Record setting night in Sunshine state.

It took Mike Green just under 35 minutes to re-write the record books. The Caps defenseman has been red hot lately, leading all NHL players in goals over the past few weeks. Last night, he put himself in a position no other rearguard has ever been.

Eight straight games with a goal. A new NHL record, which will likely stand for awhile. As previously noted by FEAR THE WEAGLE, Mike O'Connell set the record at seven games in the 83-84 season with the Boston Bruins. Other notable defensemen on the list were Ray Bourque (7) and Bobby Orr (6).

A throng of Capitals came off the bench to celebrate the monumental achievement set by the 23 year old blue liner, and his father David was also in attendance. Green had a chance for back-to-back multi-goal games, but rang one off the post in the third.

However, Green was not the only one setting records last night.

Michael Neuvirth - a Caps rookie - probably never thought he'd get a sniff of NHL action this season. An ECHL All-Star with the Capitals affiliate South Carolina Stingrays, Neuvirth was recalled by the Hershey Bears when both Darren Machesney and Simeon Varlamov were unable to suit up due to injury. While in Chocotown, Michael posted a modest 4-3-2 record with a 3.03 GAA and .890 SV%.

When it became clear that Brent Johnson was hampered by a season ending hip injury, Washington was forced to turn to their young net minders to play in spot duty down the stretch. Varlamov would have most likely gotten the call for last night as he already has two NHL games under his belt this year with a 2-0-0 record. Varlamov however, is still ailing from a knee ligament injury, which he hopes to return from this week. The Capitals took a chance with Neuvirth hoping for the best.

Last night, Neuvirth looked calm, cool and collected, stopping 23 shots en route to a 5-1 Washington victory. The win marks Neuvirth's first of his NHL career, and hopefully one of many in his young career.

It seems as though the Capitals future in goal looks bright with both Varlamov and Neuvirth showing the ability to play at the NHL level at a young age. The test will be if they can carry a heavier load in the years to come, with successful results.

GM George McPhee has been unclear about any plans in goal past this season, saying only he plans to spell now starter Jose Theodore with Neuvirth and Varlamov. It is unclear whether or not they will re-sign Brent Johnson through next season, or give his job to one (or both) of these young net minders.

But the main story of last night's action was the play of Mike Green. We at FEAR THE WEAGLE would like to extend our congratulations to Mike on a milestone that may never be eclipsed again. He is definitely now looking as a legitimate Norris Winner, and we wish him the best.

Green will try to extend his record to nine games as the Caps take on the Panthers tonight.

Ovechkin chips in as Capitals break losing streak.

Nothing remedies a losing streak better than a six goal outing. Tonight the Capitals were able to break out of their recent funk, notching a 6-3 victory over rival Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Capitals continued the trend of falling behind early as an Evgeni Malkin power play marker had the Pens take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

It didn't take long for the Capitals to cut the deficit, as Viktor Kozlov scored his 10th of the season 1:06 into the second frame. Miroslav Satan and Alexander Semin traded goals through the midway point of the period, as both clubs hit the locker room knotted in a 2-2 tie.

However it was in the third period that Alexander Ovechkin took over.

Ovechkin marked his 27th goal of the season midway through a Capitals power play early in the third. Soon after Pittsburgh had tied the game again, he provided the primary assist on a Tomas Fleischmann goal that turned out to be the game winner. And for an encore, he scored once more off the skate of Pittsbugh defenseman Brooks Orpik to give Washington a comfortable 5-3 lead.

Jeff Schultz would later mark a short-handed empty net goal, his first on the campaign.

For the most part, Washington's defense was able to keep the duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin silent, as they managed only 3 points combined in a losing effort.

Crosby left the game twice with an apparent leg injury.

Jose Theodore was sharp, stopping 26 shots in the victory, including some clutch saves on a Pittsbugh man advantage in the third.

Nicklas Backstrom tallied three assists while the afformentioned Tomas Fleischmann finished with a goal and an assist. Brooks Laich also had a productive game, registering 5 shots and 2 assists.

The Caps next action is set to take place Saturday as they will clash with the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins at the Verizon Center.

Capitals prove mortal against Blue Jackets

Deja-vu all over again.

The Capitals went into last nights game hoping to keep to streaks in tact. Firstly, the club was going for it's tenth straight home victory, which would tie the record set by the 2000-01 team.

Secondly, Jose Theodore was vying for his 7th straight win which would tie his all time record which he set in the 2001-02 season.

Neither statistic was achieved as the Caps were blanked for the second time this season by Calder Trophy front runner Steve Mason.

Mason warded off all 45 shots he faced, notching his 14th win and 6th shutout of the season.


The 20 year old Oakville, Ontario native leads the NHL in GAA (1.74), SV% (.938) and shutouts (6)

Meanwhile the Capitals had Sergei Fedorov and Tomas Fleischmann return to their line-up last night, both of whom had rather pedestrian outings. Jeff Schultz is back on the shelf as he is still struggling with his broken finger. Tyler Sloan was recalled for yesterday's game, and will suit up again tonight in Montreal.

Washington has not lost in back-to-back games since their injury riddled western road trip in November when they dropped games to Los Angeles and San Jose.

Let's hope that this streak continues. As they say, "one outta three ain't bad."

Scorching Caps finish first half strong.

The Washington Capitals played their 41st game of the year last night, and in a game that mirrored the atmosphere of a playoff game they were able to notch their 27th victory of the season over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Washington defeated the Flyers by way of a shootout, as Jose Theodore stopped all three shooters, and Viktor Kozlov scored what turned into the game winner.

Their record now sits at 27-11-3, including a 12-1-0 run in their past 13, which is a far cry from where they were at mid way point last year.

Just to take you on a quick trip down memory lane, the Capitals were 12-17-2 at the same point last year, and were sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference before their miraculous turn around.


What has been more impressive than last years playoff drive is how well the Capitals are preforming this year despite a slew of injuries to core players.

Many nights this season, the Capitals have more so resembled the Hershey Bears, as nearly half their AHL roster has played at least one NHL game this season.

But despite the bruised bodies the Caps have gotten it done, and now sit at 57 points on the year, good for fourth overall in the league.

Impressive? Rather. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Washington cannot afford to let their egos be stroked on merely half a years work.

Some would call last nights game a Litmus Test for the Capitals, considering they were playing one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. The real test will be how they fair the remainder of January, as it will be their toughest schedule to date.

Remaining on the calendar this month are trips from the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, as well as road trips to Boston and Pittsburgh.

This month also features three back-to-back sets, the most the Capitals will see all year.

So lets keep it all in perspective. What the Caps have done so far this season is impressive, and there's no reason not to believe that they won't be able to continue it into the second half of the season, especially if healthy bodies start returning to the line-up.

However there is much work to be done for the Capitals to maintain their image as an Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Hold off the Stanley Cup parades just yet.

Clark wins vote for most disappointing Capital

Chris Clark is the winner of FEAR THE WEAGLE's second poll of the season, taking the title of most disappointing Capital this season by a wide margin (65%). Coming in second was off-season acquisition Jose Theodore (34%), who is finally starting to come into his own, going 3-0-0 in his past three starts.

This was the first and only time this season the french-Canadian 'tender has been able to string three victories together.

He will start again tomorrow night as the Capitals head into Buffalo, hoping to beat them for the second time in five days.

FEAR THE WEAGLE will be down the next few days for the remainder of the holidays, and will be back to covering the Capitals effective January 2, 2009.

Happy New Year to all those who follow the blog, and may 2009 be kinder to the Capitals infirmary than was 2008.

Holiday Season update

Sorry to all the followers, I have been intensely busy lately with the Holiday's quickly approaching. Here is the low down on the Capitals right now.

Alexander Semin did not make the trip to Philadelphia for tonight's game as he has re-aggrivated his back injury in Thursday nights game. St. Louis forward David Backes delivered a cross check to the small of Semin's back mid-way through the third period, and he did not return to the game.

Simeon Varlamov has been returned to Hershey after two solid games between the pipes for the Capitals. Varlamov owns a 12-3-0 record since coming to North America, and with his brief stint in Washington, seems to have accelerated his development level, and could be NHL ready as soon as next year.

Continuing in that vein, there are three methods that would allow Varlamov to play in the NHL next year. Firstly, Brent Johnson's contract is up at the end of this year, so there is the option to not pick it up and spell Varlamov in his place next season. Secondly, they could buy out the remainder of Jose Theodore's 4.5 million dollar contract (which would be paid out over two years). Finally, they could pay Jose his 4.5 million as he plays in the minors for Hershey.

I'm not sure how probable any of these scenarios actually are, in my mind they are best to re-sign Johnson and ride out the last year of Theodore's contract, unless they are positive that Varlamov has what it takes to win a Stanley Cup at 21 years of age.

The last point I want to make is that the Capitals are in the midst of a five game win streak, and just reached their 20th victory of the season. I have noticed that they haven't really received full credit for their accomplishments to date and that teams like Boston, Pittsburgh, New York and Montreal are getting a lot more air time.

Here's an interesting tidbit for you:

If Washington beats Philadelphia tonight they will be the only team of the Big Seven (NYR, NJ, PIT, PHI, BOS, MTL, WSH) to hold wins of each of the other teams.

Boston: 2-2-2 with 2 wins over MTL (has not played PHI or NJ)
Montreal: 4-4-2 with 2 wins over PHI; 1 over NYR, BOS (has not played PIT)
New Jersey: 7-5-1 with 2 wins over WSH, PIT; 1 over NYR, MON, PHI (has not played BOS)
New York Rangers: 6-3-0 with 2 wins over PIT, NJ; 1 over PHI, BOS
Philadelphia: 4-3-3 with 2 wins over NJ; 1 over MTL, PIT (has not played WSH or BOS)
Pittsburgh: 4-3-3 with 2 wins over PHI; 1 win over BOS, NYR (has not played MTL)
Washington: 6-0-2 with 2 wins over MTL; 1 win over BOS, NJ, NYR, PIT (has not played PHI)

Leonhardt lives every hockey fans dream.

Just when things couldn't get any wackier for the Capitals, they did.

A rash of injuries forced Washington to morph into a hybrid NHL/AHL team, which featured a dozen call ups over the past month.

And yesterday, things got a bit hairier.

During a Thursday afternoon practice goaltender Jose Theodore tweaked a hip flexor, ironically the same injury which has hampered Brent Johnson through the early part of the season.

On game day things went from bad to worse as Theodore was forced to leave practice early as his injury persisted.

Summon Brett Leonhardt.

Leonhardt, a web designer and media personality for the Capitals had been called in to practice with the on Thursday, as he played Division 3 collegiate hockey with Oswego State and Neumann College.

While Friday rolled on, it became more and more apparent that Leonhardt might have to suit up for that nights game. Hershey Bears goaltender Simeon Varlamov was stuck in San Antonio, Texas and had a devil of a time getting both himself and his equipment to D.C.. South Carolina Stingrays goaltender Michael Neuvirth couldn't get a flight out of Fort Myers, Florida and as game time approached the Capitals were forced to turn to Leonhardt.

Dawning his unmarked stall in the locker room was the cherry red Capitals jersey. Number 80. Leonhardt. A dream come true for any hockey player, regardless the level they competed.

As Leonhardt took to warm ups, the team anxiously awaited the arrival of Varlamov from Texas. He arrived at the 10:57 mark of the first period, putting an end to Leonhardt's brief tenure as the Washington Capitals back-up.

This was not the first time a similar situation has arose in the NHL. In December of 2003, the Vancouver Canucks were set to host the Pittsburgh Penguins when goaltender Dan Cloutier went down with a groin injury.

With the Manitoba Moose on the east coast, it was impossible for Alex Auld to be called up in time for the game.

The Canucks were forced to roll the dice with University of British Columbia back-up Chris Levesque, who almost had to play in the game as Johan Hedberg was shaken up.

While Levesque and Leonhardt never played in their respective games, they both will be able to tell their NHL stories, which will resonate with them for their lives.

"[My teammates] were pumped," Leonhardt said. "(Sergei) Fedorov said: 'This is why I love this organization, this is great.' Mike Green just started laughing his head off then put his arm around me and said 'Let's go.' Even (Johnson) who doesn't talk before games came over, went through warm up with me said 'Hey have fun out there.' It couldn't have been more perfect."

And perfect it was.

Making the Most of your Opportunites

Since the 2002-03 campaign, Brent Johnson has never started more than 35 games in a year. The past 5 NHL seasons, Johnson has been a career back-up, as well as a journey man, making brief stops in Phoenix and Vancouver before being claimed off waivers by Washington in October 2004.

A gamble that paid off for the Capitals, as former "sure bet" prospect Maxime Ouellet never paned out and now finds himself playing in a Senior A League in Quebec.

But ever since his inception to the NHL ranks with the St. Louis Blues, Johnson has always been pushed by competition in the pipes. Whether it was Roman Turek, Fred Brathwaite or Chris Osgood, Johnson was never able to take the reigns as a legitimate number one starter. In his time in The Gateway City, he never received more than 58 starts in a year, but also never registered a GAA of over 2.50.

Johnson was finally moved the year before the lockout as the Blues continued trying to straighten out their goalie carousel. When he finally landed in Washington, he came to a team in the early stages of a rebuilding process [his stats show how grueling the rebuild was] and at this point was looked at as no more than a career back-up.

Finally this season, Brent Johnson is getting the chance to fuel a competition for the starting job.

Jose Theodore was signed by the Capitals this summer and has failed to meet expectations up to date. His .885 SV% has been less than adequate and his 2-3-0 record is not what Washington is looking for coming out of the gates.

In an attempt to inspire his team, coach Bruce Boudreau called on the 31 year old Johnson to start a handful of games, and Johnson accepted the role and hasn't look back.

To date he has registered a 4-1-2 record, his only regulation loss coming in the Capitals season opener where he came in relief of Jose Theodore.


His scintillating .931 SV% is ranked 3rd in the league as he ranks 5th with a GAA of 2.11.


It might be early yet, but it certainly seems that Johnson still has all the tools to become a number one goaltender, and that he is finally being given the chance to put them all together.

"I think its confidence," Boudreau said of Johnson. "He's in the last year of his deal. He loves the area. He loves being a Capital. He knows he's got a great chance and a great opportunity. A new guy has come in, and granted, he's probably going to be the No. 1 guy when it's all said and done. But it's not like Olie, where you knew he was always going to be the guy. So Johnson kind of has that spring in his step." "I want to get Jose back in there, but it's tough to take [Johnson] out when he's playing that well," he added.

While there is little certainty at this point, it appears this will be an interesting season in the crease.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 11/04/08 Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

The month of October has not been as kind to the Washington Capitals as their fans had hoped. Granted, they are 5-4-1 and are still above the .500 mark, the bar coming into this season was set at a rather lofty level, which as previously mentioned, has yet to be achieved.

I have previously stated the the Capitals are a slow starting team and this season bears no exception. It will be important to rack up points early in November before heading on a west coast road trip which has the team visiting Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose in a three night stretch.

Not to mention the hot start from the Carolina Hurricanes who seem to be able to plug anyone into their battered line up and still consistently win games. It will be important for Washington not to fall too far behind early as it a repeat of last years heroics would be fairly unlikely.

Lets take a look at some of the positives for Washington. Tonight, star forward Alexander Ovechkin will be back in the line up after heading back to Moscow for a week to visit his sick grandfather. Contrary to reports posted on www.life.ru, Ovechkin's grandfather is still alive in hospital, and Alex was glad to have been given the opportunity to see him.

"My mind was already back in Moscow," he said. "I called George [McPhee] and said, 'George I need to go back to Russia and see my grandpa because I don't know when he is going to die. Thanks to the Capitals. They said go there and be with your family. It helped me a lot."

Ovechkin's presence has been missed in the line-up and hopefully he is able to return rejuvinated and into mid-season form as the Capitals will try to turn up the heat and prove they were not just a one year wonder.

Also of note is the demeanor of Coach Bruce Boudreau, who I felt had let his players away with a lot so far. A shutout at the hands of the Sabres on Saturday changed his complex as he skated his players into the ice on Sunday and stated there will be no free rides this season. Perhaps this tough love is what players like Mike Green, Chris Clark, Shaone Morrisonn, Nicklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore need to kick start their game.

The Senators, too, are having a rocky start to the year with a 4-5-2 record so far. Alex Auld will be their starting goaltender and he possesses a 3-2-0 record with a .931 SV% this year.

The Caps will need to be able to capitalize on the power play and prove that they can play a full 60 minutes worth of hockey if they intend to win this game. So far they have taken untimely penalties which have cost them goals against.

It is clear that the Caps will have to make their own break as November's schedule is not kind. They cannot afford to repeat last years mishaps.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/25/08 Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars

If there is a team that parallels the Washington Capitals early into this 2008-09 season, it would be the Dallas Stars. Both teams are entering this season with tremendous expectations on their shoulders, many of them involving hosting the Stanley Cup come June.

But if the first seven games of this season have shown us anything, it's that both these teams have failed to deliver on the pre-season hype.

This may be taken as an overstatement, and understandably so, considering the season is not even 1/10th completed, but with the buzz around these teams, their records thus far do not sit well with fans.

Lets also keep in mind that both teams are missing star players at key positions. Both Tom Poti (Capitals) and Sergei Zubov (Stars) are veteran leaders on their respective blue lines, and command crucial ice time in their teams pursuits of victory. Furthermore, both pivots are injured, Poti nursing a sore groin and Zubov out with a hip injury which has him sidelined until at least sometime into November.

If that wasn't enough add Viktor Kozlov, John Erskine and Donald Brashear to the list of Caps injuries, while noting the Stars are without the services of Steve Ott, Jere Lethinen and Doug Janik.

Suffice to say, both teams have gotten out to a sluggish start largely due to the holes in their line-up as they fail to ice a complete team.

Stars goaltender Marty Turco has not been able to get on track so far this year and limps in with a 3-4-1 record along with the third worst GAA (4.04) in the league. The only starter worse than him statistically is Martin Biron (4.50 GAA), who the Caps could not solve often enough last spring.

For Washington, their starting goalie has yet to be confirmed, but with back-to-back solid performances, I would give the nod to Jose Theodore. Theodore, like Turco, started off the season a tad bit rusty but is now beginning to regain his form from last year. Hopefully tonight the Capitals will be able to play well enough for him to earn his third win of the year.

Washington's song and dance this year has been the lack of consistency. Alexander Ovechkin has marked a quiet 4 points (2G, 2A) so far this year, and Swedish center Nicklas Backstrom has a measly two points (2A) this year, which puts him way off the pace of another 69 point campaign.

But also bare in mind that the Washington Capitals are historically a slow starting team, no matter what their expectations. Last year they were a feeble 6-14-1 before righting their ship en route to the Southeast Division Championship. Moreover, both Ovechkin and Backstrom had particularly slow starts to the year in 2007-08 as well, only to kick it in to high gear come the month of September, while Alexander Semin (6G, 5A and team leading scorer) was in and out of the line-up with an injured ankle.



Right now it's simply a case of players feeling sorry for themselves and squeezing the sticks too tightly. In their 2-1 loss to Phoenix on Thursday, the Capitals registered 31 shots on Michael Tellqvist in a losing effort. Most nights, 31 shots is good enough for three goals let alone one, but things will smooth themselves over in time.

If you are a fan of the Capitals, you have to believe that at some point, this team with gel and return to the form that dazzled fans last year. The key will be not to rehash last years struggles by repeating a 6-14-1 record through the first quarter of the season. As long as they are able to sit around .500, they will be in fine shape.

Hopefully, Boudreau can succeed where Hanlon failed.

In Bruce we trust.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/23/08 Washington Capitals at Phoenix Coyotes

Jose Theodore could not have played much better in a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Theodore stopped 26 of a possible 28 shots in a losing effort, as the Capitals fell to 3-2-1 on the season.

Tyler Sloan also played a gritty 9 minutes in the loss, laying the hit of the year (to date) on an unsuspecting Daymond Langkow midway through the first period. The hit ended up granting the Capitals a 9 minute power play as Rene Bourque racked up an astounding 19 minutes in penalties in trying to atone for his teammate.

Both will remain in the line-up for the Capitals Thursday night game in the desert against an up and coming Coyotes team.

After watching his power play go 0-4 on the power play, including a lack luster effort on a nine (yes NINE) minute power play, Coach Bruce Boudreau is stressing his players to get traffic in front of the opposing goalie to generate scoring chances on the man advantage. This will come as a relief, as those who follow the Caps feel they have been much too cute in trying to concoct masterful tic-tac-toe plays rather than just putting the puck on net. The Capitals rank 16th (5-32) in the league so far on the power play, which is somewhat of a disappointment considering the talent they bolster.

For the Coyotes, they will send Michael Tellqvist to oppose the Capitals. Tellqvist was a modest 9-8-2 last year with a 3.07 GAA.

Phoenix sits 25th overall in goals per game, averaging at only 2.43.
They are also 23rd in goals allowed per game at 3.40, which marks almost a full goal difference per game. The Coyotes have relied on the mentality of scoring by committee as Shane Doan, Olli Jokinen and Kyle Turris are their team leaders in points.

Washington will have to come out stronger than they did on Tuesday night, and also show more discipline as they took 10 penalties throughout their game with the Flames, including four 5 on 3 opportunities.

The last time that Alexander Ovechkin was in Phoenix was in his Calder Cup year (05-06) when he scored only what can be referred to as "the goal". We will see if Ovechkin can duplicate this feat in tonight's match as he desperately seeks to get his season on track.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/21/08 Washington Capitals at Calgary Flames

For 27 year old defenseman Tyler Sloan, Hollywood itself could not have delivered a better script. The rugged Calgary, Alberta native has been a career journeyman through the ECHL and AHL ranks, not yet having a chance to suit up for NHL action, excluding preseason.

Until tonight.

And what better way for Sloan to get his first crack at the bigs than in his home town in front of his family and friends.

"I didn't think it was going to be this soon, but I'm ecstatic," Sloan said of the call-up. "I'm going to Calgary, my hometown, you can't ask for any more than that."

Sloan will indeed have his work cut out for him, joining a depleted defensive corps who is without the veteran leadership of Tom Poti. Poti is sidelined with a groin injury and will not suit up for tonight's game. This will give Sloan an opportunity to see ice-time both at even strength, and most probably on the penalty kill as well.

Sloan will not be the only home town boy in a Capitals uniform tonight fellow defensemen Mike Green and Jeff Schultz also hail from The Stampede City.

Washington will be taking on a Calgary Flames club that hasn't quite lived up to their standards so far this season. A team that prides itself on defense has yet to find a way to put it all together, sputtering out to a 1-3-1 start to their year.

However the off-season acquisitions of Todd Bertuzzi and Mike Cammalleri seem to be paying off as they are both producing at a point per game status.

It will be important for the Capitals to perform as they did against Vancouver, in regards to using their offense as their best form of defense. In that game they held the Canucks to only 10 shots on goal, and coasting to an easy 5-1 win. Given the injures to not only Poti, but Viktor Kozlov and Donald Brashear, Washington will have to use their strong fore check and team play to cover for their lack of man power.

So far this season, Jose Theodore has paralleled A Tale of Two Cities, a Charles Dickens classic to many a Caps fan. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That has essentially summed it up for the French Canadian net minder who has shown flashes of brilliance, but also hasn't erased the memories of the last three seasons of the Olaf Kolzig era (1995-2008). His play has been indicative of his confidence, which seems to fluctuate as the game progresses. It will be interesting to see if he can put in his first well rounded performance of the season tonight.

For the Flames, word is that Curtis McElhinney may get the start tonight, but that has yet to be confirmed nor denied, so for the time being we will assume it will be Mikka Kiprusoff in the pipes.

Here's hoping Tyler Sloan writes himself into the record books in a very special way.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/16/08 Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins

Game by game. Period by period. Shift by shift. The Washington Capitals have progressively improved their play all year.

Granted, we are only three games in, but if Monday nights victory is any indication of what lies ahead, the Capitals are in good hands.

The team was firing on all cylinders against Vancouver, allowing only 10 shots against all game. Tonight they will take on an old foe in the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Crosby versus Ovechkin. Or if you prefer, Ovechkin versus Malkin.

Both teams feature an arsenal of stars, which provided fantastic games between the two last year. Let's hope this is case tonight.


Pittsburgh won last years season series 3-1, while three of the four games were separated by only one goal.

Pens defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are nursing long term injuries, which should mean that Ovechkin will see a frequent dosage of Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh's most sound defenseman. This should bode well for the second line of Semin, Nylander and Laich who should be able to capitalize on the lack of healthy defensemen.

For Pittsburgh it will be important for their superstars to get on the score sheet. They gutted out a 3-2 win against Philadelphia on Tuesday, without Crosby or Malkin registering a point.

However, the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury has been superb and is to thank for the teams early season success.

Washington will counter with Jose Theodore in net. Theodore sat in place of Brent Johnson on Monday, who notched his 100th win in the process. Theodore is 1-0-0 on the season with a 4.00 GAA and .842 SV%.

Capitals fowards Viktor Kozlov and Donald Brashear will be out of tonight's contest, due to injuries. Kozlov's status is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, while Brashear is healing an injured hand.

Washington has not had very much success against Pittsburgh lately, and tonight will serve as the first test of the year. A chance to turn the tables on this bitter Patrick Division match-up.

A chance at redemption in this series.

Caps "Rock the Red": 4-2 win over Blackhawks.

As the Washington Capitals raised their 2007-08 Southeast Division Championship banner to the rafters, 18,277 rabid fans were hoping to put yesterday out of their memory and turn the page on their 2008-09 campaign. And then the puck dropped.

Oh no. Not again. Not tonight.

That's all one could think as 26 seconds into the game, Washington found themselves down 1-0. A Kris Versteeg shot squeaked through Jose Theodore's pads on what many would call a routine save opportunity to put the Capitals behind the eight ball. At the half way point of the first, the Caps were down 2-0 as sophomore Jack Skille slapped a puck through Theodore's five hole again.

Deja vu.

For the second night in a row, Theodore was off to a rough start and the team would have to claw back to earn the win. Moments after falling behind 2-0, Theodore was called upon to make two desperation saves, denying the Hawks of a 3-0 lead.

It was then that the game started to change.

Washington's gritty fourth line of David Steckel, Donald Brashear and Matt Bradley provided the first spark of the game as Steckel made a nice feed to Bradley on the doorstep for a tap in goal. Just after the five minute mark of the second, Alexander Ovechkin scored a classic Ovechkin-esque goal, shooting through the legs of defenseman Brian Campbell and through the pads of screened Nikolai Khabibulin. This wasn't the first time that Ovechkin abused Campbell for a goal.

For the second game in a row, the Caps came back from an early deficit to tie the game. But unlike last night's short comings, tonight's home opener at the Phone Booth would be different.

Late in the third, Alexander Semin drove to the net and deposited the puck on the stick of Brooks Laich who netted his first of the year. Referee Bill McCreary had to go upstairs to make sure the puck had completely crossed the line, but after only a few minutes of deliberation, it was ruled a goal.

Then with under five minutes left in the third, Alexander Ovechkin sniped a shot low blocker side on Khabibulin to seal the game, his second of the night.

As for Theodore, he seemed to find his game in the second period and was helped out by his defense, who gave up only eleven shots through the remainder of the game. This allowed Theodore to get into the game, and he finished the game stopping 19 of 21 shots for the win.

Also of note was the play of winger Tomas Fleischmann. Fleischmann was a standout in my eyes making nice dekes and smart plays with the puck to try to generate scoring for an otherwise stagnant third line. He was praised for his play by Bruce Boudreau in his post game interview.

The defensive pairing of Milan Jurcina and John Erskine (better know as JURSKINE) played as good as a Caps fan could expect, logging a modest 15 minutes of ice time a piece. The duo was split up for last nights game, but Bruce Boudreau decided it would be best for his top four defensemen to play together while Jurcina and Erskine would fill in where needed. I have ragged on both of them as of late but their play in tonight's game was rather impressive.

The Capitals will now host the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night at 7:00 PM.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/11/08 Washington Capitals vs Chicago Blackhawks

The atmosphere leading up to last nights game was tense, as all Caps fans fidgeted, intent on the puck drop to start the season. And in the span of a few hours, it was the equivalent to letting air out of a balloon. A depleted sinking feeling. Doom and gloom.

And for some, it is doom and gloom. This was a team who was expected to come out of the gates fast and strike it's opponents the same way a puma goes for the jugular of the defenseless gazelle. But last night that was not to be.

The Caps gave up three early goals; and, after clawing their way back to a 4-4 tie they blew up in the third, giving up three more goals for a 7-4 finale.

Mike Green and Alexander Semin both had impressive games, putting up 6 points and scoring 3 of the Capitals 4 goals.

Tonight, they take on a talented lineup, featuring the likes of fellow Winnipeger Jonathan Toews, last years Calder Cup winner Patrick Kane and newly acquired Brian Campbell on the blue line. The Blackhawks bolster a much deeper squad than the Thrashers do, so it will be important not to slip tonight.

There are 4.5 million reasons why Jose Theodore has to be more consistent in net. After a decent preseason, Theodore blew up last night allowing four goals over the span of two periods; a few of them being Olaf Kolzig specials (check dictionary under "softies") and was pulled for back-up Brent Johnson who didn't end up fairing much better.

Chicago will ice a dangerous powerplay unit, so it will be important for Washington to limit their trips to the box.

Defense will also have to buckle down as tonight they face a very agile, aggressive and speedy club. This won't bode well for the JURSKINE duo (a combination of Jurcina and Erskine), who are two of the slower defenders in the bunch. To some it may seem like I pick on them but food for thought:

In two AHL games, Karl Alzner has 3 assists and is a +2 rating. I know it is still early in the year but I'm sticking by my convictions that he should be up here and a shake up will be needed to do so.

But to the doom and gloomers, here's even more food for thought:

I unfortunately do not have the stats handy, but I can assuredly say that under the Bruce Boudreau reign (dating back to last November for people just joining the party) the Capitals have rarely lost in back to back contests.

Bruce will have these guys ready to go. In Bruce we trust.

Pre-Game Thoughts: 10/10/08 Capitals at Thrashers

As the clock pushes it's way past 12 A.M., the dawn of the 2008-09 Washington Capitals season will be upon us. This off-season has been relatively busy for the Caps, all while trying to mold a Stanley Cup contender. Out are goalies Christobal Huet and legendary Olaf Kolzig, heading to Chicago and Tampa Bay respectively.

Washington's big acquisition this year is Jose Theodore, who is expected to carry a heavy load this year if the Capitals are to succeed.

The fowards and defense remains much the same, Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Shaone Morrisonn, Boyd Gordon, Eric Fehr, Sergei Fedorov have all signed contract extensions, and it appears this team is heading in the right direction.

The opposite is the case for Atlanta. After trading away superstar Marian Hossa at last years trade deadline, and failed to replace his scoring touch during the free agent period. They do not possess a particularly deep roster, and will look to rookie defenseman Zach Bogosian to play important minutes with the rest of this pitiable defensive corps.

That being said, Washington will still have to find a way to limit the playing time of John Erskine and Milan Jurcina in order to succeed. Both had disappointing pre-seasons and were vastly outplayed by rookie Karl Alzner, but the team felt it was best for Alzner to play more minutes in the AHL.

The clock will be ticking on the JURSKINE combination and it might not be long before either; or both, are replaced. But if the past 7 games are any indication, we should be in for a high scoring season from these upstart Caps.

It begins now.