Neuvirth and Kronwall to make Capitals debuts.

Just a quick note on tonight's game in Tampa Bay:

Michael Neuvirth will start in goal against the Lightning, making his NHL debut. Neuvirth will look to follow in the steps of fellow rookie goaltender Simeon Varlamov, attempting to win his first game of his young NHL career.

Also making his first start as a Capital will be Staffan Kronwall. Kronwall was claimed 8 days ago by the Capitals and finally has a grip on the system as well as his immigration status cleared.

Both Karl Alzner and Milan Jurcina will not play in tonight's game on the Capitals blue line.

Other additions to the line-up are Alexander Semin returing from injury as well as John Erskine getting back on the ice and out of the press box, as he has been a healthy scratch the past two games.

Capitals claim Kronwall

Today the Capitals claimed defenseman Saffan Kronwall off of entry waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Jarfalla, Sweden product (and younger brother to Detroit's Nicklas) has posted solid numbers this season with the Leafs AHL affiliate, leading all defenseman in scoring (25 points in 42 games).

Kronwall will not be in the line up for tomorrow night's game against the Panthers as he has immigration issues to clear up. He will also have to play a minimum of 10 games, or spend the next 30 days on the Capitals roster before he becomes waiver exempt, giving Washington the opportunity to send him to Hershey without risk.

"He played real well in his first year pro in North America, but then he's had some setbacks with injuries the past few years. He's a puck moving defenseman who might have some upside. So we'll take a look." - GM George McPhee

The Capitals have also recalled Karl Alzner and Alexandre Giroux for tomorrow night's game.

Nylander wants out?; Plus other Capitals notes.

After being scratched from the Capitals line-up for last nights game, Michael Nylander vented to Capitals Insider Tarik El-Bashir about the situation.

"I feel good on the ice, but it doesn't matter. We'll have to see what we can do, what happens."

When I asked him if his struggles were the result of his playing style not meshing with Boudreau's, Nylander said: "I don't know. I am not the coach. What can I say? This is the way he wants to do it. I just have to figure a way around it."

"I know how the system works," he added. "I don't have a problem with the system. The system is quite easily played."

His comments may hint at the fact he wants to be traded to a team that uses him more effectively and give him more ice time.

Nylander is in the second year of a 4 year term, and his $4,875,000 contract could prove difficult to unload at the trade deadline.

Also of note, Bryan Helmer, Karl Alzner and Daren Machesney were all returned to Hershey today. It is likely that Alzner could return to the Capitals line-up after the All-Star festivities have ended.

Also, Nicklas Backstrom will fore go the All-Star Young Stars game citing that he "felt like it made more sense to give someone else that opportunity and use this time to rest and prepare for the second half of the season with the Capitals."

He assured the press that his decision is not injury related.

Finally, Capitals prospects Michael Neuvirth and Travis Morin took their part in the ECHL All-Star game tonight in Reading, PA. The American All-Stars (Morin, Neuvirth and co.) topped the National Roster 11-5.

Morin finished the game with 2 assists while Neuvirth stopped 19 of 20 shots in the third period of the contest.

Alzner continues to grow as member of Capitals

Over the past few games, rookie defenseman Karl Alzner has seen a drop in ice time.

Part of that has to do with line management, as coach Bruce Boudreau doesn't want to see Alzner, along with defensive partner Bryan Helmer out against the opponents top lines.

The other part of the receding minutes equates to the lack of confidence Karl has played with lately. It started becoming apparent that his game had changed since his call up in November, and that he was struggling.

Then I read up on Tarik's blog and it all made sense.

[Bruce] Boudreau had a heart-to-heart with defenseman Karl Alzner a few days ago after suspecting that the rookie was becoming distracted by the possibility of being sent back to Hershey for salary cap reasons. (When Poti returns, unless the GM George McPhee manages to clear space some other way, Alzner will likely have to go down.)

"I talked to him because you can't do that - it'll kill you," Boudreau said. "Trying to control things that you can't control is murderous on your psyche. If it just so happens that there's an issue, that will happen anyway, whether you scored five goals tonight or didn't score five goals tonight or played 35 minutes. I told him to just go out an play."

"He struggled there for a few games, so I knew something was bothering him," he added.

Alzner said: "I was worrying about getting sent down much too much earlier. About a week ago, that's what I was thinking about. I know the situation. I know who is going to be coming back and approximately when. If it happens, it happens. Not too many guys get to play a full season, or even a half season, when they are 20 years old. My focus now is to make it hard for them."

Since their chat, Alzner seems to be regaining the confidence he showed through the month of December. His minutes are still in the 13 minute range, but his play has been noticeably better.

Case in point, Saturday night's home game against the Bruins. Washington was nursing a one goal lead late in the third period, when John Erskine took an unnecessary elbowing penalty.

With their goalie pulled, the Bruins had a 6-4 man advantage and were controlling the play rather effectively, when Karl Alzner made a crucial defensive play to eliminate a cross ice pass to David Kregci, one of Boston's leading scorers. After intercepting the pass, Alzner calmly dumped the puck the length of the ice ending Boston's chances at a comeback. (video available HERE)

Despite his effective play, it is widely believed that Alzner will be sent down once the defensive corps regains it's health, but it will be strictly driven by the financial position that the Capitals find themselves in.

At the very least, the young Burnaby, BC native got a taste of the NHL this year. Next year will be his chance to step into a more influential role with the club and grow from there.

It is of my personal opinion the Alzner has all the tools to be amongst the top 10 defensive rearguards in this league. It's up to him to continue to build on them, whether in the NHL or not.

Taking it all in stride.

Karl Alzner never could have imagined his NHL debut being quite like this.

Alzner would join a Washington Capitals defensive corps featuring of Tom Poti, Mike Green, Jeff Schultz and John Erskine - or more like replace, as all those aforementioned have been out of the line-up.

This has paved the way for Alzner and his AHL mates to display their skills at the NHL level, which so far has been impressive.

On paper it doesn't take a skeptic to point out the flaws on the Capitals blue line. Having a whopping five AHL players - none of whom have played a lick of NHL hockey - as well as lacking offensive production as Alexander Semin and Sergei Fedorov are still shelved, would lead many to believe this team is in trouble.

However, quite the opposite has transpired.

The Capitals have been able to remain a respectable .500 club the past 8 games, as they've worked tediously at patching the holes as the number of man games lost continues to climb.

All of which came to a crescendo Tuesday night as the Capitals toppled the Eastern Conference's hottest team, the Boston Bruins, 3-1.

Alzner and company have proven they should not be judged by their pedigree - but more so - by their undiscovered talent.

In fact, Alzner has begun drawing comparison to the great Calle Johansson, as one of the Capitals more stable defenders in recent memory. He, like Johansson, displays a blend of patience, skill, smarts the ability to simplify his game, all of which has shown the veteran savvy that this 20 year old possesses.

Sean Collins, a 25 year old rookie, continued his solid play since being called up last week. He has proven that if necessary, he could handle loads of ice time.

Tyler Sloan has been hit or miss, but can be effective so long as he can minimize mistakes in the defensive zone.

With the return of Tom Poti on Tuesday night and that of Mike Green on the horizon, it seems only fitting to give credit to this rag-tag bunch that managed to keep the team afloat in their absences.

Alzner, Collins, Sloan, Helmer, Lepisto. All have played a large part in this teams success these past few weeks, and there's a good chance that fans will look back on this stretch of games come April and reflect on how valuable playing .500 hockey was.

There's an old saying that adversity doesn't build character, but reveals it. If so, Capitals fans can rest assured that if their team faces another set back - they'll be in good hands.

Fehr injured in Capitals victory

Right wing Eric Fehr left Saturday night's game with what appears to be a shoulder injury. His status is now day-to-day. Fehr's injury now brings the laundry list of wounded Capitals to 11, as the amount of man games lost is soon approaching 300.

Also, Karl Alzner notched his first career NHL goal tonight, while also adding an assist on Milan Jurcina's game winning goal in the third period.

He finished the game with a +2 rating while leading all Washington defensemen in ice time, logging a remarkable 23:06 minutes.

Washington rolls in to Carolina tomorrow and there may be another call up from Hershey coming, most probably one of Chris Bourque, Oskar Osala or Quintin Laing.

Speaking of Hershey, tonight they won their franchise record tenth game in a row, defeating the Hartford Wolfpack 4-2. Goaltender Simeon Varlamov notched his tenth win of the season, stopping 26 of 28 shots.

Sean Avery stirs the pot.

Most Caps fans are well aware of the situation of this team, and quite frankly, I'm tired of updating the body count.

That's why today's installment deals with the lighter side of sports, as public enemy number one Sean Avery has been suspended indefinitely regarding comments made this morning.


The Dallas Stars forward is being suspended in regards to comments he made directed to Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf and ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert.

"I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."



Sources close to the Dallas Stars say that if the NHL hadn't suspended Avery, that the Dallas Stars would have, as he has since been sent back to Dallas to face the terms of his punishment.


NHL Notes tonight:

The Tampa Bay Lightning are playing the Philadelphia Flyers on Versus tonight, dawning their 1974 team jerseys, which should remain locked in the 70's with the Beegee's and John Travolta.

Karl Alzner has returned after missing the third period in Saturday night's game in Columbus.

The Capitals have also recalled Graham Mink for tonight's match versus Florida as the number of man games lost this year creeps up to 250.

Roster Shake-Up for tonight's game.

As predicted, Jeff Schultz was placed on LTIR today and Sami Lepisto was called up in his place.

However, there was more juggling that followed as team captain Chris Clark was also placed on LTIR with a forearm injury.

This also allowed the Capitals to call up Karl Alzner, Chris Bourque and Graham Mink.

Tonight's rosters will look like this:

Forwards
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Fehr
Bourque-Laich-Bradley
Brashear-Steckel-Mink

Defense
Sloan-Poti
Alzner-Jurcina
Lepisto-Morrisonn

Goalies
Theodore
Johnson

FEAR THE WEAGLE will be shutting down for American Thanksgiving and would like to wish their American readers a safe and joyful holiday.

Hershey, PA: A Breeding Group for Future NHL Stars

After sweeping through their weekend schedule, I felt it was due time to take a look at the state of affairs with the Hershey Bears.

So far this season they have left nothing to the imagination of fans, racing out of the gates to a 12-5-0-1 record, while blowing out their opponents in the process.

Case in point: Saturday November 14th, 2008 and Sunday November 15th, 2008. The Bears took on the Philadelphia Phantoms and the Binghampton Senators and beat them soundly; 7-4 and 9-0 respectively.

This is nothing out of the ordinary, as they have already beaten Wilkes-Barre 8-4 on Opening Night, as well as a 7-1 drubbing of the Syracuse Crunch.

Needless to say, the offense has been tantalizing to date, and indicates the bright future ahead for the Washington Capitals.


On the Cusp

Karl Alzner - Defense - Drafted 1st Round, 5th Overall in 2007 Entry Draft

Alzner has exceeded the monumental expectations bestowed upon him rather effortlessly. Playing for the most part with Sami Lepisto (as well as Josh Godfrey), Alzner has been a staple on Hershey's blue line, and is tied for first in rookie +/- (fourth in the entire AHL) with fellow teammate Oskar Osala. Though he will never be leaned upon to produce the numbers of an offensive defenseman, he is still able to find the score sheet (8 points in 16 games) as well as log quality powerplay time. It appears that it is only a matter of time before this budding prospect gets his crack at the NHL.

Chris Bourque - Left wing - Drafted 2nd Round, 33rd Overall in 2004 Entry Draft

Since arriving at Capitals training camp in September, the former Boston College product has been a man on a mission. Despite his lack of size, Bourque is following up a record year stats wise with one that's been equally impressive to date. A late cut from Capitals camp, Bourque clearly has dazzling offensive talent and when put to use, he ranks amongst the Elite in the AHL. If he is able to increase his statistics, he will have a legitimate chance to make Washington's roster next season.

Sami Lepisto - Defense - Drafted 3rd Round, 66th Overall in 2004 Entry Draft

It took Sami a little longer than expected to make the trek to the North American rinks. A major shoulder surgery set him back half of a season with Jokerit in 2005-06, but he showed no ill-effects the following season, as he finished the year with the most points of any Bears defenseman. His defensive partner Josef Boumedienne has since left the organization, now playing with the Toronto Marlies, forcing Lepisto through a transition period. After a sluggish start, he is now starting to find his stride and is returning to the form he showed last year. With the lack of depth on the Capitals blue line this season, there is a chance they could make a trade to involve both Lepisto and Alzner in their immediate plans.

*Sunday's installment of THE WEAGLE will focus on the abundance of rookies whom are on the rise.

Tomas Fleischmann : Winner of Inaugural FEAR THE WEAGLE Poll

In a close race, Tomas Fleischmann edged out Karl Alzner for which Washington Capital you think will have the biggest impact this year.

Here is how the polls closed:

Tomas Fleischmann - 38% (13 votes)
Karl Alzner - 35% (12 votes)
Chris Bourque - 14% (5 votes)
Eric Fehr - 8% (3 votes)
Sami Lepisto - 2% (1 vote)


A new poll will be up soon, keep checking in.

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.

Hershey blows out Wilkes-Barre 8-4.

The Hershey Bears AHL season began tonight with a bang. In front of 7459 fans, Hershey showed why they are being predicted to have a big season. It didn't take long for the scoring to get underway as veteran Keith Aucoin netted a rare even strength goal 1:36 into the first period. By the end of the stanza the Bears had racked up a 4-1 lead on the strength of three power play goals.

The trend continued through the rest of the game as Wilkes-Barre put in back up goalie Adam Berkhoel to weather the storm. He didn't. By games end both Penguins goalies had given up 4 goals a piece.

Hershey finished the game an incredible 5-7 on the power play, with Graham Mink netting a hat trick with the man advantage. He would finish the game with 3 goals and 2 assists, good enough for first star of the game.

Chris Bourque didn't have much time to get ready for the game, being sent down only two days ago, but the let down from being cut from the Capitals roster didn't seem to phase him. Bourque made an incredible individual play off a Penguins turn over to notch the second goal of the game, proving that his pre-season play was no fluke. He ended the game with 1 goal and 2 assists.

The Bears will now head to Norfolk where they will play Friday night.

Other notables: Keith Aucoin 1 goal and 4 assists, Alexandre Giroux 1 goal and 2 assists, Andrew Gordon 1 goal and 1 assist, Josh Godfrey 1 assist, Karl Alzner 1 assist and +2 rating, Matthieu Perreault 1 goal.

Random Quick Hits, October 7, 2008

Nothing detailed today, just a few quick updates.

Check out the Capital Insider to view Tarik's interview with George McPhee. They talk a lot about the status of Karl Alzner and the decision to send him to Hershey.

Also be sure to head over to www.onfrozenblog.com to read this heart warming piece on Capitals fan Collin McKinney. Don't forget to catch Part II as well. Collin truly redefines the meaning of the word dedication.

And to leave on a humorous note, watch Washington coach Bruce Boudreau in his second ever acting performance (first being Slapshot!) This video will be sure to put a smile on your face!

Alzner, Bourque and Laing assigned to Hershey; Opening night rosters set.

Just a quick update today; Karl Alzner, Chris Bourque and Quintin Laing were all sent to Hershey today, cutting the Capitals roster to 23 players. You can read more about it in Tarik's blog, but I will post a few excerpts of Bruce Boudreau's comments on the situation.

"They were the toughest cuts I've ever had to make. Because they did everything they could. It's just not in the cards right now, for whatever reason. We know they are going to play games for us."

"One of things we thought was Mike Green started down there [Hershey] and Jeff Schultz started down there and we didn't rush either one of them. We felt the same with Karl. He can develop playing 25, 27 minutes a night [for the Bears] and we know he'll be better for it. We believe he's going to have a great NHL future. But right now, at the start of the NHL season, it wasn't in the cards."

"I don't think anyone was shocked. They were all very professional. Chris said he did everything he could to make this team. He will play for the Washington Capitals. Karl Alzner did everything he could."

"Quintin, he was so proud to be a Washington Capital, he probably took it the hardest."

Here is how the roster will look for Opening Night in Atlanta.

Forwards
#  Player             Height  Weight  DOB           Age  Birthplace
19  Nicklas Backstrom 6' 0"   183     Nov 23, 1987  20   Gavle, SWE
10  Matt Bradley      6' 3"   201     Jun 13, 1978  30   Stittsville, ON, CAN
87  Donald Brashear   6' 3"   234     Jan 7, 1972   36   Bedford, IN, USA
17  Chris Clark(C)    6' 0"   196     Mar 8, 1976   32   South Windsor, CT, USA
91  Sergei Fedorov(A) 6' 2"   207     Dec 13, 1969  38   Pskov, RUS
14  Eric Fehr         6' 4"   212     Sep 7, 1985   23   Winkler, MB, CAN
14  Tomas Fleischmann 6' 1"   190     May 16, 1984  24   Koprivnice, CZE
15  Boyd Gordon       6' 0"   201     Oct 19, 1983  24   Unity, SK, CAN
25  Viktor Kozlov     6' 4"   232     Feb 14, 1975  33   Togliatti, RUS
21  Brooks Laich      6' 2"   210     Jun 23, 1983  25   Wawota, SK, CAN
92  Michael Nylander  6' 1"   195     Oct 3, 1972   36   Stockholm, SWE
8   Alex Ovechkin(A)  6' 2"   220     Sep 17, 1985  23   Moscow, RUS
28  Alexander Semin   6' 2"   205     Mar 3, 1984   24   Krasnojarsk, RUS
39  David Steckel     6' 5"   222     Mar 15, 1982  26   Milwaukee, WI, USA

Defensemen
#  Player             Height  Weight  DOB           Age  Birthplace
4   John Erskine      6' 4"   216     Jun 26, 1980  28   Kingston, ON, CAN
52  Mike Green        6' 2"   208     Oct 12, 1985  22   Calgary, AB, CAN
23  Milan Jurcina     6' 4"   233     Jun 7, 1983   25   Liptovsky, SVK
26  Shaone Morrisonn  6' 4"   210     Dec 23, 1982  25   Vancouver, BC, CAN
2   Brian Pothier     6' 0"   200     Apr 15, 1977  31   New Bedford, MA, USA
3   Tom Poti          6' 3"   210     Mar 22, 1977  31   Worcester, MA, USA
55  Jeff Schultz      6' 6"   221     Feb 25, 1986  22   Calgary, AB, CAN

Goalies
#  Player             Height  Weight  DOB           Age  Birthplace
1   Brent Johnson     6' 3"   199     Mar 12, 1977  31   Farmington, MI, USA
60  Jose Theodore     5' 11"  182     Sep 13, 1976  32   Laval, QC, CAN

Opinion: Bourque and Alzner will make the team.

After closely following the Capitals preseason, it is of my opinion that both speedy winger Chris Bourque and rookie defenseman Karl Alzner will both be on the teams opening night roster.

The 22 year old Bourque is having a tremendously proficient preseason statistically, notching 2 goals and 3 assists in 4 appearances. Last night he tallied a primary assist on Tomas Fleischmann's power play goal and at only 5'8", he was a noticeable force making plays all over the ice.

Alzner was drafted 5th overall in the 2007 draft and his play thus far should have Los Angeles Kings fans questioning the selection of Thomas Hickey, who was picked 4th overall. Though Alzner has been held off the stat sheet, he has been very effective defensively. His calm and cool demenaor with the puck allows for a smooth up ice transition and he rarely turns pucks over. He has a very long reach and is extremely effective with his stick against the oncoming rush. Last night he showed some grit against Philly, getting aggressive with Flyers forwards in the corners. His passive nature on defense had some comparing him to Jeff Schultz, but last night he proved he can get physical. In 4 preseason games he has logged on average 19:35 minutes a game and seems to have chemistry with Capitals veteran Tom Poti. Also, Jeff Schultz has proven so far that he is able to play independently on the blue line and not rely on his partner to bail him out, which benefits Alzner.

Of the two, Alzner is more likely to make the club as it seems to be a numbers game at forward. Both players are waiver exempt and risk being assigned to Hershey so the Capitlas don't have to expose another player to waivers. Also you would have to consider the fact that Washington is teetering up against the salary cap and it will be a difficult task to fit both these players in their lineup. However, no matter what happens, both these young prospects will be first call ups when the time arrives.

Quick Hits - Weekly Edition No. 1.

The following is a list of news and notes for the Washington Capitals organization from Septebmer 26 to October 3.

Capitals prospect Joel Broda (selected 5th round, 144th overall in 2008 draft) has been named CHL Player of the Week. In 4 games this year, Broda has tallied 6 goals and 2 assists, putting him fourth overall in WHL scoring. The Moose Jaw Warriors center was one of the standouts at Rookie Camp only a month ago and hopes to continue making strides towards his professional career.

Sergei Fedorov will be playing defense in tonight's preseason game against Philadelphia, and will be paired up with 6'5'' Jeff Schultz. Don't read too much into the scenario as Bruce Boudreau says it's just an experiment. "If Sergei can play defense, we wanted him to get some sort of an idea of how we play on defense," the coach said. "Nothing more than that. We might try him on defense for [today's] game, just to get him a feel for it in case he has to go back there someday. I was just thinking outside the box."

Goaltender Simeon Varlamov and defenseman Sami Lepisto were part of the latest batch of players to be assigned to Hershey to start the year. Omitted from the list were winger Chris Bourque and defenseman Karl Alzner who continue to try to crack the opening night roster. Bourque will play on a line with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom tonight -- a spot I previously thought was reserved for Eric Fehr. If Bourque is able to have a solid game tonight he could very well make the roster. As for Alzner, he will again be paired up with Tom Poti, which could foreshaddow that they will start the season together.

Regina Pats Brett Leffler suffered a concussion last Saturday's game, as the Pats lost 3-2 to Prince Albert in a shootout. Leffler will be out of the line up for atleast a full week while trainers diagnose the severity of his injury. He was selected by Washington in the 5th round of the 2007 Entry Draft.

The Hershey Bears defeated the Norfolk Admirals 5-4 in their first AHL preseason match up. Michael Dubuc scored twice, while Francois Bouchard and Ben Boudreau each potted a goal in the win. The moment was extra special for Boudreau, son of Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau, who scored his first ever professional goal with his father in attendence. The Bears will open their season September 8 in Wikles-Barre Scranton.

Business as Usual?

The Washington Capitals plans today involved a 2:30 PM EST practice at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA. However, there was a slew of events today that made it anything but business as usual for Capitals fans. The following is a time capsule on the days comings and goings.

12:32 PM EST - An article published by Sportsnet.ca is brought up by Caps' fans regarding the possibility of Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin heading to Russia to play in the KHL. Terms are being arranged where as a KHL club would pay the final year on Khabibulin's contract, worth US$6.75 million, which would be cleared off Chicago's salary cap. It is a widespread rumor that the Blackhawks have been inquiring on the services of center Michael Nylander, whom the Caps would possibly deal to make room under the cap.

12:40 PM EST - A rumor breaks on HFBoards.com that there could be a deal in the works between Washington, Chicago and Boston. The deal would send Nylander to Chicago, defenseman Brent Seabrook to Boston, while Washington would end up receiving Marc Savard.

1:04 PM EST - An article out of the Boston Herald notes that Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli denies the notion that Savard will be moving, but doesn't rule out the possibility of another trade happening. “We’re not looking to trade Marc Savard. There’s a chance [that another deal could be made]. I’m looking to improve the team. I’ve had a couple of discussions, more than a couple.”

1:48 PM EST - The Capitals make four more roster cuts, the most notable being defenseman Sami Lepisto. Lepisto had suited up in two preseason games and received praise from coach Boudreau regarding his performance. The move was intriguing considering John Erskine and Milan Jurcina still hold roster spots given their poor performances to date. Granted, Lepisto was most likely sent to Hershey due to his waiver status, but it would appear a spot still remains open for a defenseman outside of the organization.

2:24 PM EST - Practice beings with very peculiar line ups. Eric Fehr was put on a line with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Fehr has been slumping lately and this could be an attempt to get him producing.

Sergei Fedorov dawned a black jersey today, which means he was playing with the defensemen. Fedorov was paired up with Jeff Schultz on the back end, while rookie Karl Alzner remained in camp and practiced with veteran Tom Poti. It is unclear whether or not Alzner will crack the opening day line up, but if in fact he does, it could spell trouble for one of Erskine or Jurcina.

The decision to put Fedorov on the blue line could mean that they will try to squeeze under the salary cap by keeping a 22 man roster with 6 defensemen, while having Fedorov as a fall back in case of injury

Update - Capitals blogger Tarik El-Bashir caught up with Sami Lepisto after practice, who left the complex seemingly upset. "Obviously, it was not thing I wanted to happen. But now it has. I'm just going to work hard to get back here. I'm a little bit upset, but who wouldn't be?"

There was clearly plenty of action for the Caps' today who were supposed to be gearing up for a dress rehearsal of opening night through their final two preseason matches. If anything, today's events leave fans sitting on their hands wondering what kind of team we will see come October 10.

Capitals lose to Flyers as preseason winds down.

The Washington Capitals have had a rather successful preseason up to this point. The team has managed to stay healthy on their way to a 4-1-0 record after tonight's loss in Philadelphia. The Capitals first loss came at the hands of a familiar foe, Joffrey Lupul, who ended their playoff run back in April with an overtime goal in game seven of their opening round series. Sophomore Nicklas Backstrom marked Washington's lone goal in a 2-1 contest. These two teams will be back at it on Friday evening at the Verizon Center for the Caps' second last preseason matchup.

Though held off the scoreboard, 22 year old Chris Bourque had another strong performance, as he tries to make a case for the opening night roster. In his four preseason games, the son of legendary Bruins' defenseman Raymond Bourque has amased 2 goals and 2 assists, while playing plenty on special teams.

In his post game press conference, coach Bruce Boudreau was quoted to have singled out a few players for praise: Chris Bourque, Chris Clark, Karl Alzner, Jay Beagle and Sami Lepisto. Bourque, Alzner and Lepisto are all vying for a spot come opening night at Atlanta.

The defensive pairing of Milan Jurcina and John Erskine will be feeling heat after another sub par performance on the blueline. Both Alzner and Lepisto are pushing hard for roster spots and both Erskine and Jurcina could find themselves out of the lineup. Judging by their performances so far, that might be a welcomed change as they have both done everything in their power to play themselves out of a starting spot.

Goaltender Brent Johnson (22 saves) had another solid performance and seems to have put to bed any notion that he will lose his back up job to rookie sensation Simeon Varlamov, who now appears destined for the AHL.

Boudreau also noted that the teams last two preseason games will be dress rehersals for opening night, so it will be interesting to see who finds themselves omitted from the lineup for Friday nights game.