Caps Have A "Learning" Issue.

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Capitals put playoff disappointments in rearview mirror

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So.. since about 2009, the Capitals have learned nothing about playoff hockey. That's closing in on 7 years of post season experience. In that time span they have won games they shouldn't have, lost games they should have won, and yada, yada, yada. But did they really "learn" anything.

What is really going on here? Are the Capitals a "bad" team (no, I don't think so)? 

I think the core of the problem lies in the Capitals' demeanor. When comments are said to the effect that they have to put this behind them, it's all in the rearview mirror, we need to move on.

That is good I guess, but what are they learning? About a dozen times in February and March on my twitter account I saw the post similar to, "If the Caps play this way, they are not going to do well in the playoffs", or some facsimile of that. The shocker is, a good portion of those games the Capitals won! A frustrating revelation.

Okay, for a guy that has never played NHL hockey, or been associated with a competitive sport at that kind of level, it is easy for me to be discounted and chastised for criticizing this team in this way. But for a guy who has played the sport since I was five, watched practically every Stanley Cup Playoff series since I was 9 (I just aged myself, that's over 30 years of observation), I can see when the Capitals are not pin point when they needed to be. If I can see it, why can't they?

The playoffs are all about exploiting the other team's weaknesses to give yourself a better shot of winning 4 games. When you see the same mistakes happening time after time in games that the Capitals won but should have lost in the regular season, and then see the same mistakes again in the playoffs and the team loses, should we really be surprised at the lack of success?

It's the mental game that has the Caps chasing their own tail. If I had the answer to break that monotony, I would be a rich man. My opinion (which are like assholes, everyone's got one and they all stink) would be to rewire the mental portion for the Capitals. This is a learning moment more that a putting it in the past moment. This is about learning who you are in the next 82 games, shoring up the mistakes, and playing more cohesively as a team. 

How do you do that? Look at every team that has won the Stanley Cup in the last 10 seasons. All of them were not even guaranteed a playoff spot half way through the season. They all had to play to win, not play to "not lose". Mentally forgetting what you have built and play to the underdog card. When the Caps play "not to lose", they are flat, unaggressive, and a pain to watch (because you know they are better than that).

The Capitals also have to find real adversity to overcome before it happens post season. When you play the kind of hockey and have the kind of season the Capitals had over the last two years, you don't see them overcoming a lot of huge obstacles. Winning seemed to come easy night in, night out. Even when two teams in their division went on long winning streaks (and neither won the division!!), the Caps seemed to overcome it with not much fanfare.

The lack of true adversity hampered this team. They took their power play for granted, their star power for granted, and relied on "sticking to the plan" as a means to get them out of tough times. It's an issue they have failed to address even in the last two seasons. When things go wrong, the Caps seem to break down and play flat, or worse, start to have that attitude of "Oh no, here we go again". 

We will see. We have another 82 games of "Did they learn their lesson?" to watch again. Just like the previous 7 years. Joy.

Rusty Caps Eek A Win

Capitals 5, Devils 3
Game Summary - Event Summary

It may have been a bit rocky, but the Capitals managed a win in dramatic fashion as they start their 2015-2016 season against the New Jersey Devils. Braden Holtby stopped 22 shots to earn his first victory of the season. Alex Ovechkin scored yet another highlight reel goal that started a three goal third period that solidified the win for the home team.

The Devils, who lost the night before at home to the Winnipeg Jets, pushed the pace of the game early as they tested the Caps legs early. It proved a good strategy for them as the home team seemed to struggle after a week off from their previous pre-season game. Despite being on their heels, they did manage a shorthanded goal by Jason Chimera who banked it off a defenders stick on a give and go with Justin Williams.

Washington then took a 2-0 lead after a break down by the Devils on the transition. It led to Brooks Orpik scoring his first goal as a Capital. After that, the Devils seemed to wake up. Bad coverage led to Adam Henrique goal after he got a spectacular feed from Jiri Tlusty. Then add a Devil power play goal and New Jersey made it a new game after one period of play.

While things seemed to settle in the second period, it was in the third when the fireworks started for the Capitals. The captain, Ovechkin, took a outlet dump out on the half boards in his own zone from Matt Niskanen. In his classic way, Ovi streaked down the left side, pulled the puck through his own legs and away from Devils defender John Moore. Ovi then bear downed on net on the back hand before last minute going forehand to chip it over Keith Kinkaid who covered the lower net expecting a back hand shot.

The goal sent the phone booth into a tizzy and chant of "O-vi" rang down as the captain celebrated his first of the season and 476th goal of his career. It also ignited the Caps play and they were able to take a strong hold on the game with a power play goal by Marcus Johansson and a Niskanen empty netter.

Niskanen's goal did come from a strange strategy by the Devils to pull goaltender Kinkaid on the PK with three minutes to play in the game. Caps took advantage and scored to make it 5-2. New Jersey didn't give up their strategy and got a last minute goal from Mike Cammalleri.

Caps Notes:

• Ovi 500 goal watch: Scored a goal to reach 476 career goals in the NHL. He has 12 points (6g, 6a) in 11 home openers.
• Ovechkin (1g, 1a), Chimera (1g, 1a), Niskanen (1g, 1a), Williams (2a) and John Carlson (2a) all had a two point night. 
• Chimera's first period short handed goal was a first for the franchise. It was the first time in Caps history for the first goal of the season be a shorty. (per Elias Sports Bureau)

RST: Random Sunday Thoughts

Holtby's Home, Semin Signs

It has been hard for me of late to find time to keep PHT up. Thanks to my lovely bride, we have come up with the solution of hitting all the high points of the week with "Random Sunday Thoughts". Fun for you, I know. The following are just some thoughts of mine on the Capitals week in the news and my opinion (for what it is worth) on those stories. Let's just see if I can keep up with this.

Semin is a Hab

After being bought out of his five year, $35 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, former Cap Alex Semin signed a one year $1.1 million with the Montreal Canadiens. While we all knew Semin would find work somewhere, I was surprised it was still in North America.

With the KHL matching some expanding salaries of players from the NHL, I would have figured Semin would chase the money back in Russia. But that was not the case. He stays in the western hemisphere playing for a pretty good Canadien team who could use some natural goal scoring talent in their line up. He takes a pretty significant pay cut to do so. I just hope he is a less poisonous manner in which the 'Canes saw him with in their locker room.

Back in Net

Braden Holtby signs a 5 year $30.5 million contract to back stop the Capitals. It is the first contract the Capitals have offered over three years since they signed Olaf Kolzig to a five year $31 million. If that doesn't tell you how important Holtby is to this organization, I am sure the heavy work load and stellar numbers both in the regular season and in the post season should.

Barry Trotz called Holtby part of the Capitals' DNA in the post season. Certainly the 25 year old netminder has endeared himself to the Caps' fandom with his spectacular saves and his calm demeanor has boost the confidence of his teammates in front of him. Everyone is pretty excited to have him locked up for another 5 years.

Holtby's cap hit is at $6.1 million, breaking down to $3.5 million the first year then consecutively $7, $7, $5, and $5 million. The Caps could have done better to get that cap hit below 6, but MacLellan wanted to match as close to Holtby's desired numbers which were reported to be near $8 million a year. It remains to be seen now what is left for Marcus Johansson, the last Caps' free agent to be signed.

Other Caps' Notes:

• The NHL changed the start times of 3 Caps games at the Verizon center from the 7 pm start to a 7:30 pm puck drop. The dates and times can be found here, and with the national broadcasts I am sure these are not the last changes for games this season. 
• Caps did make some minor signings with the addition of Zach Sill. One thing the Washington squad is getting under the management of MacLellan is bigger through the ranks. Sill at six foot, 202 lbs, Sill spent time with the Penguins and Maple Leafs acquiring 84 PIMs in 63 NHL games played. 

Great Start, No Finish

Capitals 1, Canadiens 2 SO (2-3)
Game Summary - Event Summary

Well, it started off good. The Washington Capitals could not have scripted a better first period to open their 40th anniversary season. Then the Canadiens had to spoil it. The Caps held the Habs to just two shots in the first period. 19 year old rookie Andre Burakovsky scored his first NHL goal in his first game to put the good guys up through the first intermission.

The Caps took advantage of a lack luster Montreal team who had played last night against the Maple Leafs. They were physical on the puck, forced the defense to turn over pucks, and were out playing/racing/hitting the Habs in almost every battle.

Brooks Orpik made quite the debut in a Caps sweater. He was a wrecking ball all night amassing 6 hits and they weren't little pops in the corner either. At least four of them were "Ah" inspiring, open ice knock downs. Clearly any animosity Caps fans had with him was washed away with every Hab fan that hit the deck.

Burakovsky made the hometown faithful jump to their feet with his first NHL goal. He had a large game drawing an early penalty. He used his speed effectively in the first period and it helped turn over a puck that Troy Brouwer picked up, found Burakovsky in the high slot, and the young centerman slapped one past Dustin Tokarski.

While the first period showed us what is possible, the rest of the game saw that early buzz die as the Caps couldn't seem to keep up with the physical pace. The Canadiens found their second wind and started to push back, forcing the Caps to play in their own end more. After a goal was taken away for goaltending interference, and one take back for not actually going in, the Habs finally found the back of the net half way through the third period as Tomas Plekanec found the back of the net.

Braden Holtby played solid. He would turn aside 24 shots and even come up with a couple of big glove saves in the shoot out. Holtby seemed the calm and aggressive goaltender that we fell in love with a couple of seasons ago. That is a good thing. With a better defensive crew in front of him, he should steal a game or two and nearly did tonight. 

Overtime saw a couple of close chances for the Caps but it would go to a shootout. The Caps could not keep pace with the skilled Habs and eventually Brendan Gallagher would bury the game winning shoot out goal and give the extra points to the visiting squad.

The Capitals, hoping to rekindle the success a season ago, could not get their power play to connect. They would go 0 for 5 with the extra man and it could have been a turning point in the game if they were able to score. The PK would stay perfect, killing off 5 of their own penalties.

There certainly positives to take from this game. Every thing they did in the first period was outstanding. But it needs to translate to goals. The team is still working on getting the system down. The home opener high led to a pretty good crash later as the Caps seemed to miss their scoring opportunities. They have to improve on what they showed in the first period.

To Know One's Enemy

Under the new division format, the league has found a formula to create better rivalries, better competition, and overall a more compelling game to watch come the post season. Simply, if one team wants to reach the post season and go further into the playoffs, they must win against their division. For the Washington Capitals, that means their most important foes of the upcoming campaign will be their division rivals.

The Caps wagered a 12-15-3 record against their own division. That stat needs to improve if they have aspirations of making another postseason run. They would missed out on the playoffs last season by missing the wild card spot by both Detroit and Columbus (both with 93 points, Caps finished with 90). The secret for the Caps this season will to put up better numbers against their divisional foes.

The Metropolitan Division is a tough one to crack. Maybe not as hard nosed as the Pacific Division out west, but to beat teams in the Metro a team has to be both physical and extremely skilled. Let's break down the division by team and go by order of the bottom to top based on last year's standings.

New York Islanders (8th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Isles: 3-1

Significant additions: Mikhail Grabovski (F), Jaroslav Halak (G), Nikolai Kulemin (F), Johnny Boychuck (D), Nick Leddy (D)

Injuries and a less than stellar defensive squad did the Islanders in last season. But some last minute tinkering and a healthy line up expected, the Islanders seem on the brink of a break out season (although I said the same last year). The Capitals posted a winning record against the Islanders, but two of the three wins where in overtime and via the shoot out. The Isles only win was a 1-0 affair. Tight hockey.

John Tavares is back and healthy after blowing out his knee in last year's Olympics. The Isles also boosted their goaltending by snatching Halak from free agency. They also made a last minute trade to acquire defensemen Boychuk and Leddy to bolster the blue line that lack serious depth in previous seasons. These moves should make the Islanders a much tougher team to compete against. The have some serious speed which they use well to their advantage, especially against the Capitals.

The Caps will have to contend with a team that never seems to fear them. The Islanders seem to bring their "A" game against the Caps every year. The boys in red will have to contain some serious talent in Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Grabovski. All players that play fast and have a ton of skill. While the Islanders finished last in the Metro last season, I don't expect them to do the same this time around

Carolina Hurricanes (7th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. 'Canes: 2-2-1

Significant additions: Ron Hainsey (D), Tim Gleason (D), J. McClement (F), Bill Peters (Head Coach)

A foe the Capitals know all too well from the Southeast Division days. Carolina plays a pretty rugged fast game, and not much has changed for the most southern team in the division. For the most part, the top three lines of the 'Canes have not changed at all from last season. But they have a new bench boss in Peters who plans on putting some work ethic into his team.

Overall the 'Canes posted a respectable .500 record against the Metro Division including three wins against the Capitals. Carolina never seems daunted by the home crowd at Verizon either as all three of the 'Canes win came amongst the Rockin' Red. If the Caps can keep the big guns in Alex Semin and Eric Staal off the score sheet, they will do well against a long time foe.

Carolina added a little bit of grit on the back end with the addition of Tim Gleason, but they still lack depth if the likes of Jeff Skinner keeps getting injured (took a concussion from a shoulder check in a preseason game against the Caps). Good goaltending and mediocre defense can only get them so far if their offense sputters.

New Jersey Devils (6th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Devils: 1-2-1

Significant additions: Mike Cammalleri (F), Martin Havlat (F), Scott Clemmensen (G)

The Devils are not a big fan of the Shootout. In fact, New Jersey lost all 13 of their regular season shootouts last season and that kept them from getting a playoff spot. They return with most of their line up intact. But some may need walkers and wheelchairs (I kid).

New Jersey has 6 roster players that were born in the seventies. That is in the nineteen hundreds for you millennials out there. Patrik Elias, Jaromir Jagr, Dainius Zubrus, captain Bryce Salvador, Marek Zidlicky, and back up goaltender Clemmensen are all part of an aging Devil squad that share that distinction (nice to see old guys like me can still play in the NHL being born amongst corduroy an disco). While they are an aging group, they no longer have the anchor in Martin Brodeur in net anymore. They have Cory Schneider. Now that there isn't a question on who the number one goaltender will be this season, the Devils look to be playoff bound this season.

The Capitals played terrible against Adam Oates' old team. Things should change under Barry Trotz as the Caps should play the Devils better at even strength. New Jersey should jump out to a good lead early in the season but look for the those tired old legs to give out as the season comes to the long stretch of January and February. Good thing Prudential center has accessible parking.

Columbus Blue Jackets (4th)

'13-'14 Caps vs. BJs: 2-2

Significant additions: Scott Hartnell (F) S. Hjalmarsson (F)

Coming off the organizations first taste of post season wins (and nearly knocking off the top team Pittsburgh), the Columbus Blue Jackets are brimmed with confidence and a taste for some more. Up and coming young stud Ryan Johansen resigned with the Blue Jackets and looks to again to put up career numbers as a new star center takes the NHL stage for his second season. With the support of Harnell, Bradon Dubinsky and Nathan Horton, the Jackets look poised to do great things with stellar goaltending in Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Caps and BJs split the season series as both won at home, although the Jackets mustered an extra point in an overtime loss at the phone booth. The Caps seem to do okay with Columbus' speed, but when it comes to hard work and some physicality, the Jackets always seem to have the upper hand.

If the Capitals wish to make the post season, I believe that they will have to muscle the points away from their Ohio neighbors. The Caps were three points shy of making the wild card and Columbus took the spot away from them. That should leave a chip on the shoulders of the boys in red when facing this division foe. If it doesn't, then too many people have too short of memories.

Philadelphia Flyers (3rd)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Flyers: 2-2-1

Significant additions: R.J. Umberger (F), Blair Jones (F), Michael Del Zotto (D), Nick Schultz (D)

It was a weird affair between the Capitals and Flyers in last season's tilt. The Caps seemed to dominate early with impressive wins including a 7-0 shellacking of the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center that saw Ray Emery sucker fight Braden Holtby. There is little love between these teams even in the preseason this September as the two raked in the penalty minutes in a game that didn't really matter.

The Flyers seemed to get their season going late however, and the Caps had a hard time beating them in the later stages of the campaign. This year, it looks that the Flyers defense will sorely miss Kimmo Timonen who was treated this summer in Finland with blood clots in his leg and lungs (ouch, get well soon Kimmo). Philly's D won't improve much besides the acquisitions of Del Zotto and Schultz who really only played marginal hockey with their former teams last year. 

The Caps should open up more offensively against weaker defensive teams and it seems the only way the Flyers could compete is if they open up play and try to make it a shell shocker game. If Trotz's system holds the Flyer offense in check, the Caps have the guns to compete.

New York Rangers (2nd)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Rags: 2-2

Significant additions: Tanner Glass (F), Ryan Malone (F), Lee Stempniak (F), Dan Boyle (D), Matt Hunwick (D)

The Rangers said good-bye to some size when Brian Boyle and Benoit Pouliot left for greener pastures. But they replaced one Boyle for another, Dan Boyle who brings significant experience to a pretty good blue line to begin with. The Rags were able to flourish under the direction of Alain Vigneault that saw the team catapult to the Stanley Cup finals just to come up short of the grand prize.

Henrik Lundqvist again will be a tough challenge for the Capitals this season (as he is every season). The match up between these two teams should lead to some low scoring affairs. Many experts have picked the Rangers to top the Eastern Conference challenging Pittsburgh and Boston for the honors.

New York however has not replaced much of it's outgoing youth with youth. Much like the Devils, the top names of the Rangers are entering the twilight of their careers. If the Rangers look to stay strong all season they will miss that size that kept teams honest. Malone and Glass add grit, but neither one add much by way of offense to offset the toughness factor. For the Capitals, they have to pepper Lundqvist with shots and play a puck possession game against the fast and talented Rangers.

Pittsburgh Penguins (1st)

'13-'14 Caps vs. Pens: 0-4

Significant additions: Blake Comeau (F), Steve Downie (F), Christian Ehrhoff (D)

The Capitals did not muster a single point against their long time rivals. The Penguins had their way with them. Sure the games were competitive but the Penguins didn't seem to have a problem with Washington whether it was on the road or not.

The Penguins start the season a bit injury laden. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missed practice and some preseason game time due to injury. With a new GM and coach, the pressure is on the Pens once again to make the playoffs and bring another championship back to Pittsburgh. While they will miss the likes of Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen (Caps have them now), they replaced that hole with Christain Ehrhoff. They added Steve Downie for some toughness (or at least a agitator at very least).

Pittsburgh does lose some grit on the back end that Rob Scuderi will have to fill. They won't be a team that will be very stingy on defense with the crew they have, and offense (much like in Philly) will have to overcome failings on the blue line.

The Division Overall

The Capitals have a tough task in front of them. Win their division, play the Winter Classic, make the playoffs. Pretty full schedule on their hands. New head coach Barry Trotz is looking to toughen the team up a bit and will preach a possession game that should help them in this division.

Under the new format of the playoffs in the NHL, the Capitals have to play better against their division if they will to get anywhere. Sadly last year, they were a dismal .400 in division points and it cost them a valuable spot in the post season.

5 Players To Watch At Camp

It will be anticipated, but when the Capitals start their season camp in the next couple of weeks it will remain to be seen if the new brass got it right this off season. With the additions of Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen on the back end and smaller signings here and there, the Caps hope to become a bigger, stronger more physical team in the upcoming campaign. In the Metropolitan Division the Caps will still need to count on their offensive prowess.

This summer's camp will be important for both veterans and rookies alike as the Caps look to win now.  It will be important for these 5 Capitals to make an impression off the bat in this off-season's camp.

Alex Ovechkin - He is the singularly most important Capital that will (and has) define this organization. If this team has any hope to advancing farther than it has will lay on the captain's shoulders. His off-ice personal life saw him end his engagement to Maria Kirilenko it will remain to be seen if that has any effect on the high scoring forward this season. At camp this year, he will have to buy into Barry Trotz's new system and convert his game into a 200 foot game.

"He's a lot more dangerous when he's skating, when he's moving, when he's got a little bit of room to operate," Trotz said to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I have found him standing still a lot on the film that I'm watching, very easy to cover, and he still got 51 goals."

Ovechkin's leadership will be also paramount. He will have to alter his game and will still have to contribute to scoring on the offensive end.

Braden Holtby - If you ever heard the phrase "You are only as good as your goaltender." before, then you should apply it to Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals. Holtby crashed onto the Caps' scene two years ago with 2.58 GAA and .920 save percentage. Those numbers dropped a bit last season after the coaching staff appeared to alter his playing style.

Known as an aggressive goaltender, Adam Oates and Olaf Kolzig tried to mold Holtby into a more stable goaltender and kept him in check. As a result, Holtby struggled at times through the season just stopping shots from the half boards. He just wasn't playing the style of game that got him the number one job in the first place.

Unsure about his future once regime change happened, Trotz and Brian MacLellen restored their faith upon the goaltender by signing a solid back up in Justin Peters and bringing in goaltending coach Mitch Korn (former coach of the Nashville Predators and players like Tomas Vokoun and Pekka Rinne). Holtby will have to return to form to back up the Capitals to a winning season. It will be interesting to see how Korn and Trotz coach the young goaltender and what adjustments they make to his overall game.

Andre Burakovsky - The rookie is already being put in some big shoes. The Capitals are addressing their lack of depth up the middle by inserting a couple of draft picks. Burakovsky will be battling for the second and third line center positions along with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Jonansson.

Whether Burakovsky can earn a top spot will depend mostly on his efforts at this August's camp. He has an impressive resume to help him thus far, he has amassed 87 points (41 goals, 46 assists) last season in the OHL as well has a strong outing in the 2014 World Junior Championship scoring seven points in seven games.

How will he do with the big boys? Keep your eyes on this kid once camp starts.

Joel Ward - Probably the biggest reason Ward has the contract he has with the Washington Capitals was his performance with the Nashville Predators under then coach Barry Trotz. Now that Trotz is back Ward should become a bigger voice in the locker room for his former coach. At least reason would dictate that.

It seems the line pairing of Ward and Jason Chimera who saw so much success last season isn't going to be broken up anytime soon. It will be interesting to see the progress of Ward under this new coaching regime.

Matt Niskanen - An off-season signing along with Brooks Orpik, Niskanen has to prove his last season's career numbers weren't just a fluke. He, along with John Carlson and Mike Green, will be called upon in this new system to add some offensive punch according to Trotz.

"With the forwards I have in Washington," Trotz was quoted in a NHL.com article. "I hope to keep their offensive production very high and add some more offense from the back end."

The defensemen will be given greater freedom in bring the puck up, join the rush and be apart of the 200 foot game the NHL is quickly becoming. Niskanen had a great year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His 46 points were impressive for any defensemen and his 36 assists proves the defensemen can make the plays on the back end. His nine points in 13 playoff games is not shabby either.

Sure there will be some other story lines that come out of camp, but this is a good start. One thing is clear, the Caps' new brass is not interested in just surviving a 82 game season and make it to the playoffs to get through a round or two. Their aspirations are to win and bring to Washington a Stanley Cup championship. These five players will have an effect on that outcome and it all starts here.

Slow Start, Exciting Finish

Capitals 4, Blue Jackets 3 OT
Game Summary - Event Summary

The worry for the coaching staff of the Capitals were worried about their team coming out flat after a quick western swing. It seemed those fears were realized when the Columbus Blue Jackets visited Verizon Center and played a perfect road game for nearly four-fifths of the hockey game. But some late heroics by the Capitals lead to an overtime goal by Alex Ovechkin and an important two points in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-3 win.

It was a lethargic start for the Capitals who seemed to be still reeling from the blown lead in the desert. Even though they had good chances and pinned the Blue Jackets into their own zone for some stretches, the Caps just couldn't convert many of those pressure moments into even a shot on net. The Blue Jackets did an excellent job of bending and not breaking and took advantage of some cavalier puck movement in the second period to take the one goal lead in the second period.

Brandon Dubinsky scored his fifth goal of the season shorthanded when he bothered Troy Brouwer behind the net, picked up the loose puck, skated to the front of the net vacated by any of the Capital skaters and deked the puck past Braden Holtby. Dubinsky, who seems to find his game against the Capitals, nearly had a hat trick in this game as he rang it off the post a couple of times in the third period when the Jackets had the lead.

The Capitals would answer when Martin Erat entered the zone, out muscled the Jacket defender to swipe the puck from behind the defenseman and a moment before Sergei Bobrovsky could cover it back to the slot where a crashing John Carlson had a wide open net to bury his fourth goal of the season. The spectacular play by Erat only adds to his point totals (now at 57) against Columbus, the most he has had against any other team.

The second period would end in a 1-1 tie and the Caps would take the lead short handed when Bobrovsky misplayed the puck behind his net. Joel Ward scored in his third straight game would scope up the gift and beat a sprawling Jacket goaltender for his ninth goal of the season.

The Caps' lead would not last long as the Blue Jackets picked up a garbage goal to tie the game, then took the lead when Mike Green misplayed the puck in the neutral zone and it broke Cam Atkinson free for the break away and beat Holtby five hole. It looked like the Capitals would collapse again as the Blue Jackets seemed to pressure for another goal following their third goal.

The Capitals gained some momentum late in the third period with some hard cycle work and some good pressure in the Columbus zone. The visiting team finally broke with just under two minutes to play in regulation. The third line, Capitals best line of the night of Ward, Jason Chimera and Mikhail Grabrovski, was able to pin the Blue Jackets in the zone. Chimera got a shot on net and the worn down Columbus defenders couldn't locate the rebound and Grabovski buried the game tying goal for his 6 goal of the season.

It would force overtime, and there Alex Ovechkin went straight to the net when Marcus Johansson entered the zone cleanly and avoided the check to get a back hand shot off on Bobrovsky. Ovi cleaned up the mess in front for his 14 goal of the season. It was also the game winner in overtime.

The Capitals sort of made their own headaches in this game, misplaying the puck and often just being to loose with their play. It was just as lucky the Blue Jackets seemed to make the same mistakes themselves to allow the Capitals to take the game into overtime.

There will not be much time to celebrate this one as the Caps will travel to Detroit to face off with the Red Wings now an Eastern Conference team. The Red Wings have been struggling at home and the Capitals have been struggling on the road. It will be a chance for them to take more points from a conference foe. But their defensive posture must be better against a team that is all about puck possession.

Caps Notes:

• Holtby is now 8-3 in his last eleven starts. He had 24 saves tonight.
• Ovechkin now has six points in his last five games (4g, 2a). He ties St. Louis Blue Alex Steen and recently injured Tampa Bay Bolt Steven Stamkos with most goals in the league at 14. 
• Troy Brouwer lead his team tonight in hits with eight, he nearly had a goal much like the one he scored in Phoenix streaking down the wing and letting his slapper loose. It, however, rang off the post.

Rough Road

Capitals 1, Avalanche 4

Since I'm in a rush, this post will be short and sweet, just like the Calitals effort in Colorado. 

- The Washington Capitals looked exactly like a team that played the night before then a trip to thin air Denver road weary team. Sounds kinda redundant but that's what happened when your tired. Facing a fresh Avalanche team, the Caps were a tad sloppy and a little loose with the puck. It just was not pretty. 

- There were a lot of questionable officiating by the officials (redundant again). It started with the Aves' first goal. It had looked like Patrick Bordeleau had tipped a high backhander with a high stick. The Refs gave no indication of the indiscretion and video somehow could conclusively overrule the call on the ice. It did look like the shot had been redirected off the end of Bordeleau's stick which was above the crossbar to me. Another missed call and scary moment is when Alex Ovechkin was checked into the boards head first and lay stubbed on the ice for a few moments. Ovi claimed he was tripped, Jan Hedja (the Aves player in question) insisted both players were going into the corner and Ovechkin stepped on his stick. I would say 4 times out 5 that is called a penalty, but Refs let it go. Ovechkin was out on the ice on his next shift. 

- 5 on 3's seem simple enough, unless you are a Capital. The Caps have yet to convert with two extra men on the ice and it could have helped them in both games on this road trip. I'm sure I see some sort of video session followed by some practice with producing when given opportunity. 

- Joel Ward's goal to tie the game was a converted lucky bounce as the luck ricocheted off the end boards off the faceoff. That gives Ward his 8th tally of the campaign. It was over shawdowed by the Aves answering less than :30 seconds later as Mike Holden scored to give the Aves the lead. It's been a problem spot for the Caps for a long time, letting up after big goals. If the game goes to the third period tied, the out come could have been different. 

That's all I got for now. 

Oh, and happy Veterns Day! We will never forget. 

Coyoted

Capitals 3, Coyotes 3 OT/SO 0-2
Game Summary - Event Summary

The Washington Capitals gave up a third period 3-1 lead to the Phoenix Coyotes and lose it in the shoot out 4-3 leaving with only one point out of the desert. In what looked to be an outstanding road effort by the Caps, they folded with less than five minutes left in the game allowing 2 goals to send the game into overtime and then to the shootout. The Coyotes scored on both their shootout chances while the Capitals missed the net on their two shots.

Troy Brouwer (5) and John Carlson (3) both scored in the second period on power plays, and Joel Ward took advantage of a fortuitous bounce for his seventh of the season. But the Coyotes have yet to lose in regulation this season at Jobing.com Arena, and it seems that streak continues with some late game heroics on their part.

The Coyotes got the early start, with a power play goal. Ward was whistled with the trip and it only took :22 seconds for Shane Doan bury his shot. It would put the Caps down one goal through the first intermission. The Capitals took advantage of a late penalty by the Yotes that carried over to the second period when Brouwer streaked down the right wing side and powered a slapper past Mike Smith to tie the game. Less than three minutes later, Coyote Jordan Swarz took a tripping call on Ovechkin and it took the Capitals just :20 seconds Carlson scored in his third straight game with a one timer from Marcus Johansson.

There were a parade of penalties after which included a 4 minute double minor to Troy Brouwer after he was called for handling the puck with his hand on the face off. Yotes' goaltender Smith was called for a delay of game for playing the puck past the center line when the Caps were going to the sin bin for having too many men. The Capitals killed off the plethora of penalties then Joel Ward took advantage of a strange bounce in front of the net to pad the lead 3-1 for the road team.

It had looked like the Capitals were in full control of the game. But a long shift in their own zone, and a bad delay of game, puck over glass, penalty allowed the Coyotes to tie the game up late. It was unfortunate that the Caps let an earlier 5 on 3 slip away and an early overtime period power play did not produce that game winner. Instead the Caps are a dismal 0-4 on 5 on 3 play and have yet to score on the power play 4 on 3.

The Caps don't have much time to dwell on this loss. They are in Denver to take on the Avalanche who still has the league's second best record.

Chim-Chim-Cheer-ry

The Washington Capitals were so impressed with Jason Chimera's start to his season, they re-enlisted the winger to a two year contract. As per Capitals PR:

"The Washington Capitals have re-signed left wing Jason Chimera to a two-year contract extension, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. Chimera will earn $2.0 million per year from 2014-15 through the 2015-16 season.

 

Chimera, 34, has recorded 11 points (five goals, six assists) and 10 penalty minutes in 16 games this season. The Edmonton, Alberta, native was named the NHL’s “Third Star” for the week ending Nov. 3 after posting a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) on Nov. 1 against Philadelphia and recording a career-long four game goal streak (10/24-11/1: four goals, five assists). Chimera has registered 107 points (45 goals, 62 assists) and 251 penalty minutes in 265 career games with Washington.

 

The 6’3”, 216-pound forward has played in 726 career regular-season games with Edmonton, Columbus and Washington, recording 279 points (126 goals, 153 assists) and 716 penalty minutes. In 43 career playoff games, Chimera has tallied 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists), four game-winning goals and 16 penalty minutes. 

 

Chimera was a fifth-round draft pick (121st overall) by Edmonton in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired from Columbus in exchange for Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina on Dec. 28, 2009."

A Bigger Win Than You Thought

How many times have we seen the Washington Capitals unravel in close games? A million, gazillion. What happened last night against the Minnesota Wild was a huge step in the right direction by the Capitals. Their head coach, Adam Oates, told his team to be prepared to play a tight game. One goal games have never been the Caps forte.

In the past we have often seen this team lose it when the game is tight. More often it was amplified when it would happen in a play off game. The game would be tight and the Caps would be trailing a goal, when things would just fall apart. Instead of keeping it a close game to the end 1-0 or 2-1, the Caps would make simple mistakes for the sake of making the perfect play to tie the game. Suddenly they would be down 3-1, 4-1 and spiral down to a loss.

Or the team would go away from what had worked for them before, a bunch of individual efforts in order to bring the game back to fold. Only to once again have those efforts fail because one against 5 very rarely yields goals. How many games have fans seen that and pulled their hair out? Remember us looking nervously at the play clock to see time tick away from another win in a grind it out game the Caps couldn't stick with.

The Caps took the early lead with a power play goal by Alex Ovechkin. Then the Wild just sort of played the perfect road game after that. They slowed the game down, took the fans out of the equation. They answered Ovi's goal with a late power play goal of their own. Then took the lead after some relentless forechecking. It was an all too familiar scene Caps fans have endured before. And we all waited for the onslaught of Zach Parise shots and Wild clogging defense keeping the Caps at bay. But, something last night was different.

The Capitals never got away with their game plan. They stuck with it and with some spectacular saves from the goaltender Braden Holtby, they put themselves in the position to win a close methodical game. There was plenty of bending, but no breaking as the Caps remained tough in their own zone, gobbling up second chances and wearing on the Wild defense on the other end.

It just sort of happened, a long sustained forecheck by a mix of lines, Marcus Johansson, Brooks Laich and forth-liner Tom Wilson who was out there late from the previous shift. A tired Wild group, their first line couldn't clear the zone after a few line keeps from Alexander Urbom. The puck worked low, Wilson made a smart pick to open it up for Johansson and Laich pressuring the front of the net as the puck ricochet off a Wild defender and past Josh Harding to tie the game.

"What I like about the tying goal is it took a lot of hard work," Oates said of the late game tally. "We fought through a lot of frustration because they were giving you nothing. It was hard to get shots to the net. You’re going into territory that’s really difficult."

The Capitals moved their feet, worked hard in their zone and were rewarded with a lucky bounce and a game tying goal. There was no panic in the team when they went down 2-1 in the second period. They stuck to their game plan. They executed to play as a team to get the tying goal. And in the end it becomes a maturity moment for a team that has so many times lost those types of opportunities to selfish play or let minor mistakes become compounded through out the game to get them behind the eight ball.

"They [Wild] are playing good," Nick Backstrom said of their foe last night. "Good system, they are backing off, and they are being very patient. Obviously for us, we’ve got to be patient as well. We’ve got to play our system and try to be aggressive on them." 

They didn't need to pull the goalie, or rely on the power play to gain them the goal. It came from sticking with the system, working hard, executing and reaping the rewards for all of those cultivating together to make the game 2-2. It was unfortunate Martin Erat took that penalty late in the game because it took the wind out of the Caps' sails. But the penalty kill once again did a great job when they needed it most.  

Last night was a growing moment for the Capitals. To find a way to win in a tight game was gigantic in so many ways. While the game itself seemed often boring and slow at times, I had to watch again to realize exactly what was going on. The Caps were growing up. They took a gigantic step forward. Even if they had lost the game in the shoot out, there was a lot of good to take away from that game.

Now it remains to be seen if the Capitals can sustain that way of playing. As teams that are much better at trapping and grinding than the Caps, it's important they show they can win games like that. It happened against a very good Western Conference team (which the West has dominated the East early on this season) and if the Capitals can do this consistently, things in the post season will get all that much more interesting in DC.

Tough Loss In The Big "D"

Capitals 1, Stars 2
Game Summary, Event Summary

It was a great start for the Washington Capitals, taking an early 1-0 lead on their power play only to see their woes at even strength continue as they lose in Dallas against the new look Stars.

Alex Ovechkin scored again on the power play, giving him a three game goal streak. Three of his four tallies have been with the extra man. Braden Holtby easily outplayed his counterpart Kari Lehtonen making some spectacular saves down the stretch to keep his team in it.

Nick Backstrom had a goal disallowed after incidental contact as he cross checked Lehtonen in the face as the puck dropped in behind the Dallas goal keeper. The no goal decision by the officials proved costly for the team in red, as a bad turn over led to a Alex Chiasson goal to give the Stars the lead and the eventual game winner.

The Caps had real trouble with the Stars forecheck. Their team speed was tough for the Caps to handle to even clear the puck from their own zone. The physical play of the Stars also kept the Caps off kilter.

Five on five play by the Capitals was dismal and it needs to take advantage of teams not wanting to face their power play. Instead of moving their feet and finding the open guy, the Caps seem dead set on making the same break out plays and allowing the other team to stand them up at the opposing blue line.

What is good about a game like tonight is that all the woes the Capitals faced are fixable. The decisions the defenders in their own end needed to be faster and more confident with moving the puck up. With as good as this team on the power play, it seems to wane at even strength.

Caps get a few days off to re-group and face their first divisional foe on Thursday in Carolina.

Come Back Caps

The Washington Capitals took the long way to get their first win if the season, but they overcame a 3-0 hole the Calgary Flames put them in to win their home opener 5-4 in the shoot out. A roller coaster game, much like their season opener in Chicago except the better out come, the Caps overcame a lethargic, sloppy first where the Flames just out worked the good guys in their barn. 

My 10 thoughts on the home opener:

1. Conner Carrick continues to impress. After a bit of an overwhelming moment in Chicago, the kid scored his first career goal when he jumped from the sin bin and Marcus Johansson fed him a break away pass. He would be the first Capital to score a first career goal in the home opener since Alex Ovechkin scored two in his NHL debut. 

2. I miss Dennis Wideman. 

3. Michal Grabovski is really playing like a born again forward. Let's hope it lasts. He had a great pass in the middle of chaos to Nick Backstrom for the thing goal. That guy is going to get a pay raise. 

4. Jack Hillen just can't catch a break. After an injury that put him out for 25 games last season, Hillen to a hard (legal) hit and it looked as if his knee buckled. He left the game and did not return. It is expected he will miss a substantial number of games. 

5. Alex Ovechkin is not through making noise yet. He scored a pair of goals, one on the power play and one at even strength. He also iced his shoot out attempt. He has three goals through 2 games and looks like he is primed to score a lot under the new Adam Oates system. 

6. Braden Holtby is off to a shaky start. While the third goal was not his fault, Holtby failed to challenge the shooter on the previous two. He wasn't out front, squaring up and challenging the shooter. He was passive and he sat deep in his net. He was replaced by Neuvirth who stepped in and made some key late game saves to get the Caps into the shoot out realm. 

7. Martin Erat's line didn't see much action in the third period. Oates shortened his bench to get his team back into the game. Don't read into it much as that line is used more in a defensive capacity anyway. 

8. The Caps are 12-2-1 in home openers at Verizon Center. 

9. Tom Wilson stood up for his teammate Hillen after the hit. It's a good teammate thing to do, but instead if charging the Capitals up, they were flat for some time after the altercation. Things did get chippy between the two teams that hardly see each other. 

10. Both the Caps' power plays and penalty kills were top notch. The Caps are 5 for 9 with the extra man, while the PK held when it needs to. 

Capitals faced yet another Western Conference foe when they travel to Dallas to take on the Stars. Caps must continue to tighten up their defensive game 5 on 5 as well as limit their turn overs. 

Rangers Force Game Seven

Capitals 0, Rangers 1
Scoresheet - Event Summary

Series tied 3-3

Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images

It would be a deflected shot off of a Washington Capitals' defender that beat Braden Holtby that would decide game six's fate. It would be enough for the New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist to hold off elimination and force a game seven back in DC as they down the Capitals 1-0.

Special teams were key, in so much as the power play meant nothing to either team. The Capitals were able to kill off all five infractions they took. While the Rangers didn't give their opponents a single power play through 60 minutes of play. The only penalties called against New York happened at the 20:00 mark of the third period after a post game scrum erupted.

While the Rangers were "perfect" by not taking a penalty, the game was frothed with cheap hits and missed calls. Two of the five penalties against the Caps were retaliatory strikes after the Rangers initiated the fact with a cheap shot or a bad hit. Jack Hillen was called for roughing after Ranger captain Ryan Callahan gave the defender an elbow to the head and Hillen went back after him. Mike Green claimed he was slew footed before he turned and cross checked Derek Dorsett.

Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images

But the Capitals undisciplined play would cost them in the end as the team remained out of sync for much of the game. Alex Ovechkin had his moments. He had a few heavy hits through out the game, unfortunate for Dan Girardi who was on the receiving end for at least two of them.

The Ranger goal came after some sustained pressure by the home team. The Capitals trying to keep most of the shots in their own zone to the outside, but a point shot by Derek Brassard bounced off a couple of Capitals in front of the net to beat Braden Holtby. It would tarnish an absolute gem of a game by the young goaltender who faced down 28 shots and kept his team with in arms reach.

The Capitals and Rangers will face off in an epic game seven tomorrow night at Verizon Center. Capitals will look to make it to the next round with a win at home.

Caps Notes:

• Speaking of penalties, the Rangers seem to be raking in the opportunities. The disparity is whopping at Madison Square Garden where the Caps have been whistled for 15 fouls, while the home team only 5 in this series.
• Ovechkin finished with 5 shots, 3 hits in 19:03 in ice time.
• At the end of the game it looked as if Brian Boyle body slammed Mike Green to the ice after popping the Caps' defenders helmet off. Green appeared to be fine.

Caps Take Rangers To Brink

Capitals 2, Rangers 1 OT
Scoresheet - Event Summary

Washington leads series 3-2

Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images

Mike Ribeiro has had a pretty quiet series thus far. A few assists, some solid play on the power play. But tonight, Ribeiro goes from a dull quietness to amp up the volume in Chinatown as he slipped a deflected shot past Henrik Lundqvist in overtime as the Capitals take Rangers to the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win. The Caps now go up 3 games to 2.

The Rangers did get off to a quick start, scoring the first goal of the game just :58 seconds into the first period. Derek Brassard shuffled the puck from behind the net past Steve Oleksy to an open Brian Boyle in front of the net. Just like that, the Rangers had a one goal lead. After that, the Rangers really clogged up the neutral zone and Ranger net minder Lundqvist did the rest.

It would take a bone head play by Boyle in the second period who took a retaliatory slash to Ribeiro's legs in front of the Ranger net. Literally eleven seconds later Joel Ward buried a Marcus Johansson pass to tie the game at one.

The Capitals' special teams continues to impress in the post season. They tied the game on the power play and was 1 for 2 on the night as the Rangers tried to stay out of the penalty box. Their penalty kill was a perfect 4 for 4 including when the Capitals took two straight penalties when Jack Hillen was tapped for body slamming a Ranger, then John Carlson batted the puck over the glass for a delay of game "puck over glass" penalty.

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The Caps killed both to survive the second, and then dominated the third period. Out shooting the Rangers 13-4 in the final period, Washington was unable to solve Lundqvist. The game would be decided in overtime.

Unlike the previous three periods, the overtime frame would be froth with chances for both teams. The play opened up as both teams tried to take each other to the brink of elimination. The firehouse hockey would give Mathieu Perreault a golden opportunity but Lundqvist came up with the outstretched leg pad save.

A few minutes after that the Capitals finally found some offensive pressure as the puck made it way around to Karl Alzner who sent a snapper on net. The puck hit Troy Brouwer in front of the net and trickled to Ribeiro who got position on his defender John Moore. And just like that, the Caps win game five in dramatic fashion and regains the series lead as it heads back to New York for an afternoon game at MSG.

This would be Ribeiro's first game winning play off goal, overtime or otherwise. It capped off a great effort by the Caps to keep the Rangers from scoring again after their early tally in the first. The Rangers pressured but Braden Holtby held it out even with long stretches of not seeing much rubber come his way in the third period. He would make some solid saves in the over time period included a chance by Rick Nash in close on a wrap around shot.

Capitals have a chance to end the Rangers' season on Mother's Day.

Caps Notes:

• Per Caps PR: Tom Wilson made his NHL debut tonight, becoming just the fourth Capitals player to make his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The first three were Chris Felix (4/10/1988), Grant Jennings (4/26/1988) and Trent Whitfield (4/17/2000). Wilson became the first Caps teenager to make his NHL debut in the playoffs, becoming the fifth teenager to suit up for the Capitals in a playoff game (Bob Carpenter, Scott Stevens, Kevin Hatcher, Yvon Corriveau – according to ELIAS). He skated 6:24 and registered one shot and four hits.
• Ribeiro was solid in the faceoff circle, winning 70% of his draws and nearly perfect on defensive zone draws. 
• Joel Ward and Mike Ribeiro both scored their first goals of the series. Ward his 11th career playoff tally, Ribeiro his sixth career playoff goal.
• Matt Hendricks led Caps in blocked shots with seven.

Parade Of Penalties Punishes Caps

Capitals 3, Rangers 4
Score Sheet - Event Summary

Washington leads series 2-1

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The New York Rangers finally figured out how to score on the power play, and their two extra man tallies would keep the Washington Capitals in a perpetual state of playing from behind as they drop game three at Madison Square Garden 4-3. The Rangers avoid the deadly 0 and 3 series drop and crawl back into the series trailing the Capitals 2 games to one.

The once mighty Capitals' penalty kill was humbled when they were whistled for six infractions. The Rangers were credited for only one power play goal as Brian Boyle's snapper was deemed after Joel Ward had left the penalty box, but the Capitals could not get their momentum going in any real tangible direction after constantly coming back from being a man down.

Nick Backstrom, Mike Green and Jack Hillen scored goals for the Capitals. Backstrom got the scoring off and gave the Capitals an early 1-0 lead just 4:06 into the first period. He deflected down a high shot from John Carlson that beat Henrik Lundqvist beneath his pads. The Capitals' penalty woes started to take effect when Ward took a high sticking call and Boyle scored his first of the post season just as the penalty had expired.

The Rangers took the lead when Braden Holtby tripped up Rick Nash and Derick Brassard made the goaltender pay for his transgression. The Capitals did manage to tie the game up. Green's goal was off of sort of broken play. Mathieu Perreault corralled the puck and threw it back to Green open on the point. With the bodies in front of the net, Lundqvist was screened on the shot and the Caps' defenseman picked the top corner for his second goal of the series.

Even with that huge goal, the Caps just seemed out of sync. The Rangers took advantage of some pretty shoddy coverage by their visiting foes when Brassard dug the puck out of the corner and threw it in front of the net. Arron Asham crashing the slot, buried home his first goal of the playoffs.

Still, the Capitals found a way to march back into the game. Off of an offensive zone face off, the puck skittered back to Hillen who shot a laser toward the net. Whether it had been deflected or not, the puck fooled Lundqvist who was in a rare awkward butterfly. Again, the Capitals tie up the game, and again the Ranger's forecheck exploited poor coverage when Derek Stepan tipped a shot/pass by Rick Nash as the Blue Shirts go up for good.

Alex Ovechkin drew a late third period penalty, but even 6 on 4, the Rangers clogged the middle of the ice and the game ended with out a single shot on net by the Capitals in the waning minutes. With Rangers falling into the shooting lanes, the Caps power play personnel tried to pass around it. It took too much time and game three falls into the hands of the New York Rangers.

Holtby played great at times, other times he was a victim of sloppy defensive zone coverage. He allowed 4 goals on 30 shots. He didn't help his cause much when he was whistled for the tripping call on Nash. The Rangers made an effort to be more in Holtby's face, just like Boston tried to do last spring. Holtby again will have to fight through it as his Capitals look to get back on track for game 4.

Caps Notes:

• Coach Adam Oates and his staff sat down and watched the last Capitals' power play before they addressed the media. Whether it was something they saw, or something they will work on for game 4.
• Ovechkin was held with out a point for the first time in seven games. A non-factor on the score sheet, but he did draw the late penalty in the third period.
• Of the seven goal scorers, only Mike Green has scored his second goal of the this series. All of the other players, Derek Brassard, Nick Backstrom, Jack Hillen, Brian Boyle, Derek Stepan and Arron Asham scored their first goals of the series.

Mike "Game Over" Green

Capitals 1, Rangers 0 OT
Scoresheet - Event Summary

Washington leads series 2-0

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The New York Rangers seemed content to sit back and take their chances against the more skilled Washington Capitals team, which worked for the first three periods. But in overtime, Ranger defenseman Ryan McDonagh was penalized for shooting the puck over the glass. It only took the Caps :51 seconds for Mike Green to shoot the overtime winning goal, the only goal of the game, and to put the Capitals up 2-0 in the series against the Rangers by a score of 1-0.

"I think both teams played very good hockey tonight," Caps' bench boss Adam Oates said. "Not a lot shots, 0-0, both goalies played good. Really good hockey."

Green's goal was the only power play tally for the Capitals who played a much more disciplined Ranger team in game two. They were only sent to the sin bin twice, once in the first minute when Derek Dorsett was whistled for a high stick with 4:02 left to play in the first period. With only two power play chances, the Capitals made good on the one in overtime.

Mike Ribeiro started the play on the near half boards with a great fake slapper that forced the Ranger defender to the ice early, he slipped it to the open Green who one timed it just 5 feet from the blue line.

"[Ribeiro] does such a great job drawing guys to him," Green recalled of the play. "Obviously they are on [Alex Ovechkin], so I just happened to be open and my goal was to get it by the first guy and try to hit the net.”

The shot nicked off of Derek Stepen, slipped passed a sprawling Henrik Lundqvist and hit the post and in. The Verizon Center faithful erupted, Mike Green's legend status grows.

It didn't even seem like the Caps were ever going back to the power play the way the Rangers were playing. Trying not to get caught with odd man rushes, the Broadway Blue Shirts sat back with three of them standing a post on their blue line for a lot of the game. They played the odds that the Capitals would turn over the puck with some timely forechecks and their transition game would do the rest.

"[The Rangers] had moments too during the game but I think we did a great job weathering that," Caps' defenseman Steve Oleksy said,  "I felt we controlled a lot of the game and we knew it was going to come down to one bounce either way and fortunately we got it."

It only ended up being a practice in close calls and near breaks for the Capitals, and low scoring chances for them on the otherside. It also propelled the game into overtime with out a single goal being scored.

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The Caps out shot the Rangers 38-24, and visiting goaltender produced one heck of a game against the Capitals. When the Rangers defenders did make a mistake, Lundqvist was there with the save. His rebound control, side to side movement and sniffing out the puck in traffic in front of him were on point. He has shown in game two why he is the best goaltender in the NHL.

"It’s a tough one," Ranger Rick Nash said of the loss after Lundqvist's performance. "[Lundqvist] was unbelievable, we have to get goals for him;  there are no excuses. We go home now and the next game is a huge game."

Braden Holtby was no slouch either this afternoon. Holtby may have had a rougher time handling the puck and faced less shots, but when the Caps needed a save, he was there. He got more comfortable as the game went on, and the most important aspect to his game was he never loss focus, even when his team would keep the Rangers pinned in their zone for long periods of time.

The Capitals' power play has been a key factor in this series. Now 2 for 7 in the series (1 for 2 this afternoon), they have changed the way the Rangers play them. In game one, there was far more physical play and aggressive fore checking by the visiting team. In game two that changed to a more conservative look, with the Rangers backing up and clogging the neutral zone and hoping to keep the score close and their transitional game could get a bounce or two.

While the PP is cooking away, the Cap's PK has also been up to the task. However, the Ranger's power play is not really worth writing home about. When the Caps have needed to kill a penalty, they have.  Rangers are now 0-7 on the power play.

There was some late game controversy when a puck was deflected out of play by Karl Alzner. The Rangers begged for a delay of game penalty. The ruling on the ice was that the puck was deflected off of a dump in shot by the Rangers. A penalty can not be assessed if the puck is deflected out of play. The Capitals would however, be called for the delay of game penalty just 1:51 in the overtime period when Oleksy dumped it over the glass.

Ovechkin did not score, but he was a factor in this game. In the second period, the winger had two beauty feeds. One to Nick Backstrom and the other to Marcus Johansson but neither could convert. Ovi's game seems to be heating up, and his play with out the puck has helped his game become that much better.

If the Rangers play the same style of defensive style hockey in game three, the Caps could adjust to that for better opportunities. At the moment, all it proves is John Tortorella does not trust his team to play an open ice game with the Capitals. See you in New York.

Caps Notes:

• Eric Fehr had another very good game, especially in the overtime period on the penalty kill. He had a scoring chance on the shorthanded forecheck, nearly got the puck to the front of the net for a shot. Then he came back to full body block the point shot, landed on the puck and got a much needed whistle. Big.
• Jason Chimera nearly had a chance to score in the third period when a charging Oleksy threw the puck on net from the corner. Lundqvist was there for the save.
• John Carlson tied Alex Ovechkin in shots on net with seven. 
• Oleksy lead the team in hits with 8.
• Holtby gets his first career playoff shutout. 
• Ranger's head coach John Tortorella's press conference lasted 1:36, 53 words.

PK And Holtby Shine In Game One

Capitals 3, Rangers 1 
Scoresheet - Event Summary

Washington leads series 1-0

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The Washington Capitals exploded for a three goal second period and Braden Holtby made a magical save in the third to help the home team take game one over the New York Rangers. It had looked like the Broadway Blueshirts were going to rope-a-dope the Caps as they practiced bending but not breaking through the first 16:00 minutes of the game at Verizon Center. The Caps would open up the scoring spurred on by their league leading power play in the second period to take game one 3-1.

Alex Ovechkin scored his first of the playoffs on a power play in the second period. Marcus Johansson scored his first off of a beauty of a pass by Steve Oleksy to break out the speedy forward. And Jason Chimera netted the insurance goal under a minute later for his 34th birthday.

The Capitals had an ideal start, getting an early power play in the first minute of the game when the Rangers were whistled for too many men on the ice. While the Caps did not convert, their aggressive forecheck kept New York on their heels as the Caps rolled out a 10-0 shot advantage through the first ten minutes of play.

But a late goal in the first by the Rangers' Carl Hagelin settled the onslaught and put the Capitals down by one goal. It had looked as if the away team weathered the storm and took advantage of a miscue by the Capitals to take the early advantage.

That is when the league's best power play reared it's head six minutes into the second period. Arron Asham was called for an "Illegal check to the head" and on the ensuing power play, the Caps worked the puck around to Mike Green. Green shot it wide, whether on purpose to avoid the sliding blocker or just missed the net, the puck bounced back to the front where a charging Ovechkin back handed it past Henrick Lunqvist.

The Capitals would run into some penalty trouble after that. Martin Erat took a boarding call when he slammed Mats Zuccarello into the dashers from behind. A short time later, Eric Fehr took an interference call on the PK when the Rangers stormed the net. The Rangers, however, where not able to convert on the 5 on 3 power play. 

Nearly seven and a half minutes after Ovi's power play goal, Oleksy would make a phenomenal pass to a streaking Johansson behind the Ranger defense. MoJo scored just under Lundqvist's glove and above the leg pad to give the Capitals their first lead of the night, and ended up being the game winner.

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Chimera's goal came just :46 seconds later, when the birthday boy turned and shot it past Lundqvist who was being screened by Matthieu Perreault.

Holtby was spectacular. Making a plethora of glove saves look routine, the Caps goaltender saved his best save for late in the third period. It was a sharp angle shot that looked as if it went off his shoulder and in. But looking at the replay, the puck is never seen crossing the line. Holtby claimed the puck went into his blocker and that he had the puck in his hand the whole time. It was a magic trick best seen on the stage from David Copperfield, literally the puck disappears after hitting the post. Video was inconclusive, no goal.

The Capitals' penalty kill was sparkling tonight, killing off all four man advantages. That included a 1:26 Ranger 5 on 3. While New York went 0-4, the Capitals were 1-5 with seven shots on net.

Caps take game one and retain the home ice advantage until the two teams are under way Saturday afternoon on the NBC network.

Caps Notes:

• Oleksy took a shot off a shot deflected off his own stick that hit him in the chin/jaw. The big defenseman shook it off, played the rest of the game, with out stitches. It will be a big bruise though.
• Eric Fehr had a spectacular game, even though he didn't score. Drew a few penalties and played tough defense on his own end. 
• John Tortorella's press conference was less than a minute long.

Four Things to Watch For

With five days between the end of the regular season and the Capitals first playoff game tonight, the plethora of previews probably has your head swimming. Instead of just breaking it down, the shot blocking of the Rangers and the Caps' hot power play, instead let us take a gander at maybe the less talked about preview of this matchup. The game inside the game.

In the three games the Capitals and the Rangers have faced off against this abbreviated season, the Rangers holds the edge with a 2-0-1. All the games have been close and the pair of losses came at a time when the Caps were struggling with their game.

First game was "Hockey Day in America" and all American John Carlson scored and the Rangers' power play solidified the win in the third period. Second game was a exercise in what would happen if you took too many penalties. Ends up being a 4-1 loss. Third game all of the scoring came in the first period and the Caps lost a two goal lead but won it in the shootout.

But in that small sampling of games, already a small rivalry brews. What happens with out the puck maybe be more exciting than the game itself (not really, but come along for the ride anyway). Here are my four things to watch for in the series between the Rangers and Capitals.

1. Mike Ribeiro vs. Michael Del Zotto - In game two the pair got tangled up in front of the net where Del Zotto got a little stick happy on Ribz. The Cap winger popped him one in the face and the pair went off for roughing. While Del Zotto may not have any responsibility against Ribeiro's line, the two seem to have a dis like for one another. Del Zotto may try to goad number 9 into taking a bad penalty which could lead to some fireworks between the pair.

2. Captain O' Captain - Team Captains Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Callahan had there little game of who can get under the others skin. The pair exchanged stick jabs in the third game. While it didn't lead to blows, what the pair will do next should be interesting. Callahan does give up some 100 lbs. to Ovechkin, so what ever happens, I presume Ovi will be fine.

3. Holtby's chip - Life rarely has any do overs, but for goaltender Braden Holtby this is a chance for some retribution to last season's 7 game series loss. Holtby should be beyond the point of total focus. Watching his counter part in Henrick Lundqvist should make for some outstanding goaltending in this series.

4. Erskine and Clowe - Two big men will be facing off mostly in front of one Holtby. Johne Erskine, 6'4" 220, and Ryane Clowe, 6'2" 225, will be two big bodies on the ice fighting for space in front of the net. being aware of the pair for some big hits and some great battles in the slot.

I picked the Caps to win in seven games. It will come down to special teams and if the Caps' power play can stay hot. They also have to help themselves by not taking penalties and being physical but not overly physical that could draw penalties. The Rangers' have a good power play too and the Capitals penalty kill is in the "okay" zone.

Playoff Picks 2013

48 games in the books. Normally that would be a look at the halfway point in the season, but this year, the abbreviated season makes for an abbreviated prognostocation of the playoff race that is not.. abbreviated. I would do Western Conference picks up to the Conference Champs one day, and the Eastern picks the next. This year, why not put it under one roof. Also it's late and I am tired.

Western Conference Quarterfinals

#8 Minnesota Wild vs. #1 Chicago Blackhawks - Does anyone really think the Hawks are going to have the season they had to drop a playoff series to the Wild? As much as I like seeing the underdog take out the number one, the Wild haven't had enough consistency to get it done this season, even with big time summer signings. Sorry, but Hawks in 5.

Blackhawks defeat Wild in 5 games

#7 Detroit Red Wings vs. #2 Anaheim "Mighty" Ducks - New lease on life, the Ducks under the direction of Bruce Boudreau have proven to be a power house in the Western Conference. But, wait, where have we heard this tale before? The Red Wings are a sleeper team this year, and if they can finally put it together, you really can not count them out. Wings wake.

Red Wings defeat Ducks in 7 games

#6 San Jose Sharks vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks - The goaltender drama of the Canucks certainly caused an early stir for the Canucks, but the pair have put together a great backstopping tandem that added stability to Vancouver. This will be a great series, one for the record books. But the Sharks are playing well of late... so there.

Sharks defeat Canucks in 7 games

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #4 St. Louis Blues - A rematch of the Conference Semifinal a season ago, the Blues look to exact revenge against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Should be a good match up full of twists and turns and some pretty good hitting. Underdogs again, the Kings looked poised to make another deep run, not much the Blues can do about that.

Kings defeat Blues in 6 games.

Western Conference Champs

Yada yada yada, so on and so forth, bottom line is the Blackhawks make this post season their personal coming out party. So yea, Chicago wins the West.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

#8 New York Islanders vs. #1 Pittsburgh Penguins - If any team sort of "over did" it to load its team with talent full of rentals to make the playoffs, then the Penguins are the mid-life crisis buyers of the NHL. Bringing in the big guns that included the stealing of Jarome Iginla from Boston, the Penguins are poised to push for the Cup even with out Sidney the first round or so. Islanders would be a fun underdog to watch though.

Penguins defeat Islanders in 6 games

#7 Ottawa Senators vs. #2 Montreal Canadiens - A team on the rise, the other stumbling into the playoffs. This was a hard one to dissect. Senators get Erik Karlsson back from injury and it should provide a short boost for the injury-riddled team. The Habs are a pretty fast talented team that could out talent the Senators.

Canadiens defeat Senators in 6 games

#6 New York Rangers vs. #3 Washington Capitals - I will break down this matchup in due time (we don't start until Thursday for Pete's sake). Caps playing stellar hockey down the stretch, Rangers sort of hanging around until a final push late in their season. Sorry Rags fans, no Ilander/Ranger series this year.

Capitals defeat Rangers in 7 games

#5 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #4 Boston Bruins - For a team that going into the third period was a lock for the win, the Bruins have fallen into "no lead is safe" territory. The Maple Leafs are just begging to make an example out of them. Couple of interesting story lines with Phil Kessel returning to face Boston in the playoffs.

Bruins defeat Leafs in 5 games

Eastern Conference Champions

Everything points to the Penguins making it out of the East. They have the most talent that could include the return of one Sidney Crosby. But the road they have to traverse is full of teams that don't have the pressure they have to make it to the Finals. I don't think this team can plug all the holes in time. The Habs or Bruins are also favorites, but unless something extreme happens, Pens should take the East crown.

Stanley Cup Champs

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Picking a winner between two teams that didn't face each other in the short season. But to quickly make a decision, Blackhawks are far to good of a oiled machine for the patch work Penguins.

Blackhawks first team to repeat Cup champions since the '05 lockout.

There you go Chicago, you are welcome. Breaking down the Rags and Caps up next.