Mike Green ties NHL record in shootout loss to Rangers.

Mike Green led the charge for the Capitals while vaulting himself into the NHL record books.

The offensively gifted defenseman tallied twice in the second period, tying the record for consecutive games with a goal by a blue liner, set by Mike O'Connell in 1983-84.

However, it was not enough, as the Capitals came up on the short end of a 5-4 shootout loss to the Rangers.

Green, along with Fehr and Fleischmann all notched two point performances for the Capitals, while Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski each scored once for the Rangers, who were in need of a win.

Alexander Ovechkin managed only an assist in the loss, but also registered a whopping 13 hits - his highest single game total this season.

Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Semin both did not dress tonight as they are nursing minor injures. Defensemen John Erskine and Staffan Kronwall were healthy scratches for the Caps. It has been hinted that Kronwall could play in this weekends Florida road swing, as the Capitals coaching staff is confident that he is learning the teams system to their liking.

Jay Beagle was called up for tonight's game, making his NHL debut for Washington. He logged 7:41 in minutes and was an even plus minus on the game.

For the Rangers, they are now 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, trying to secure a playoff spot down the stretch. They were 0-5 on their power play, (the second straight game in which the Caps have managed to ice a spotless PK) and most notably were 0-4 in the third period, including a brief 5 on 3 as well as a four minute double minor to defenseman Shaone Morrisonn.

Washington on the other hand were awarded only one power play throughout the game, and also did not capitalize on their man advantage.

The Capitals will now head to Florida for a weekend back-to-back with the Lightning and Panthers, trying to distance themselves from their Southeast opponents.

Bruins injuries mount; Rival those of Caps

Call the nurse, we have a bleeder.

It appears that the hemorrhaging that the Capitals suffered at the hands of the injury bug through the month of December has now befallen on other teams.

Most notably the Boston Bruins (and Pittsburgh Penguins).

Boston will limp into the Verizon Center tonight without the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Marco Sturm or Phil Kessel. Bergeron is suffering from his second concussion in as many years (Brian Pothier called to say hello), while Sturm underwent surgery on his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament, and will be out for the season.

Kessel, meanwhile, has a case of mononucleosis (more generally known as mono). While it is unclear when Bergeron will return to the line-up, Kessel is tabled to be back in mid-February.

The Bruins will also be missing shutdown defenseman Andrew Ference, who's broken tibia will keep him sidelined at least a few more games.

Aaron Ward will also be out until at least the 19th with a charley horse.

Finally, Milan Lucic rounds out the list of the battered and bruised with an undisclosed injury that is keeping him out of the line-up.

Sound familiar? Well, if you've been following the Capitals it should.

I for one cannot recall the last time the Capitals played with a fully healthy line-up, but I would have to assume it wasn't long into the month of October before the injury carosel was fired up.

However, for the most part, Washington is begining to get healthy for the second half of the season.

Tom Poti is close to making a return while Brian Pothier will be seeking clearance to return to the ice next week. Boyd Gordon and Shaone Morrisonn are both out, but neither of them are suffering from anything too serious.

The key to success will be staying healthy down the stretch as teams such as Boston, Pittsburgh and Montreal all seem to be going through the motions that this team saw in December.

Washington, so far- has weathered the storm. Only time will tell if these other Eastern Conference teams will be able to do the same.

NOTE: In Wednesday night's game, the Capitals took four (Crosby, Letang, Talbot, Scuderi) Penguins out of the line-up, and all are questionable for tonight's game versus the New York. Rangers

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: 10/10/08 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.