Okay, fair enough. The Caps are 15-3-0 against the Southeast division. Even though they have played more games against Southeast division opponents, they have lost fewer games to the Southeast division than any other team in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh is 8-4-2 vs. the Southeast. New Jersey is 12-5-0 and Buffalo is 7-6-1.

Now granted, some of those Southeast Division losses for Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Buffalo came at the hands of the Washington Capitals themselves, so let’s see how Washington stacks up against the other Eastern Divisions.

Washington is 10-4-3 versus the Northeast Division. That means 23 of Washington’s 101 points have come at the hands of Northeastern opponents. Buffalo, who currently leads the Northeast Division with 82 total points, has only garnered 22 points against their divisional opponents.

Washington is 12-3-3 versus the Atlantic Division. There are no teams in the Atlantic division that have more wins than Washington’s 12. Pittsburgh is 12-7-1 versus their own division; New Jersey (ranked second in the ATL) is 12-7-1 also, and Philadelphia (3^rd) is 12-6-1. The Capitals 27 points off the Atlantic division are more than any other team in that division.

Now the Caps’ 33-point lead in their division is what clinched their playoff spot, but they also have a 14-point lead over the entire Eastern Conference. The top three teams in the Atlantic Conference are separated by 9-points, and the top four of the Northeast division are separated by 10.

Washington also has a 5-point lead over the rest of the league, so maybe the critics might want to consider that before chalking the Caps up as a product of a weak division. 68 of Washington’s 101 points have come at the hands of their other non-divisional opponents.

So, moving on, let’s talk about Alex Ovechkin’s “game misconduct” penalty from yesterday and possible multi-game suspension. Let me start off by saying the refs were right to call a penalty. Most everyone believes that “boarding” was the right call. If you don’t see that as a penalty, maybe you shouldn’t join this argument because you judgment is clearly biased.

Here’s the official NHL rule on Boarding 42.1 “A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.”

Now, watching the replay, you can clearly see Ovechkin shove Campbell as they both went to fly around the back of the net. Campbell was already low, and the hit was ill-timed, but if you watch the replay, and are honest with yourself, boarding, by definition, is the right call; same as an unintentional high-stick, the outcome determines the penalty, not the player’s intent.

…but wait, there’s more; 42.3 of the NHL rules “Major Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a major penalty, based on the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, to a player or goalkeeper guilty of boarding an opponent.” See, it doesn’t refer to the “intent to injure” and leaves it at the discretion of the referees. Campbell did hit the boards pretty hard and head-first.

Very few rules refer to “the intent” of a player; this is usually handled by the referee’s discretion. An unintentional high-stick (when you “accidentally” hit an opponent in the head or face with your stick) is a minor penalty. If you hit an opponent hard enough to draw blood, even if you didn’t intend to hit him, it’s an automatic “double-minor” (back-to-back minor penalties of two minutes each served one after the other by the offending player).

Now, let’s consider how boarding can be called. If a player knocks down another player close enough to the boards that the other player goes full speed into the lower-boards, that’s the definition of a minor penalty. The other degrees are not as clearly defined.

If the ref feels it’s unintentional, he may, at his discretion, leave it as a minor penalty. If the other player hits the boards with a great degree of force, but it still seems “unintentional” the ref can call it a double minor. If it seems that the player intentionally knocked the other player down, and rode him hard into the lower boards, the ref can call that a major penalty.

In this case, Alex did knock him down, and both players went hard to the boards. At full speed (remember, the refs can’t see all the different camera angles we can, and they can only see it at full speed) it looks like the definition of a major penalty.

Now here’s the rub; Section 42.5 “Game Misconduct Penalty – When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.” Campbell (the player knocked down by Ovechkin) did not return to the game. It sucks, but it’s in the rules; Campbell was injured (or at least reported he was) so by the rules, Game Misconduct is automatic.

Now, here’s the kicker; Section 42.6 “Any player or goalkeeper who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under Rule 42 and/or Rule 44, in either Regular season or Play-offs, shall be suspended automatically for the next game of his team. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.”

This will be Ovechkin’s third Game Misconduct of the year. By rule he should receive a mandatory two game suspension.

I know; Matt Cooke (of Pittsburgh) throws an elbow into Marc Savard (of Boston), hard enough to knock Savard out for the season (Savard was carried out on a stretcher) and not only is he not penalized in the game, but he isn’t even chastised by the league. Meanwhile, Ovechkin, who didn’t intend to hurt Campbell, was not only thrown out of the game, but will most likely receive a (at least) two-game suspension.

The league office needs to review this. They need to come out and say that the penalty should have been ruled a double-minor instead of a major penalty. They need to over-rule the game-misconduct and waive the suspension. While the refs did not have the luxury of multi-angle, slow motion replay; the league office does.

I don’t think it’ll happen. The league has tried very hard to paint Ovechkin as nothing more than a “goon.”His previous Game Misconducts were “trumped up” calls. Watch the replays of those hits. Neither of them were as bad as anything done by Matt Cooke.

Last season, Matt Cooke played for the Washington Capitals, and his team-mate Donald Brashear was suspended for five games during the playoffs for a similar hit (though Donald didn’t throw an elbow). The league said it was Brashear’s “obvious intent to injure” that resulted in the suspension, but the player hit by Brashear didn’t even leave the game (certainly not on a stretcher like Savard did).

So, what’s the league to do? No matter what they do, someone’s not gonna be happy. If they suspend Ovechkin, fans nationwide are going to be up in arms about suspending the two-time MVP for two or more games while letting Matt Cooke, a relative nobody skate away scot-free.

If they don’t suspend him, fans of other teams nationwide are going to scream that Ovechkin is getting superstar treatment. What I’m going to say next is probably going to surprise everyone, including my wife.

To hell with it; suspend him. It’s in keeping with what the league wants to do anyway, and I really don’t want to hear it from every other fan of every other team. The Caps were down 3-0 to Chicago (the third best team in the league) and they came back to win 4-3 without him.

The Caps are a lock for the playoffs anyway, and they’ve proven they can win without him. So instead of six 20+ goal-scorers, they’ll have five. Ovechkin serves his time, comes back to play, and nobody can say a damn thing.

I don’t agree with a suspension, but if the league doesn’t suspend him, then people will howl about how the Caps are getting preferential treatment and it will tarnish a possible Stanley Cup win. We fans know that the suspension is a crock, but do you really want to hear it from the rest of the league? The ignorami who will say “well of course the Caps won because the league loves Ovechkin?”

Yeah, me neither. Leave that kind of stuff for Pittsburgh. The Caps can win in spite of the bad calls, and even in spite of any suspension the league feels fit to hand out to Ovechkin. Teams still have to worry about Backstrom, Semin, Knuble, Laich, and Green. That should be enough to keep ‘em busy.

C! A! P! S! Caps! Caps! Caps!

They got two of a possible six points last week. That might be great if you were the last place team in the league, but when you’re riding high atop the NHL, two out of six doesn’t cut it. So what happened? Personally for me, I think the beginning of the end started with the emotional overtime win versus Pittsburgh.

After trailing 4-1, the Caps managed to battle back and win 6-5 and the celebration was akin to winning game seven. It was the second time the Caps had beaten Pittsburgh in their 14-game winning streak. After a bounce back like that, how could any team beat them?

I think the Caps began to believe their own press. Who needs defense when you can overcome a three goal deficit in the third period? When the Caps skated against Montreal, the Canadiens scored on their very first shot before the game was a minute old. The Caps didn’t get worried; they bounced back and scored one of their own. The Caps even took the lead to start the second period…but then they got sloppy. Montreal scored four goals in the second period and put Washington in a 5-2 hole. Sure, it didn’t help matters that the refs got together and waved off a goal without any form of video review, but when you give up four goals in a period, you have to recognize that you have a serious problem.

You wouldn’t pull your goalie for the whole game would you? Of course not! Why? Well sure, it gives you the extra attacker, and you have an offensive advantage, but it’s a lot easier for your opponent to score on you than it is for you to score on them. When you don’t play defense, and you’re not careful with the puck, you have left your goalie on an island.

The Caps went on their high scoring winning streak by being solid in their own end. It wasn’t just Theodore, it was defensemen being in the right position and sweeping rebounds into the corners. It’s not just the defensemen; forwards have to be back there to clean up the corners on the back-check. They can’t all be waiting at the blue-line for the outlet pass, they have to get back there and help clean up the boards.

In Montreal, the Caps made a last second score that forced overtime. Just like in Pittsburgh, they forced overtime through sheer will. They felt like the game was theirs for the taking…right up until Plekanec scored the game winner for Montreal with :08 seconds left in the overtime period.

So they lost, right? It had to happen sometime. The puck just didn’t bounce their way. They still bounced back from a three goal deficit, nothing to worry about, they’ll get ‘em next time, right?

Well, not exactly. Y’see, when the streak was hot, everyone wanted to be part of it. Now that the burden of the streak was over, they didn’t have all that pressure. So the next night when they went into Ottawa, they could make some changes. The Caps welcomed back Semyon Varlamov, and some guys with minor injuries decided to sit this one out. The Caps found themselves down 3-1 at the end of the first, but they rallied back to tie it 4-4 at the end of the second period.

It was time to turn on the offense. They had just scored three goals in Montreal in the third, and had scored two versus Pittsburgh in the third, and now they had their hot-shot goaltender back in net. Varlamov was 16-1-3 in the regular season, who needs defense when you’ve got him back there between the pipes?

Instead, the Caps gave up two goals early in the third, and even though Alex Semin became the third consecutive Capital to get a hat-trick in three consecutive games, Ottawa showed the Caps that the best defense is really to play defense.

The Caps had been handed their first regulation loss in 15 games; they lost 6-5.

The coach’s words were finally starting to sink in. You can’t expect to win if you let your opponents’ score five or more goals in a game. Sure it’s possible, the Caps had proven that versus Pittsburgh, but you can’t sustain it.

In the Caps’ final game (final game before the Olympic break) versus St. Louis, we saw more of a commitment to defense, but there were still some areas of concern; mostly in transition and puck protection. The Caps’ were turning the puck over way to many times in the neutral-zone creating odd man breaks going to other way. The defense was much more solid, but it’s hard to play defense when you give up a break-away or a two-on-one.

The Caps enter this Olympic break on a three game skid, so most of the team will have plenty to think about over these next two weeks.

Certainly, this isn’t the end of the world for Washington. They are still first place in the league, even if it is only by one-point. They still have a 13-point lead in their conference, and are in no danger of missing the play-offs. The Caps’ 27-point lead in their division is two points shy of being more than the combined margins of all the other divisions.

The Caps could lose more than half of their remaining games, and still win their division.

So, now we have the Olympics for the next couple of weeks. The media world is a-buzz about Team Canada. I’m so sick of hearing about Team Canada I’m ready to stick sharp objects in my ears to dull the pain. Personally, I’m wanting to hear more about Team Russia. With six current and former Caps on the team (Ovechkin, Semin, Varlamov, Gonchar, Kozlov and Federov) how could I not pull for them? Add to that Malkin, Datsuk, Kovalchuk, and Afinogenov, and San Jose Sharks’ (who happen to be second in the league) goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and it certainly looks like Russia is going to be hard to beat.

With the snubbing of Capitals defenseman Mike Green (the highest scoring defenseman in the league, mind you) and Vincent Lecavalier from Tampa in favor of “west coasters” I’m just this side of rooting against Team Canada. Who am I fooling; of course I’m rooting against Team Canada!

Sure, I’ll be happy if somehow Team USA surprises everyone and takes the gold, but my heart lies with the Caps, and Team Russia has the most of them. How could I root for anyone else?

C! A! P! S! Caps! Caps! Caps!

In four games, Ovi registered 6 goals and 4 assists for 10 points. The Great 8 now has a ridiculous 36 points in his last 17 games. His last performance of the week was probably his best, as he out-dueled the Pens’ Sid The Kid by scoring a hat trick and bringing his team back from a 3-goal deficit. He was given the first star for the week.

It seems like just last week that Ovechkin trailed Henrik Sedin in the NHL’s scoring race, but he currently stands alone, and with a little distance between him and the pack. Ovi now has 86 points – 42 goals (1st) and 44 assists (6th), and is eight points clear of Sedin.

Nick Backstrom wasn’t too bad himself last week, and picked up the third star. He equaled Ovechkin’s 10 points with 2 goals and 8 assists. He now has 73 points and moved into a tie with Joe Thornton for fourth in league scoring. He is well on his way to his first 100-point season.

As impressive as the points totals for the two Caps scoring aces are, it’s equally telling that they are two of the league’s top three plus-minuses. Ovi has a stunning plus-42 (1st), and Backstrom has a plus-32(3rd). You know what else is impressive? The guy that holds the number two spot in plus-minus is also a Capital! Jeff Schultz is second overall with a plus-37, giving the Caps the top three slots in the category and the ONLY three NHL players that are above plus-30.

The Caps have now extended their franchise record win streak to 14 games. They are just three shy of the NHL record set by the 1992/1993 Pittsburgh Penguins, and as luck would have it, Washington has 3 games this week before the Olympic break. It will be tough-sledding as all three games are on the road – Canadiens on Wednesday, Senators on Thursday, and the Blues on Saturday.

Will the Caps Rock the Red all the way to an NHL record? Keep tuning in to find out.

Needless to say, the Washington Capitals have extended their winning streak to 14 and Alex Ovechkin has once again proven his dominance over Sidney Crosby.

Washington didn’t play well yesterday. I can spend an hour whining about the mistreatment by the officials, but needless to say, the Penguins were given an ample edge to win the game yesterday by both the officiating crew and the Capitals themselves.

After Crosby made the game 2-0 Ovechkin finally answered for the good guys. After Jordan Staal made it 4-1, the refs had successfully eliminated the Caps top scoring line by having Mike Knuble, Nicklas Backstrom , and the Great 8 all in the penalty box.

Eric Fehr helped cut the lead to two, but shortly thereafter more Caps penalties gave Pittsburgh a 5-on-3 advantage to end the second and begin the third period. The Caps’ penalty killers helped keep Pittsburgh from converting on either penalty.

When all of the penalties finally expired, the Caps could finally get down to the business of winning with their top line back out on the ice. It was Alex Ovechkin with the Caps’ third and fourth goals to tie it up. Interesting tidbit; this is the second consecutive year Alex Ovechkin has registered a hat-trick on Super Bowl Sunday.

This was a huge hat-trick. It was the first hat-trick scored by a Washington Capital this year. It was the game-tying goal for Washington, and with the Penguins sitting on the bench with two players with two goals each (Crosby and Staal) it was poetic that it would be Alex Ovechkin that got three goals, and would force an overtime period.

I had been on the edge of my seat the whole game (well, technically it was an ottoman directly in front of my TV), but when Ovie scored I jumped to my feet screaming “Yes!! Yes!!! Ovie with the hat-trick!! Yes!!!” I was so excited I sent the cat running for cover!

She must have thought I’d lost my mind because I had spent most of the afternoon screaming profanities at the TV. The profanities would continue when Malkin wasn’t called for cross-checking Semin to the ice; he wasn’t called for the subsequent hook as he jabbed his stick into Semin’s belly and began yanking. No, the ref’s arm didn’t go up until Matt Cooke broke his stick trying to get the puck away from the boards.

The refs called it a slash, but it was clear they didn’t see a Cap slash Cooke’s stick, they just saw the broken stick and decided that was evidence enough to give Pittsburgh a late power-play, with the game tied and a little less than five minutes to go.

The Caps’ penalty killers were up to the task, and they kept the game tied forcing an overtime.

As the teams skated out to start the overtime period four-on-four, I just knew the refs were going to call something. I think I was just as shocked as Pittsburgh was when the penalty they called was against Pittsburgh. After getting away with damn-near everything throughout the game, it was a stick-check to Alex Semin’s face that drew the penalty.

Brooks Orpik had both hands on his stick, and pushed it right into the Alex Semin’s face. This wasn’t “incidental” and it wasn’t even the dirtiest play by Pittsburgh during the game. Orpik’s take on the hit was that Semin was “a baby” but I got news for you Orpik; it was intentional, it was illegal, and you’d gotten away with plenty throughout the rest of the game.

It was Orpik’s penalty that gave the Caps a 4-on-3 advantage and it was Alex Ovechkin’s shot that gave Mike Knuble the tip in goal for the win.

Even though the house was empty except for me and the cat, I lept from the ottoman again and began running up and down the hallway screaming like a crazy person!

The once cocky Pittsburgh fans on ESPN’s section 140 message board had changed their tune from one of ridicule, to a stance of “it’s only a regular season game, no big deal.”

Yeah, it didn’t stop them from telling us all how great Cindy Crybaby was when he got his two goals and tied Ovechkin for the league lead in goals (the tie only lasted until the second period, Alex now leads by three). Got news for you Pitt; the Caps extended their winning streak to 14, and you have been two notches in that streak. We all know the streak has got to end sometime, but we didn’t have to suffer the indignity of losing it to you. For just one night, whenever the hockey press goes on to tell us all how great your Crosby is, he is a footnote to what Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals did to you.

What was it you Pittsburgh fans kept saying? “Only losers whine about the refs?” Well, look at the score-board. 5-4 and look at who is whining about the refs now. The Caps overcame you, and your officials and still found a way to win.

Want to talk more trash? The Caps are 11-3-3 versus your division. The Caps have more wins against your division than anyone of the teams in your division; including you.

The Caps have three more games before the Olympic break and they are all this week. Those three games all take place on the road and they happen in the span of four days. The Caps start things off in Montreal on Wednesday, then shift over to Ottawa on Thursday. They wrap up against St. Louis on Saturday as the final game before the Olympic break.

This isn’t good for Washington, as Ottawa just ended an 11-game streak of their own and they will be on their home ice facing a Caps team that will have played a game the night before.

For now, the streak continues…

C! A! P! S! Caps! Caps! Caps!

One More Side Note: While Washington was busy facing Pittsburgh, their AHL team the Hershey Bears were facing Pittsburgh’s AHL team. Hershey also found itself with a three goal deficit. Hershey also had a player get a hat-trick (Matt Perrault) and Hershey beat the Baby Pens in OT.

Seeing the Mike Knuble goal helped ease any fears I might have had; that was Harlem Globtrotter-esque. You could easily set that play to “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Ovechkin comes in on the net from the right; fakes a shot and swings around behind the net. Ranger’s goalie Hendrik Lundqvist slides over to the other side of the net, expecting the wrap around from Ovie and what does he see? Nicklas Backstrom coming in on him from the left front.

Lundqvist takes the post and commits to blocking the wrap-around from Ovechkin, dropping to his knees with his ankles out (they call that “the butterfly”). Ovechkin passes up to Backstrom, but Lundqvist sees that he still has a reasonable angle on Backstrom, so he recommits (decides not to get back to his feet and take a new position).

Backstrom takes the puck and backhands it between the legs of the defender that is immediately behind him and catches Mike Knuble coming in with speed from the right. The whole play couldn’t have taken more than two seconds, but you know it was going in slow motion for Lundqvist.

As soon as he saw the puck clear his defender and Mike Knuble closing in on it, he knew he was beat, and there wasn’t anything he could do but pray that the next sound he heard was either the “clang” of the cross bar or the “thunk” of the boards.

I do have to admit to being a little concerned when New York made it 5-3 and their power-play looked unstoppable. Personally, I’d rather the Caps be a few goals behind early than jump out to a big lead. My reasoning is that when the Caps’ jump out to a big lead, it’s too easy for the players to start to take their foot off the gas and let a team back into the game.

When the Caps are behind though, they focus on getting the puck into the net.

Ovechkin’s 500^th career point is a great example of that. Ovechkin’s coming down the left side. It’s just him, the defender, and the goalie. Alex pushes the puck way right like he’s about to turn to the inside, or maybe try one of his classic shots where he uses the defender as a screen. The defender takes the inside position, but Ovechkin draws the puck back to himself and pushes it between the defender’s legs.

Ovechkin draws his stick in, and slides around the defender to the outside, and picks the puck back up on the other side of the hapless defender. Lundqvist again takes the near-side post but Ovechkin slides the puck towards the middle and flips it up over Lunqvist’s left shoulder for the score.

The Capitals currently lead the league in points, goals, and goals-per-game, yet no single player on the Caps roster has registered a hat-trick (three goals in one game) this season.

New York played a great game last night; their power-play was outrageous. They scored five goals and they still lost the game. There was a lot to be encouraged about for the New York fans, but I know how heartbreaking that kind of loss can be.

ESPN ranked the Capitals 2^nd in their weekly power rankings this week. They recognized Washington’s (at the time) 11 game winning streak, but still placed them second behind San Jose. They even mentioned in the rankings about how tough it must be to be on an eleven-game winning streak and still be ranked number two. If I’m Boudreau, I’m showing that ranking to the players today.

“These people don’t respect you,” I’d say. “Even though you haven’t lost in nearly a month, nobody wants to give you any credit. You’re Washington; you play in a lousy division, you’re not from a ‘hockey-town.’ The only thing you’ve got going for you right now is this win streak. The best way you can get back at these guys is to keep on winning. The more you win, the more you make these guys look like fools.”

“We all know this winning streak must end, but you decide when,” I’d continue. “The only way we are going to silence our critics is to win the whole-friggin’-thing. Bring the Cup to Washington, and you’ll have earned their respect.”

Caps face Atlanta tonight. This has all the markings of a “trap-game.” Washington pasted Atlanta 8-1 last time, and Atlanta just lost their best player in a trade to Detroit. The Caps need to go into this game thinking that enough is not enough. They need to keep their feet moving and their sticks down. Don’t win it in the first period, win it in the third.

Yesterday I was wearing my “retro” white Ovie jersey (I still can’t get the hang of “sweater”) and today I’m wearing the “retro” black one. Let’s keep the ball rolling and go for the baker’s dozen!

C! A! P! S! Caps! Caps! Caps!

So where do the Caps stand? Well, after their late December meltdown, the Caps slid pretty far in the standings giving up their seat atop the NHL leader-board. Just seven days ago, the Caps were two points behind Chicago and six points behind San Jose. The Caps are now two points ahead of Chicago and have closed to only 1-point behind San Jose for the top spot in the NHL.

The Caps have increased their lead in the Eastern Conference standings from three points ahead of New Jersey, to eight points ahead of New Jersey and have increased the lead in their division to 23 points. The remaining teams in the Southeast division aren’t fighting for first anymore; they are fighting for second. Florida, Atlanta and Tampa have 57, 56 and 55 points respectively and second place seems to change every other day. The margin from worst to first in the Southeast is 35-points! It’s the widest margin in the NHL.

Washington could forfeit every game between now and March 8th and still be leading the Southeast division.

Many are worried that the Caps may be “peaking too early.” I think what we are seeing in Washington is a team that is showing that it can accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves. Sure Coach Boudreau is not talking about the winning streak to the media, but you better believe that the players are focused on it.

This team believes in itself; the players believe in each other. The “superstar effect” is gone. These guys aren’t waiting for Ovechkin or Semin to make the game-winning play; they all want to make the game-winning play.

Since Ovechkin was named Team Captain, the team has gone 13-2. Ovechkin isn’t leading the league in goals. He’s not even leading the league in points, and he’ll tell you he doesn’t care about such things. What he does care about is winning. Last year the touchdown play was Backstrom to Ovechkin for the score. This year it’s Ovechkin to Backstrom; or Flieschmann to Fehr or Laich to Semin etc..

It’s easy for a team to “watch out” for one guy. Whenever Ovechkin is on the ice, he sees the opponents’ “top line.” With scoring coming from all four lines, and from their defensemen, the Caps are hard to stop. Washington averaged 4.67 goals per game in January and are averaging 3.82 goals per game for the season. That’s a half-goal per game better than anyone else in the league!

So the question on everybody’s mind is where will the winning streak end? Will it be tomorrow in Boston (4^th in the Northeast with 55 points)? Thursday in New York versus the Rangers (4^th in the Atlantic with 57 points)? Friday when they come home to face Atlanta 24-hours later (3^rd in the Southeast with 56 points)? Sunday versus Pittsburgh (2^nd in the Atlantic with 69 points)?

Let’s break down the upcoming opponents.

Tuesday, February 2^nd @ Boston Bruins

Last Game: Thursday October 1^st at Boston, Caps won 4-1

Boston may not be doing very well this year, but it’s hard to know which Boston team you’re going to face. Boston has gone 0-3-2 in their last five games, and 1-7-2 in their last ten, but their one victory in that time period was over the San Jose Sharks (who currently sit at first place in the league, 1-point ahead of Washington).

Thursday, February 4^th at New York Rangers

Last Game: Tuesday, November 17^th, @ Rangers, Caps won 4-2

New York has a history of giving the Caps trouble, especially in Madison Square Garden. When the Caps last visited the Garden, they escaped with a two goal lead only because New York had pulled their net-minder trying to get the tying goal. New York carried Washington to a full seven games in last year’s playoffs. New York has won only three of it’s last 10 games including a 3-1 victory yesterday over Colorado. The secret for the Caps here is not to over-look them.

Friday, February 5^th vs. Atlanta Thrashers

Last Game: Saturday, January 9^th, @ Atlanta, Caps won 8-1

Atlanta has faced Washington three times this year, and all three times were in Atlanta. The Thrasher faithful watched their team fall by scores of 5-4, 4-3, and most recently 8-1. Atlanta will be looking to return the favor to the Washington fans in Verizon against a Caps’ team that may have been softened up playing back to back games. The only two players on the Caps’ roster that will be well rested will be Mike Green who will be returning from his three game suspension, and the goal-tender (unless Boudreau is going to have one goalie play both in New York and again the next day at Verizon which is highly unlikely).

Super Bowl Sunday, February 7^th vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last Game: Thursday January 21^st, @ Pittsburgh, Caps won 6-3

Thursday, January 21^st was the first time the Penguins and Capitals had seen each other since game 7 of the ’08-’09 playoffs. Washington hung six goals on them at the Igloo; since then Pittsburgh has won three of it’s last four games and will be looking for similar retribution as Atlanta. Pittsburgh is the toughest opponent for the Caps this week (by the numbers) so hopefully Washington isn’t looking too far ahead.

Unbelievably, the only one of these upcoming opponents the Caps have lost to this season has been New York and it was at Verizon Center (and you have to go way back to the fourth game of the season; Thursday, October 8^th Rangers won 4-3). New York is also the only opponent on the list to play the Caps at Verizon this season.

As long as the Caps keep doing what they’ve been doing, there is little reason for them not to continue this streak. Let’s just take it one game at a time and hope for a history making win in Boston!

C! A! P! S! Caps! Caps! Caps!

Here’s a few things to start off with. Did you know that the Caps have scored four or more goals in all but two of their eleven games this month? The Caps faced down Detroit (who even though banged up is always a dangerous opponent), Pittsburgh, and Phoenix. The Caps scored 13 goals in those three games. They were also 38% on the power play scoring 5 PPG’s on 13 attempts. More impressive, the Caps were flawless on the power-play this week allowing no power-play goals. That’s 0-15 for the Caps’ opponents in the past three games.

The Caps outscored their opponents this week by a combined score of 13-7. These teams didn’t just lay over for the Caps, as the Caps’ goal-tenders faced an average of 38 shots per game. I don’t know what it is about the Caps’ bench, but both of their goal-tenders have had a taste of it here recently, and their game seems to have improved as a result. The Caps’ combined goaltending this week was 3-0-0 stopping 107 of 114 total shots with a .938 Save % and a 2.33 Goals-Against Average (GAA).

Jose Theodore has had the hot hand this month, but even so, he still managed to dig deep and come up with two impressive games, and a dozen highlight-reel stops versus Detroit and Pittsburgh. Michal Neuvirth seems to have finally shaken off the demons from his bad game in Tampa and put up an impressive win over Phoenix.

Ovechkin may have had a rare “pointless” game versus Detroit, but he shined where Caps fans wanted it most; versus Pittsburgh. Especially after Penguins’ pseudo-star Sidney Crosby got a garbage goal on a broken play to give the Eskimo-Chickens the lead, Alex responded with two goals and an assist. I personally would have loved seeing Ovechkin get the hat-trick because if you thought Sadly Crieslikababy was upset about the hats in Verizon Center in game two last year, he’d have been suicidal about hats raining down from his own rafters.

So, what are the Caps doing differently? Well, the Caps penalty kill stat gives us the first clue. The Caps have changed their mindset in the defensive-zone. The Caps used to play more of a collapsing umbrella style of defense which was focused more on taking away the shooting lanes and forcing attackers to the outside. Now the Caps have gone to more of a box-style of defense where they keep the goalies’ sight-lines clear and can play more aggressive on the outsides. In essence, they are taking away the passing lanes and trusting their net-minders to make the stops.

This allows the Caps to chase down the puck-carrier into the boards and pinch him in so that he has to shoot, or risk turning the puck over.

The Caps are also playing more aggressive in the attacking zone with a focus more on setting up plays than taking the quick shot and getting back to play D. They try to get the puck in deep, and then feed the puck back to their waiting defenders at the point. Now the defender can go point to point across the ice. Dump the puck back into the corners or activate themselves and charge the net. This system doesn’t rely on Alex Ovechkin to make the play every night, and instead has allowed a lot of Caps’ players to flourish; such as Eric Fehr.

Fehr had 15 goals in his first 113 games; he has had 14 in his last 36. Nicklas Backstrom has long been known as Ovechkin’s “set-up man” and has had consistently high numbers of assists; he is on pace to score 30 goals this season. Nearly half the Capitals’ bench has double digits in goals.

So, we now know how the Caps’ did this week, so where do they stand?

The Caps are:

1^st in the Southeast Division with 72 points; 19 points ahead of Florida in second place.

1^st in the Eastern Conference; 3 points ahead of New Jersey in second place.

3^rd in the League overall; 6 points behind San Jose in first, and 2 points behind Chicago.

1^st in average Goals per Game with 3.74; San Jose is second with 3.28.

1^st in Power Play Scoring % with 26.0; Montreal is second with 24.7.

1^st in win % when the opponent scores first (.579); New Jersey is second with .500

Coming Up:

The Caps are busy this week with four games. The first comes tonight as the Caps play their only away-game for the week in New York versus the Islanders. The come home tomorrow to face off against the Anaheim Ducks, and then they welcome two division rivals to Verizon Center as they take on the Florida Panthers on Friday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.

If the Caps pull off a win tonight, it will be the third straight season the Caps have had a seven game win-streak. Prior to Boudreau’s arrival the Caps went 13 seasons without winning as many as seven games in a row.

Want to join other Caps’ fans for a “Road Viewing Party”? Then you’ll want to check out Glory Days Grill in Gainesville (7581 Somerset Crossing Drive, Gainesville, VA 20155) for the Official Caps Viewing Party. There will be giveaways, premium raffle items as well as food and drink specials. Tonight’s game versus the Islanders will be on as many as 6 big screens! Happy hour runs from 4-7pm leading up to the game and at 9pm there will be $5 Appetizers. You won’t want to miss Slapshot and your fellow Red-Rockers for this party! Who knows, you might even see me there!

C-A-P-S!! Caps! Caps! Caps!

Let’s Go Caps!

For a more complete game recap, check out my full article.

The game was seemingly over before it started when Alex Ovechkin got his first of 5 points in the night, less than a minute into the game. The Great 8 had one goal and four assists; Mike Knuble had two goals; and Mike Green added two assists.

Check out NHL.com for the full highlights package. Coach Bruce Boudreau’s post game comments can be found here.

Other Game Notes:

John Carlson was called up for the game and despite arriving at the Verizon Center about an hour before the game, played quite well… Jason Chimera dropped the gloves for the second time in a week… Washington’s next game is on Sunday at 3pm against the Flyers… it was Ovi’s 4-assist NHL game… Jose Theodore stopped 28 shots, including 14 in the first period

Going into the third period, the Caps were down by two goals – but what Cap fan doesn’t realize that two goals are nothing for this offensive juggernaut? As long as you have Alex Ovechkin on your team, you shouldn’t ever think that two goals is insurmountable; it might only be two shifts for the Great 8.

Ovi proved that, when he brought the Caps back to within one on an unassisted goal just 27 seconds into the third to breathe new life into the Caps. The Panthers coughed up the puck in front of their own net, and Ovi made them pay by jumping on the loose puck and throwing it past Vokoun to make it 4-3.

Then at 12:25 of the third, Nichlas Backstrom evened the score at fours. Mike Green picked the puck off the boards on a bad clearance attempt from Florida and just threw it at the net; Backstrom was Johnny-on-the-spot and tipped it in to (eventually) send the game into overtime.

The extra period settled nothing, so it went to penalties. It took six rounds, before Fleischmann’s goal gave the Caps the win.

It was a great win in part because it’s always a shame to see a Gordie Howe hat trick go to waste; especially one that happened all in one period. That’s exactly what new recruit Jason Chimera did in the second frame. First he potted an unassisted goal, then he got a helper on Brian Pothier’s goal at 16:12, and then he completed the trick about two minutes later when he dropped the gloves and had a go with Gregory Campbell. To coin an old Howie Meeker phrase, ‘Just Super!’ It was definitely Chimera’s best outing since coming to the Caps seven games ago from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Michal Neuvirth started the game in goal for Washington, but was chased from the game when Gregory Campbell scored his first of the season to make it 4-1 half-way through the second. Jose Theodore came on in relief and made the comeback possible by stopping all 15 shots that he faced.

Michael Frolik, Dominic Moore, Stephen Weiss and Campbell scored for the Panthers in the losing effort; Vokoun stopped 33 shots.

“We always had that feeling tonight that something good was going to happen, we were always in striking range,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Once we made it 4-2 near the end of the second, we thought we could come back. Fortunately, for us, we did.”

The win gave Washington a 1-1 split in Florida, and brought their season total to 28 wins and 62 points – good enough for tops in the division and second in the Eastern Conference. They now head back home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Verizon Center on Friday night – game time is 7:00pm.

Video highlights

The team’s obviously been working on their passing, and shooting accuracy, but more importantly, they are starting to trust each other again. We aren’t seeing as many occasions where guys are bumping into each other, or passing the puck to vacant spaces. They have their confidence back. Lets get to the recap.

Tuesday, January 5^th 2010, vs. Montreal – After losing the past three straight, the Caps bounced back with a much needed win in front of the Verizon faithful. The Caps came out pretty tentative and skated to a 0-0 tie with the Canadiens at the end of the first period. It would be Thomas Flieschmann who would get the first goal of the game in the second. Later in the second, if you got up for a bathroom break at the wrong time, you might have left a 1-0 game only to return and find that the Caps were up 3-1. There were three goals scored in a little over two minutes (one for Montreal, and two for the Caps). Montreal would narrow the Caps lead to 1 with a goal in the third, but it was Alex Semin with his second goal of the night that would give the Caps the insurance marker and a much needed victory on home ice 4-2.

One streak still continues – Washington’s three game losing skid ended many of the Caps’ scoring streaks, but the Caps have yet to lose three straight games in regulation under Coach Bruce Boudreau in his 185 games as the bench boss.

Like buttah – Thomas Flieschmann played his first game as a center for the Washington Capitals. How’d it go? One goal, two assists, a +2 rating and he was 67% on face-offs.

Thursday, January 7^th, 2010 vs. Ottawa – Jose Theodore was let out of the dog-house Thursday night to face a team with one of the worst road records in the NHL. The Caps are often known for “playing down” to their opponents, but on this night they took the lead early and ran with it. After scoring two goals in the first period, the Caps lead looked a little shaky late in the second as Ottawa closed to within a goal to end the second period. It was Nicklas Backstrom who not only got the Caps their two-goal lead back, but also gave them a three point advantage in the third period. Ovechkin would score one late in the third to make it a four goal lead, but Ottawa would get one more in the waning seconds of the third and the Caps would hold on for a 5-2 win.

I’ll have what he’s having – Nicklas Backstrom has been a regular set up man for Alex Ovechkin and has tallied over 50 assists in both of his first two years. He seems to be on track to not only make it a three-peat, but at his current rate, he may score more than 30 goals this season!

Off the chain – Caps’ netminder Jose Theodore has been stewing on the bench, unhappy to see his job go to AHL Call-Up Michal Neuvirth. This game was not only a brief rest for Nuevirth, but a show of confidence for Theodore who had not beaten the Senators since October 19^th, 2006. Granted, the Sens have a horrific road record, and Theodore doesn’t see them very often (even though it’s been years since he last beat them, he’d only lost to them twice during that time), still, when the coach throws you a bone, you take it a run, right?

Saturday, January 9^th, 2009 at Atlanta – Atlanta was coming into this game after only just recently snapping a nine-game losing streak. The Caps were flying high after a 5-2 victory over Ottawa. The two previous meetings between these teams were decided by a single goal, and the mix seemed just about right for this to be just as close. I figured the Caps would win, and told a friend of mine I predicted a 4-3 OT win. I was forced to rethink that prediction when it was 4-0 less than five minutes into the second period. I won’t get too much into the uglier details for Atlanta fans, but the Caps would score four goals on two different goaltenders, and roll to an easy 8-1 win.

Maybe Atlanta’s coach needs to switch to Pepto – Atlanta was certainly feeling some heartburn finding themselves down 4-0 less than halfway through the game. It may be possible that he was asking for “Prilosec” instead of “Pavelec”, but in any case, the goalies were switched, and the scoring continued.

Be careful what you wish for – Bruce Boudreau turned 55 Saturday night. It would seem that several Caps’ players had the same idea on what to get him for his birthday!

I’m out of time this week, so I’ve got to cut the recap a little short. I’m glad to see the Caps’ have turned things around, and just in time too, as they face a string of divisional opponents! They seem to have righted the ship, now it’s just a matter of staying the course!

Go Caps!