For the first home game of the new year, the Washington Capitals are looking to avenge a dreadful two-game trip to the West Coast that saw them lose their respected matchups by a combined score of 7-3. The Caps had their work cut out for them, facing two of the of the top teams in the Western Conference in the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. The road trip proved that there is plenty of work to do if they truly want to make a Stanley Cup run.

The Capitals are also playing their first home game since the departure of team captain Chris Clark, who was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets along with Milan Jurcina in exchange for Jason Chimera. Clark’s absence meant that the Capitals would need to appoint a new player to wear the coveted “C” patch. As Alex Ovechkin made his way onto the ice, fans in the Verizon Center noticed a change with his wardrobe. For the first time in his career, he will be wearing a “C” on his sweater. This move makes the Russian superstar the 14th captain in team history.

1st Period Overview:

The Capitals and Canadiens both were unable to put any points on the board but Washington was certainly more aggressive, dominating the Habs with 11 shots on goal compared to Montreal’s three. Ovechkin led the team with almost nine minutes of ice time, almost all of which were in full speed and full force, obviously motivated by his new role on the team.

Aside from Ovechkin’s obvious presence on the ice and the discrepancy in shots, there was not much action for fans to enjoy, unless you love defense and offenses failing to finish off passes near the opponents’ goals. Expect a more offensive second period (Captain Obvious alert!) from the Capitals.

Prediction: Ovechkin scores a goal in the second period to celebrate his captaincy. (Am I going out on a limb here?)

Faceoffs won: Mon – 9 Was – 10
Shots: Mon – 3 Was – 11
Hits: Mon – 5 Was – 14
Blocked Shots: Mon – 6 Was – 3
Goals: Mon – 0 Was – 0

2nd Period Overview:

The beginning of the second period started off exciting, with the Caps firing shots from close range and hounding Canadiens goalie Carey Price. The pressure paid off when Tomas Fleischmann weaved his way in the middle of traffic in front of the net and easily slid the puck between Price’s feet for his 15th goal on the season. That goal came just over five minutes into the period.

The Caps should be noted for their great penalty kill following Jason Chimera’s two-minute minor for hooking halfway through the period. During that PK, the penalty killers cleared the puck across the ice several times and were helped by several athletic saves by the youngster, Michal Neuvirth.

Shortly after the penalty kill however, Montreal’s Josh Gorges fired a blast over Neuvirth’s shoulder for the Canadiens’ first appearance on the scoreboard. That was when the action started. A minute and a half later, Eric Fehr retaliated for the Capitals, deflecting a pass off of the skate of Montreal’s Hal Gill into the net to regain the lead. Thirty six seconds after that, Alexander Semin, like Fleischmann, tacked on his 15th goal of the year to give the Caps a 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

My prediction for the new captain to score was wrong but my “Captain Obvious” obersvation paid off, as it was certainly a more offensive and active second period that even featured two big fights..

Faceoffs won: Mon – 6 Was – 12
Shots: Mon – 10 Was – 17
Hits: Mon – 6 Was – 6
Blocked Shots: Mon – 4 Was – 4
Goals: Mon – 1 Was – 3

3rd Period Overview (most of it):

As has been status quo with the rest of the game, the Caps have kept the puck on Montreal’s half of the ice for most of the period.

Despite starting out the period even, the Canadiens were able to cut the Caps lead to one with a power play goal scored by Benoit Pouliot, making the score 3-2.

Mike Knuble – Post-game Video Part 1

Mike Knuble – Post-game Video Part 2

Bruce Boudreau's Post-game Presser (Audio)

Tonight, the Verizon Center hosts a battle of the NHL’s points leader (the Capitals are tied with the San Jose Sharks at 44) against the NHL’s most deprived (the Hurricanes come into tonight’s contest with just 19 points).

The Capitals are looking to avenge a 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night while the Hurricanes are looking to win their third game in their last four after losing five straight.

1st Period Overview:

The Hurricanes came into downtown D.C. with a lot to prove and they did just that by striking first off an easy two-on-one goal that was assisted by center Brandon Sutter and finished off by center Jiri Tlusty for his first goal of the season. Their second goal came with an unlikely slide from the puck. With over six minutes to go, Jose Theodore, filling in for the injured Semyon Varlomov, had his leg against the corner of the net and had the puck trapped following an Eric Staal shot but once he moved his leg, the puck slowly slid behind the veteran goaltender.

The opening period of the night can best be described by the Capitals inability to take advantage of oppurtunities on offense, with Alexander Ovechkin whiffing on two shots, the last being within 20 feet of the Hurricanes net with just a few minutes remaining in the period.

The Capitals offense has not been able to sustain a solid presence in Carolina territory while the defense has allowed time and space for the last-place Hurricanes to create two-on-ones and open oppurtunities for shooters. The lack of defensive awareness and inability shows when the shots on goal are reviewed. The Hurricanes have converted half of their shots into goals while the Capitals have failed to score once while almost quadrupling Carolina’s shot output.

The Caps must keep the puck away from Theodore if they want to have any chance tonight and take advantage of any scoring oppurtunity.

Faceoffs won: Car – 11 Was – 8
Blocked Shots: Car – 8 Was 4
Hits: Car 7 – Was 3
Shots on goal: Car – 4 Was – 14
Goals: Car – 2 Was – 0

2nd Period Overview:

This game, so far, has been a tale of two periods.

Despite starting out the beginning of the period defending themselves on their own half of the ice for the most part, the Capitals applied a large amount of offensive pressure against Carolina and it increased towards the middle of the period.

The pressure paid off when Alexander Semin fired a missle past Cam Ward’s shoulder to put the Capitals on the board. Following the goal, the Capitals showed a renewed energy and continued to surround and harsass Ward around the net, reminding the fifth-year goaltender why the Caps remain atop the league in scoring.

Semin ended the period in exciting fashion by finishing off a shot deflected by Ward for his second goal of the period. The goal came with 0.6 seconds to go.

The Capitals still had a tendency to let long pass get behind the defense but as long as they don’t get past Theodore and the offense continues to ride the wave of momentum, winning this game should not be a problem.

Faceoffs won: Car – 9 Was – 12
Blocked Shots: Car – 10 Was – 4
Hits: Car – 6 Was – 2
Shots on goal: Car – 7 Was – 12
Goals: Car – 0 Was – 2

3rd Period (Most of it):

Just less than three minutes into the third, Tomas “Flash” Fleischmann strikes with his first goal of the night (11th on the season), giving the Capitals their first lead at 3-2.

Washington is looking more fluid on both ends of the ice this period. The offense is passing the puck around better and looks more organized by the minute.

The Hurricanes tied the game up with an interception from Tim Gleason, who scored on an unassisted shot that screamed past an out-of-position Theodore, who had skated up from the net several feet forward, giving Gleason plenty of open room.

The New York Islanders come into the Verizon Center looking to avenge a 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals just six nights ago in Nassau Coliseum. Making his first trip to the Verizon Center is 19-year old John Tavares. The 2009 No. 1 overall draft choice is second on the team with points and goals scored. The Capitals will also welcome a familiar face back to the rink when Brendan Witt hits the ice. Witt spent 10 seasons in Washington from 1995-2006. He was traded to the Nashville Predators in the second half of the 2006 season for Kris Beech and the Predators’ first round selection, which the Capitals used to select goaltender Semyon Varlomov.

1st Period Overview:

Not surprisingly the Capitals struck first with a goal from none other than Alexander Ovechkin, who is on pace for a third straight MVP season. The Capitals did a great job getting themselves out of jams by clearing the puck from behind their own net to across the rink on several occassions. That was until the Islanders were able to capitalize off of that pressure they forced and retaliated with a goal by Kyle Okposo (his third on the season) with an assist coming from Witt.

Goals: NY – 1 WAS – 1
Shots: NY – 11 WAS – 9
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 1
Hits: NY – 9 WAS – 4

2nd Period Overview:

The second period was a tale of two scorers. There was not much defense to be had, especially in the final minutes. The Islanders struck first with a goal from Frans Nielson to go up 2-1, Tomas Fleischmann, who made his season debut last night against the Thrashers after missing the start of the season with deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot) in his leg, delivered his first two goals of the season to give the Caps their second lead of the night at 3-2. His second came with a little over three minutes to go. Just over one minute later, Nielson closed out the period with his second goal of the season as well with 2:10 remaining to tie it up at 3.

Goals: NY – 2 WAS – 2
Shots: NY – 9 WAS – 13
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 1
Hits: NY – 2 WAS – 9

3rd Period Overview:

The Capitals spent most of their time as they did in the first period, trying to clear traffic out from goaltender Jose Theodore’s way. This period was a battle of defenses. The contest ended in regulation as it did on Satruday night with a tied score headed into overtime.

Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 0
Shots: NY – 8 WAS – 17
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 0
Hits: NY – 8 WAS – 6

Overtime Overview:

The Islanders earned their first victory over the Capitals since February 2008 in the same fashion the Capitals earned their win last win against the Isles Saturday night; in the first minute of overtime. This time, Mark Streit is the hero of the night for New York, who shocked the crowd by taking advantage of a puck-handling error by Capitals defenseman Mike Green just 0:53 into overtime.

Goals: NY – 1 WAS – 0
Shots: NY – 2 WAS – 0
Power Play Goals: NY – 0 WAS – 0
Hits: NY – 0 WAS – 0

Tom Poti – Postgame Interview

Tomas Fleischmann – Postgame Interview

Bruce Boudreau – Postgame Presser

As Chris points out, it is quite early in the careers of these guys to start calling them the greatest ever. They are fantastic together — after four games, they have combined for 28 points – but longevity and consistency and success are all necessary ingredients to make that claim stick. It would be hard to argue, however, that they aren’t the greatest right now.

That being said, the real reason I wanted to blog about this is to address a piece at the bottom of Needham’s blog:

Meanwhile, if they’re going to be in the discussion, as OFB notes, they need a snazzy nickname.  When hockey fans hear the Legion of Doom, the Production Line or the French Connection, their mind instantly races to some awesome combos.

So what would you call these guys?

Japers’ Rink suggests the SOB Line.  Passable, but not quite the ring we’re going for.  The Rush’n Attack (with apologies to the old and terrible NES game)?

The Semin… hmm…  That probably won’t work.

If they’re going to be the best ever, that catchy nickname is something all Caps fans will have to work on.

So what do you think Caps’ fans? I have been anticipating these three guys on the ice together since Backstrom was drafted. My first thought at the beginning of last season was the SOB line, as Japers’ Rink suggests. I also thought about the BOSS line, as one of Needham’s commenters posted. But I don’t think they are flashy or descriptive enough. It has to be something that describes their style of play, their ability to come through in the clutch and their dominance.

You could go European (I think going Russian is a disservice to Backstrom ala Rush’N Attack from above). You could go conceptual, something like ‘The Line Your Mama Warned You About’. You could go Washington-ese, with something along the lines of ‘Capital Punishment’ or ‘The Department of Offense’. Let’s see what you’ve got. Leave your comment with your ideas. If you like one of mine, please feel free to stroke my ego and say so.

Perhaps in a week or so, we will take a vote. Who ever comes up with the winning nickname, will win a prize. ** I look forward to reading your responses!

** Not really, but it sounded good.

The Capitals opened up the season against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night where they left off the 2008-2009 season with a 4-1 victory. Their fire didn’t stop during their home opener tonight against the Maple Leafs as reigning back-to-back NHL MVP Alexander Ovechkin ignited the raucous Verizon Center crowd with his third goal of the season just 1:17 into the contest. Chants of MVP quickly ensued from the home fans.

The intensity only increased when former enemy Mike Knuble made his first goal as a Washington Capital with 10:48 left in the period with his patented close-range goal while center Brooks Laich added the third goal of the game on a breakaway with 6:07 remaining, giving him his third goal on the season.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov has performed up to his postseason standards, looking very similar to his opening round performance against the New York Rangers, accumulating 10 saves so far.

Toronto, who finished last season in last place in the Northeast Division, does not looked much improved so far, while the Capitals are firing on all cylinders with a lethal combination of a quick-striking offense and a steel wall at goaltender.

On a night in which the 2008-2009 Southeast Division Championship banner was lowered, there has been plenty for Capitals fans to cheer about so far in the first period of home action.

Shots on goal: Maple Leafs 8 – Capitals 10
Power play goals: Maple Leafs 0 – Capitals 1
Hits: Maple Leafs 12 – Capitals 12

1st Period Score: Maple Leafs 0 – Capitals 3

2nd Period Overview:

The Maple Leafs came out with a new goaltender, Jonas Gustavson replacing Vesa Toskala in the net, and aggressive on offense, spending most of the beginning of the period in the Capitals zone, pressuring Washington’s defense and Semyon Varlamov to make a mistake. Toronto had many rebound oppurtunities following shots on Varlamov but didn’t have anyone to put it in. The pressure paid off for the Leafs, however, when Lee Stempniak tallied his first goal on the season at the 4:23 mark.

Newcomer Brendan Morrison contributed his first points as a Capitals with his 176th career goal at the 9:18 mark but offensively the period belonged to left winger Alexander Semin, who scored his first two goals of the season with 14:33 and 3:58 left.

While the Leafs entered the period with a newfound energy, the Capitals were able to neutralize it quickly with tough defense and a quick response in the scoring department. Probably the most encouraging thing about this game is the amount of production the team is getting from anyone not named Ovechkin, most notably Laich and Semin. Ovechkin is passing the puck around very well, keeping opponent’s heads on a swivel. Semin may become the biggest beneficiary from Ovechkin’s passing.

Shots on goal: Maple Leafs 15 – Capitals 12
Power play goals: Maple Leafs 0 – Capitals 0
Hits: Maple Leafs 3 – Capitals 7

2nd Period Score: Maple Leafs 1 – Capitals 6

3rd Period Overview:

For the second straight period, the Maple Leafs struck first, this time with Alexei Ponikarovsky scoring his second and third goals within the first six minutes to cut Caps lead in half, 6-3. Toronto’s offensive aggression and persistance paid off early in the third due to their heightened sense of urgency to put points on the board heading into the final period.

The Capitals haven’t skipped a beat offensively from last year but tonight, their defense relented late in the game but that will almost certainly be something that Coach Bruce Boudreau will address this week.

At that point, the decibal level in the Verizon Center was deafening. In the arena, you could feel that something was going to happen for the Caps. When Sergei Federov, certainly no stranger to the playoff hero role, scored the game winning goal (and first of the series), the decibal level soared even higher, and remained there until well after the final horn blew.

Feds believed the energy from the crowd helped will the team to victory: “It was a great atmosphere all around. I’m sure any player who plays in an atmosphere like that would enjoy it and work hard and play hard… It really was an amazing experience.”

Bruce Boudreau agreed.

“The last five minutes after we scored,they never sat down, they never stopped cheering. If you look at the energy we had just in checking. The people brought that out. They wouldn’t let us not continue skating,”  Boudreau said, adding, “ it was really a thing to watch.”

Of course, going into the third period, it was an experience few thought would come to pass. For the first two periods, the Capitals were out-played and out-hustled. If not for the continued dominating play by the barely 21-year-old Simeon Varlamov, this game could easily have been 3-0  after five and a half minutes. 

In the first period, the normally gifted Washington offense had only managed two shots on the Rangers Henrik Lunqvuist. Luckily, one of them went in after deflecting off two Rangers defenders.

The second period was more of the same. It almost felt like the Caps were on penalty kill the entire period. Washington managed nine more shots on goal, but Lunqvuist looked to be back in form for this pivotal game 7.  The most telling stat of the second period was time of possession. While this isn’t an officially kept statistic, Mike Green mentioned in the locker room after the game that he felt like the Caps only had the puck for 2 of the 20 minutes in the period.

After the second period ended, there was a weird vibe in the air. Some thought that this series was set to end like last year’s opening round defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. Still others thought that the Caps were lucky to be tied at 1, and that the third period was the Caps period, so anything could and would happen. Most though, believed the Capitals would prevail.

Whatever the vibe in the building, the vibe in the locker room was much like the last. In his post-game presser, Coach Bruce Boudreau, when asked what was said between the dreadful second period and the fateful third, quipped:  “One of the messages was ‘20 more minutes.’ How hard is that to work as hard as you can for one of the best feelings you’re ever going to have.”

Besides the motivation, the Coaching staff went to work, as well, trying to solve the dominating play the Rangers brought to the rink.

“We were used to them being a more passive team and they were very aggressive, in your face,” the Caps head coach stated. ”We had to change what we were doing and I’m not that sharp. I took me two periods to figure it out.”

Whatever was said or done, it paid off. The Caps came out in the third playing like themselves. The passing was crisp, the effort was phenomenal and the results were there. Everyone in the building began to feel like a Russian was going to send the Rangers packing. Of course, everyone assumed that Russian would be Ovechkin or Semin.

Enter Sergei Federov. As Feds skated down the right side, pulling up to look for the trailer on the play for a pass, he noticed several things. First, Wayne Redden was playing way off, quite possibly because the ever-threatening Ovechkin was on the left side of the net. Second, there was no trailer on the play. Third, the top-shelf glove side of Lunqvuist, perhaps the outstanding goalies only weakness, was beakoning him. He let the shot go, kept a longer follow-through to get the shot up, and watched as the puck soared into the net for the eventual game winner with just under five minutes to go in the third.

Fellow teammate and countryman Alex Ovechkin was the first on the scene leaping onto the 39-year-old’s back, squeezing him hard and slamming him into the boards.  Since Federov was the Red Wing that ended the Caps Stanley Cup hopes oh so many moons ago, perhaps this game seven winner will reverse the fortunes of this young, exciting team in their current pursuit.  

Regardless of kharma and the existential side of the meaning of this goal, Federov has brought something the Capitals haven’t experienced since that 1998 run to the Cup finals and never since the best owner in Washington sports bought this team: a playoff series win.

While many thought Ovie would play the role of hero, Boudreau was not as surprised. “Experience sometimes pays off. He knew what he had to do and… when to do it,” the Capitals coach said. ”That’s what makes him one of the greatest players ever.”

Washington Capitals fans everywhere sure think so.

If that name sounds familiar to Caps’ fans, its because Rachel was the Caps Beat Writer at the Post before going to work in Bristol.

Here’s a sneak peak:

E:60 Alex Ovechkin Preview from ESPN Communications on Vimeo.

The Crazy Eights Skills Session will be held on September 15 at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex atop Balston Commons Mall. Ovie will instruct almost 100 youth hockey players between the ages of 6 to 14. The on-ice festivities will take place between 5:15pm and 6:15pm. There will be an autograph session immediately following the on-ice instruction that will last approximately 30 minutes.

All of the kids participating are members of the Kettler Capitals Iceplex’s youth hockey house league’s mites, squirts and pee wee/bantam teams. The league will hold its first practice following the Crazy Eights session, which is brought to you by Pulte Homes.

For those that aren’t familiar with Ovi’s Crazy Eights, here’s a brief description from the press release:

Ovi’s Crazy Eights is a program Ovechkin established in 2006 to give back to the Washington, D.C., community. Ovechkin purchases eight tickets to every Capitals home game and donates them to Most Valuable Kids (MVK). MVK, in turn, distributes the tickets to needy children and soldiers in the Washington, D.C., area. The group sits in a special section at Verizon Center and Ovechkin regularly meets with them personally after the game.

That’s a pretty cool way to spend your birthday each year, giving back to the community. Its cool in this day-and-age, to see a phenomenal player that’s also a phenomenal person. Hockey players are so much different than most other professional athletes.