself to USA hockey fans and deserves consideration by Team USA's brass to take him to Russia.

His quickness and good puck handling skills are a plus for any team. Carlson is a shining beacon to the USA developmental program that is beginning to pour out championship teams. The USA junior program has cranked out two gold medals in the last four years, four medals (2g, 2b) since 2007. The Olympic men's hockey program has also benefited by winning silver in Vancouver just three years ago.

But ask John Carlson about being on the short list to make the trip to Russia and it is as far from his mind as Sochi is to Washington, D.C.

"Obviously everyone wants to play there, it would be great," Carlson said after practice Friday. "But, I am just trying to keep my head here right now and work as hard as I can everyday try to help make this team (Capitals) better. I think that is everyone's goal in here, we don't need any distractions."

Carlson's talents have been overshadowed this year by a tough losing streak with the Capitals. He has been on the ice for at least a goal against in every game of the season thus far, although not all of the blame could fall on him. For him, Sochi is this far off thing and he seems content to keep it right there.

"We need to stay focused to what is ahead of us right now."

If the budding defenseman needed any advice, he does have another once budding defenseman just four stalls down from him in Tom Poti to give him guidance.

"It is a great experience," Poti said of his time he played at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. "You get to meet all the different athletes from different countries and see how they train and how they get prepared for their events."

Poti at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics

Poti was a young defenseman playing for the Edmonton Oilers at the time. Like Carlson, Poti also came up the ranks through the World Junior Championships playing in 1995 and again in 1996. On an Olympic team that featured some of the all time USA greats like Phil Housley, Mike Modano, Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk (just to name a few), the stacked team won silver.

They lost to an equally stacked Canadian team featuring Joe Sakic, Mario Lemieux, Martin Brodeur, Jarome Iginla and Brendan Shanahan (just to name a few).

"They were a pretty good squad," Poti recalled. "We had a great team as well. We went 7-0 in the preliminary round and the only game we lost was the gold medal game. It was frustrating to lose to those guys but we gave it our best shot.

"If [Carlson] gets the chance to go just embrace it, have a blast with it. He will remember every second of it."

Both Team USA and the Washington Capitals could sure use some of that explosive quickness and hard shot from the point. What Carlson can take out from his international experience does help him here in the NHL.

"Every new league you play in, it's different, a different style of hockey," Carlson said. "You take a lot out of it and also you play against a lot of really good players."

While the prospect of getting that opportunity to represent his country in Russia excites the young defenseman, Carlson remains committed to his team here in DC. The 2014 Olympics are a year away after all.

"I mean, I don't think anyone wouldn't [be excited to make the team]," Carlson smirked. "It would be awesome."

Collapse In The Second

Capitals 2, Penguins 5
Game Summary - Event Summary

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Second periods just are not the Washington Capitals' thing. They have been out scored 19-6. After playing a text book opening frame on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Caps collapse under a series of bad penalty kills and the Penguins took full advantage. Allowing three power play goals for the Penguins in the second period the Capitals drop their third straight losing 5-2.

Mike Ribeiro took advantage of a bad rebound from a point shot. Marc-Andre Fleury shot backwards like he had been hit by a shotgun, but wasn't touched by Wotjek Wolski who was standing still in front of him. Ribeiro had an open shot to the net to make it one nothing. The Caps would take the lead into the first intermission playing the best period they have played yet this season. Ignoring the second period where the Pens scored 5 straight goals, Alex Ovechkin netted his second goal of the season on the power play. It would make the Caps a perfect 1 for 1 with the extra man advantage.

After holding the big names off the score sheet on Sunday, the Caps couldn't contain the Pens' top players off the scoresheet. Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Sidney Crosby all found the back of the net. All three were scored on the power play.

Michal Neuvirth started the game well enough. He made some good saves in the first period, even shutting the door on Matt Cooke who broke in alone. But after the second goal in the second period, head coach Adam Oates took a chance at switching goaltenders putting in Braden Holtby. It didn't have the desired affect.

The Penguins would expand their lead with a power play tally that Holtby admitted he should have saved. When Cooke scored just 11 seconds later, the team was deflated and never really recovered. Even with a third period goal on the power play, the best the Capitals could do was hold even for the rest of the game.

The Capitals could not afford to take the penalties they did, but they did. The Penguins made them pay for it. When a team is in the middle of a game winning streak such as the Pens were, it was difficult for the Caps to match the confidence that Pittsburgh had. When it got bad, it got worse for the Capitals.

What ever fragile psyche these Caps are in, when something negative happens against them they have not been able to recover.  That mental aspect of the game has the Caps playing head games with themselves.

Caps Notes:

• Capitals will go back to play their division Saturday when they face the Florida Panthers.
• The Caps out shot the Penguins 19-10 in the first and third periods. The Pens out shot the Caps in the second period 18-6.
• Alex Ovechkin has yet to score a goal at even strength, all three of his goals have been on the power play.

Mental Lapses Leads To Loss

Capitals 2, Maple Leafs 3
Game Summary - Event Summary

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Whether it was a miscommunication between the goaltender and the defenseman or a complete collapse of the defensive zone, when the Washington Capitals make a mistake it costs them games. No matter how small the infraction is, the penalty or the missed play, the Caps can't find the bounces. They moral collapses after bad goal after bad goal until there is a hole that is too much for them to over come. The Maple Leafs took advantage of the hapless Caps again 3-2.

Both Capitals' goals came on the power play. Marcus Johansson got  the scoring bug off his back when the Leafs broke down in their own zone. Tomas Kundratek helped with his first point in his NHL career when he found Johansson for the back door play. Mike Ribeiro gave the phone booth some life in the third period when again the Leafs over persued. Ribeiro was open on the far side and Troy Brouwer found him cutting in. He sniped it high over the shoulder of Leafs' goaltender Ben Scrivens for his third goal of the season.

It was a pretty decent first period for the Capitals. They were building up momentum, playing solid on a team that had played the night before. But a bad play behind the net where Michal Neuvirth left the puck to Tom Poti lead to a turn over. Poti frozen with the puck either didn't see James Van Riemsdyk, or his forecheck was too fast for the defenseman who just came back from two years off nursing a fractured pelvis. Van Riemsdyk stripped the puck from the Caps defender, and wrapped it around and into the net. It deflated the Capitals right then and there. They never fully recovered.

This is the first game that special teams didn't hurt the Capitals. The PK was perfect, and they scored two goals with the extra man. This is their first loss of the season when they have not had a power play goal against.

Alex Ovechkin had an assist in the game, his third of the season was a secondary helper on the Ribeiro goal. He had a few chances, but his failure to score and even strength goal is starting to become a concern. Once the most exciting scorer in the NHL, now a mere shell of a winger that would rather do the fly by around the net then battle for pucks in front.

It was the little mistakes, the lapses in judgement and miscommunication that did the Capitals in. Those details and little things a team has to do in order to win is eluding the Capitals right now. Whether it is a break down in the defensive zone or a missed read on a power play entry, those little nuances to the game and their system is being missed.

The Caps have a fragile moral right now. When they have a set back, a phantom penalty or a bad goal, it takes them at least 5 to 10 minutes of game time to get back to the momentum they once had. Often times players are breaking to make a play, but leave their responsibilities to make a play only to get burned. Those things can be corrected. They can be improved, but only if the team buys into the system and sticks with it.

Caps notes:

• Nick Backstrom was credited with an assist, bringing his point and assist streak to 5 games.
• With the Caps' loss and the Calgary Flames win, the Capitals are now dead last in the league (30th) with just 5 points.
• Johansson was named the game's second star.