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!

We have a lot of games to cover, so I’m going to dive right in. Our first starts with the 7-4 loss in Tampa; definitely not the way anyone wants to start their week.

Tuesday, January 12th, @ Tampa Bay – The Caps had won the past 12 meetings versus the Bolts as they came in to Tampa on this evening. The Tampa crowd was electric after the Lightning charged ahead and struck the Caps down in the first period, 4-1. Coach Boudreau changed the conductor in net, pulling Neuvirth and calling Theodore to the front. The Caps managed to tie it up in the second, but Tampa managed to zap Theodore for a goal, and still carried a 5-4 lead into the third. Tampa created a bit of friction in the final period, adding two more goals to their lead, and the static boiled over between Steve Downey and Alex Ovechkin. After several fighting majors were doled out in the third period, the Lightning would leave the Caps Thor (norse god of thunder for those who didn’t catch the reference) as they would go on to win by the final score of 7-4.

Grey Area – Immediately after Downey and Ovechkin left the penalty box for their roughing minors, Downey wanted to go for real, and tried to pick a fight with the Great Eight. If he wanted to dance, Alex was ready to oblige. Both players tossed their gloves, and Alex tossed his helmet, but before the two combatants could lock horns, Matt Bradley came to the defense of his Captain and rode Downey to the ice. Bradley was ejected from the game under the “third man in” rule. The refs made the correct call based on the letter of the rule, but not on the spirit of the rule. The rule prohibits another player from jumping into a fight, once two players are already engaged. The key word is engaged. Ovechkin and Downey had both tossed their gloves, so it could be argued that even though they were 10-feet apart, they were “engaged” in combat. The rule is designed so that one player doesn’t have to fight two at the same time. Alex skated away after Bradley jumped in, so it was a fair fight between two combatants, but the refs followed the letter of the law and ended Bradley’s night.

Wednesday, January 13th, @ Florida – It was beginning to feel like deja-vu for Caps fans as Washington fell behind 4-1 for the second time in as many nights. Most fans in Washington have learned that when it comes to the Caps, nothing is over. Roaring back with three goals in the third period, the Caps would carry the Panthers into the shoot-out. After both teams went scoreless for the first three rounds, Florida (who shot first) would put up the game’s first tally. The Caps matched them score for score over two rounds, when Theodore finally made a big stop, it was Thomas Fleischmann with the game literally on his stick that would deposit the game winner.

A cornucopia of interesting factoids – This game marked the first time the Caps had come back from a three goal deficit this year. Jason Chimera got his first Gordie Howe Hat-Trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight) as a Capital, Chimera’s goal was his 10th of the season and he has become the 11th Capital with double digit goals on the season, the Caps had played 18 of their last 27 on the road, of that 18, they played 16 different opponents.

Even with the Caps busy schedule, they still had time to visit with the kids of Bristow Run Elementary School

Friday, January 15th, vs Toronto – It took less than a minute for Alex Ovechkin to unpack the bags for Washington and set out the game’s first goal. Even though the Caps had just come off a three game road trip, and had played their last game two nights ago, they seemed energized to be home. The Caps would skate all over the Leafs and finally looked like the power-house team that they are, winning6-1.

And more interesting factoids – The Great Eight’s goal in the first period marked the eighth time this season that the Capitals had scored on their first shot on goal. Mike Knuble’s two goals were his third multiple goal game of the season, it was also the 34th time that a Capitals’ player has scored two goals in a game this season. No Caps player has earned a hat-trick (shoot-out goals do not count towards a hat-trick). The Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis extended an invitation to “Capstronaut” (a fan that has been showing up to games in an astronaut costume) through his blog to join him in the owners box; “Capstronaut” appeared in the owner’s box during the game. I personally found it a very cool move on Leonsis’ part.

Sunday, January 17th vs Philadelphia – This was the game Caps fans had been waiting for. The true litmus test for Washington who had faced Tampa, Florida, and Toronto. Those were games the Caps were supposed to win (even though they lost one). Philly was going to be the real challenge. In the first period, Philly and Washington exchanged goals twice and it was 2-2 after 1. Both teams battened down the hatches in the second period, but not before Alex Semin beat Ray Embry making it 3-2 after 2. In the third, Philly was given an early power-play opportunity to tie things up, but instead Brooks Laich stole a drop pass and ran it in for the shorthanded score. Later in the period, Ovechkin would get his first penalty shot goal of his career (he is now 1 for 6). Philly’s last goal came on a late power-play 6-4, but it would be too little too late, the Caps would win 5-3.

And still more interesting factoids – Brooks Laich had his first three point night since October of last year, and scored his first shorty in four straight seasons. Ovechkin registered his 2,000th career shot 4.5 years into the league, no other player in NHL history has registered 2,000 shots in less than six years. The Caps had never won a Sunday game, and it was the first time this season they had won an afternoon meeting. The Caps’ last penalty shot goal was October 13th, 2008 (Nylander vs. Vancouver).

It doesn’t get any easier for the Caps this week as they face Detroit, Pittsburgh, and the surprisingly good Phoenix Coyotes. Hopefully the Caps can give me a big win for my birthday tomorrow versus Detroit.

Hold on tight fans, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Let’s Go Caps!

Brooks Laich Post Game Video

Bruce Boudreau Presser

The Flyers come to downtown D.C. today having won four of its last five games, with their only loss in that span coming as a 4-0 shutout on Thursday against the team the Capitals defeated handily the night after to the tune of 6-1, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Today’s matchup will mark the fourth and final contest between these two teams during the regular season. In the previous three contest, the Capitals have scored 17 points, which was padded due to an 8-2 Capitals victory in Wachovia Center on Dec. 5th.

The Caps have won 10 out of the last 15 contest against the Flyers since the 2006-2007 season began.

1st Period Overview:

Despite thousands of empty seats, presumably due to the NFL’s Divisional playoff games, the energy filling the Verizon Center matches that of a full house.

The period can be summed up as a chess match for both teams, with each team going tit-for-tat with two goals apiece. The Flyers struck first with a Jeff Carter goal but the Capitals retaliated with a quick goal from former Flyer Mike Knuble. The chess match continued when Flyers left winger James Van Riemsdyk put the Flyers up 2-1. That lead didn’t last long when Brooks Laich scored his 12th goal of the season and evened the contest out at 2-2 with 6:32 left in the opening period.

It has been a very entertaining matchup so far in a game featuring two local rivals. Considering the fans of both teams feeding off of each other’s energy, it only looks to become more enticing as the day goes on.

Goals: PHI – 2 WAS – 2
Shots: PHI – 9 WAS – 8
Blocked Shots: PHI – 9 WAS – 6
Faceoffs Won: PHI – 10 – WAS – 11

2nd Period Overview:

Defense was the name of the game in the second period, with the only score coming seven minutes in.

Both the Capitals and the Flyers had just returned their fifth men on the ice following a 4-on-4 stretch with Washington’s Tyler Sloan and Philadelphia’s Scott Hartnell in their respective penalty boxes when Jeff Carter gave the Caps a 5-on-4 advantage by holding Sloan shortly after he left the box. Just seven seconds after Carter’s penalty, Alexander Semin gave the Caps a 3-2 lead with his 20th goal on the year.

The Capitals tightened up their defense, helping keep traffic away from Jose Theodore when he wasn’t making clutch saves. Washington was able to clear the puck at the right times and also increased their physicality, making their presence known to the Flyers on their own as opposed to just responding to the hits that Philadelphia was giving them.

Goals: PHI – 0 WAS – 1
Shots: PHI – 12 WAS – 9
Blocked Shots: PHI – 6 WAS – 6
Faceoffs Won: PHI – 10 – WAS – 13

3rd Period Overview (most of it):

Brooks Laich scored his second goal of the night on a beautiful backhanded shot to give the Caps a 4-2 lead 4:56 into the final period, giving the team much-needed momentum to close out the Flyers.

The score remains 4-2 with five minutes remaining.

The players have the day off today, and boy do they need it. They played three games in four nights, and I’m sure they are exhausted.

The Caps played four total games last week and went 2-0-2, netting six of a possible eight points. Atlanta was their only divisional opponent, and they won that game in regulation.

Washington is 8-2-4 for the season and currently holds a commanding lead in the Southeast division with 20 points, followed by Tampa Bay in second place with 12, and Atlanta with 11.

We got a lot of games to cover, so let’s get to the recap!

Tuesday, October 27th vs. the Flyers – The Caps have been a “strike first” team this season, but after being held scoreless in the first period they found themselves down 2-0 after allowing Philly to score twice in the second period. Washington bounced back by scoring four unanswered goals and carried their win streak to five games.

It wasn’t for lack of effort – Philly peppered the net with 43 shots on goal, but it was “No Way” Jose Theodore that slammed the door shut stopping 41 of those shots including 20 in the third period alone. Even though Theo’s career record for shots faced in a game is 47, the 43 he faced Tuesday night were the most he had ever faced as a Washington Capital.

Can’t keep a good team down – The Caps have only had to come from behind on multifocal deficits twice this season, and in both occasions they have come back to win it. The previous time was the game immediately preceding this one where they found themselves down to the Islanders. Brooks Laich scored the game winner in OT.

Thursday, October 29th @ the Thrashers…again – It had to feel like déjà vu for the Caps who had just faced this Thrasher team the previous Thursday…also in Atlanta. It had to feel like déjà vu for the Thrashers as well as they fell to the Caps again on home ice. The Caps, who knew they had to play another game in less than 24 hours tried to put this game away early so they could start resting up their players for Friday night’s game. In a classic example of why you never “look past” you current opponent the Caps watched a three-goal lead evaporate in the third period. Atlanta, being down 3-2 pulled their goalie in favor of the extra attacker. Mike Knuble had no idea his empty net goal would be the game winner (it made the score 4-2) as the Thrashers got what would have been the tying goal in the last 1/2 second of regulation, but by then it wasn’t enough and the Caps held on for the 4-3 win.

Define: “Four Point” game – When you beat a division opponent in regulation, it is referred to as a “four point” game. You gain two points in the standings for the win, and at the same time cost your opponents two points by preventing them from winning. To really see it, you need to look at the season standings. Washington held a 7-point lead in the Southeast division going into Thursday’s game. Two teams were tied for second; Atlanta and Tampa. At the end of the night, the Caps still had a seven point lead in the division (Tampa won their game), but now had a nine point lead over Atlanta.

Back on Track – After a short slump where he was held without a goal for two games Alex Ovechkin came back and scored four goals in two games including two here versus Atlanta to give him 13 goals in 12 games.

Friday, October 30th vs. the Islanders – While the Caps were in Atlanta tangling with the Thrashers, the Islanders were in Washington helping themselves to whatever the Caps had in the fridge and kicking their feet up onto the coffee table. The Caps may have had the home ice advantage, but considering that they had just finished playing a game the night before, it was New York that had the advantage. The Caps kept it close and even held the lead a few times throughout the game, but just couldn’t seem to shake the Islanders and ultimately fell to them in OT by the final score of 4-3.

THN on Ice – Our own Jake Russell was at the game Friday night posting a live blog from the press box. Click here to check out his blog and video interviews after the game.

Sunday, November 1^st vs. the Blue Jackets – Even though the Caps lost Alex Ovechkin early in the second period, they weren’t going to go down without a fight. After scoring the game’s first goal, they found themselves trailing 2-1 at the beginning of the third period. Brooks Laich stepped up and scored the game tying and go-ahead goals putting the Caps up 3-2. A short while later Raffi Torres tied it up, but the Caps regained their lead when Quintin Lang scored with a little more than three minutes left to play in regulation. With less than half a minute to go in regulation, it was Torres who brought the score even at four and forced overtime where the Caps would fall 5-4.

Sometimes, it’s just not going to be your day – Jose Theodore played a great game, but was victimized by two unfortunate incidents that lead to goals. The first of which was in the second period when Theo went behind the net to play the puck, only to have the puck take an unusual bounce away from him, back towards the front of the net and straight to R. J. Umberger who stashed it home. The second came midway through the third where Theo had his stick knocked out of his hand as he slid left to protect against the wrap-around he had nothing to defend his right side where Raffi Torres was waiting to tap the puck in on the now stickless stick-side.

Coming Up – The Caps have three games this week starting Wednesday night in New Jersey. They then go to Florida to face the Panthers on Friday, and bring them back to DC for another meeting on Saturday.

In the meantime, we’ll all be crossing our fingers on Ovechkin!

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

THN Turning Point:
Green’s goal in the third period – it gave the Capitals life, and seemed to subsequently put the Islanders back on their heels.

Game Summary:

For two periods of the Capitals – Islanders game, it was a dull, low scoring affair. The Islanders couldn’t put them away early though, and the Caps came back with two goals in the third period and forced overtime, where Brooks Laich scored to give Washington a 3-2 victory.

Laich’s goal came just a minute into the extra period, when he crashed the net and tipped in a Mike Green pass. It was Laich’s fourth goal of the young season, and his first game winning goal; but make no mistake about it, the goal was created by Green. The young blue-liner looked like a man possessed on the rush, and carried the puck out of his own zone, through the neutral ice, and into the Isles zone; he then threw the puck at a streaking Laich, who tapped it into the net.

The win was Washington’s third overtime victory in a row in New York – in fact, it was actually the fourth consecutive overtime decision between the two squads at Nassau Coliseum. Alex Ovechkin scored two overtime winners last year, and Rickard Park gave the Isles an overtime win over the Caps back on December 22, 2007.

Early on, the Islanders took the lead on a first period short-handed goal from Radek Martinek. The Capitals got caught up ice on the power play, and Martinek made them pay on a nifty 3-on-2 pass from Frans Nielsen. New York had a 1-0 lead, and the Caps had given up the game’s first goal for just the second time in their first ten games.

It stayed that way until New York made it 2-0 at the beginning of the third. Jeff Tambellini redirected a Blake Comeau shot that was going wide, and tipped it past Jose Theodore for a two goal spread. Believe it or not, it was the first time in this 10-game old season that the Caps have trailed by two goals. Comeau’s shot came after Josh Bailey beat Nicklas Backstrom clean on a draw to the right of Theodore; the Caps were dismal at the face-off dot on Saturday, going just 20 of 66 (30%).

Less than three minutes later, Mike Green got Washington back to within one. The Capitals broke out of their own end beautifully, and hit Mike Knuble as he entered the Isles zone; Knuble sensed Green jumping into the play and laid a beautiful blind back pass on to his stick. Green made no mistake and fired a Howlitzer off the far post and in, to half the deficit to 2-1 Islanders.

The Caps completed the comeback at just past the 13-minute mark of the third. Keith Aucoin took advantage of an out-of-the-net Dwayne Roloson, and tucked the puck in on a wrap around. Alex Ovechkin was going hard to the net and an Islander defenseman pushed him into the crease – putting Roloson out of position. Aucoin picked up the loose puck behind the net and banked it in off of New York center Josh Bailey to even the game at 2-2.

After the game, coach Bruce Boudreau said that he sensed the outcome coming, “I just thought the play of the team… you could feel it on the bench that they were going to come back tonight.”

Jose Theodore had a lot to do with the victory as he fought hard and kept the Caps in the game. While he only had to face 24 shots, crucial saves early on were a big part of what allowed the Caps to storm back.

Doing so brought the Caps record to 6-2-2 atop the Southeast Division, and second overall in the Conference behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was Washington’s fourth win in a row.

Notes:
The Caps had five first period shots on goal, their fewest in any first period this season… the Islanders blocked an impressive 25 shots – 10 in each of the first two periods, and 5 in the third… the Caps took just two penalties on the evening – a marked improvement in discipline… Both Ovechkin and Green logged more than 26 minutes of ice time… Keith Aucoin had the least amount of ice time for any Cap with less than 9 minutes, but made it count with the game-tying goal in the third.

The Caps had two games last week facing the Northeast Division Champion Boston Bruins in their season opener followed up by the familiar face of Ron Wilson and his Toronto Maple Leafs in their home opener. The Caps came out of the gate swinging scoring 10 goals in their first two games. Alex Ovechkin having three goals in his first two games is hardly a surprise, but for him to be tied with Brooks Laich certainly may raise some eyebrows.

The race for the cup starts here, so lets get to some recapping!

10/1/09 Season Opener @ Boston – Caps 4, Bruins 1

Washington looked like they might be in trouble after allowing 10 shots in the games first 13 minutes, but Jose Theodore held down the fort until the cavalry could arrive. The Caps woke up in a big way allowing only 10 more shots for the rest of the game. Brooks Laich got the scoring for the Caps started when he scored on the power play with less than three minutes left in the first period. Ovechkin chimed in with a goal of his own in the second period. Laich and Ovie would add another goal a-piece in the third and by the time Bergeron had gotten a mark on the scoreboard for the B’s, the game was over.

Star Power

Alex Ovechkin’s first goal of the season touched each of the Caps’ “Young Guns” before finding it’s way to the back of the net. It started when Mike Green entered the attack zone and left a drop pass for Backstrom. Backstrom slid the puck across to Alex Semin who  tee’d up a backhand pass to Ovechkin for the score.

“No Way” Jose

Many (including myself) have questioned Bruce Boudreau’s decision to start Jose Theodore in the team’s season opener. Theodore answered those questions by stopping 19 of 20 shots; 10 of which came in the first period alone. Theodore had a great game and hopefully has shown us visions of things to come for the Caps netminding this year.

10/3/09 Home Opener vs. Toronto – Caps 6, Leafs 4

Alex Ovechkin needed only 77 seconds to get the crowd on it’s feet chanting “MVP! MVP!” at Verizon Center Saturday night. The fans in Washington love their superstar because he rarely disappoints! The Caps had this game well in hand by the end of the second period leading 6-1. The home crowd was treated to goals from both of the Caps new veteran players in Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison before the Caps decided to take their foot off the gas. Toronto began to sneak back into the game scoring three goals in the third, but the 5-goal deficit was just too much to overcome.

I Laich Where This is Going

Brooks Laich is personally one of my favorite Capitals. Not simply because of all the fun puns you can have with his name, but also because he is a smart player. He is a student of the game, and he learns well. Citing Sergei Federov as his model, Brooks said “That guy never seemed to be in a hurry. He was just very calm and poised and I watched him like a hawk day in and day out. I think that has really helped me.” Laich’s studying is starting to pay off. He now has three goals and two assists for the season. If you include last season, Laich has scored a goal in each of his last four games and has scored seven goals in his past six.

Hey guys, there’s still a-whole-nother period!

If the Caps’ game versus Toronto was to be judged by the third period alone, the Caps would be in real trouble. Coach Boudreau expressed some concerns with the way the team played in the third period, but fell just short of criticizing the team that had just rang up six goals in the first two. “I was once told that anytime you win, you shouldn’t complain because there’s so many times you lose.” Said Boudreau, “I told the guys that it was a great win and a great start but that we have to learn how to win 6-1 when we are in this position and not think we are going to win 9-1″

Coming Up

Tuesday, 10/6/09 @ Flyers 7:00pm
Thursday, 10/8/09 vs. Rangers 7:00pm
Saturday, 10/10/09 @ Red Wings 7:00pm

Parting Stat

With Saturday’s effort, Alex Ovechkin now has 100 more points (426) than games in which he’s played (326).

It’s been a great week to be a fan in Washington. The Caps won both their games, the Redskins won their game, and Dallas lost. Does it get much better? We’ll see you next week!

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

Alex Ovechkin scored just over a minute into the game. While the Toronto Maple Leafs may have had 59 minutes to get back into the game – they never did. The Capitals were able to capitalize on the home crowd energy right from the start, and their three unanswered first period goals were the difference in the 6-4 win.

It Was Over When…
When the Capitals killed off a penalty with just under half a period to play. The Leafs had crawled back to 6-3 and a goal with 7 to 9 minutes left, might have got them back in the game.

Three Stars:
1st Star – Alex Ovechkin; he added two assists to his game-opening goal
2nd star – Alexander Semin; also had three points, with two 2nd period goals and a helper on Ovechkin’s goal
3rd Star – Brooks Laich; who had a goal and an assist

Key Statistic:
5-for-8
Vesa Toskala was pulled between the first and second periods, after stopping only of five of eight first period shots.

Noteworthy:
Ovechkin and Semin both already have six points, after registering three points a piece in each of the Caps first two games… Laich and Nicklas Backstrom both have five points in two games… it took 77 seconds for the Verizon Center to have a reason to shout ‘M-V-P’ for Ovechkin… Toronto defenseman Mike Komisarek received his sixth penalty of the season in the first period… Mike Green led all players, with over 24 minutes of ice time… center Michael Nylander was a healthy scratch for the Caps, along with defensemen Jeff Schultz and Tyler Sloan… it was the  eighth consecutive time that the Caps have won their home opener; they are now 9-1-1 all-time in home openers at Verizon Center.

Up Next:
The Caps take on the Flyers in Philadelphia on Tuesday, and then are back home on Thursday to face the New York Rangers.

Check out the video highlights of the game if you missed it.

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.

Steckel’s main contribution is in the face-off circle. He has been spectacular on face-offs, winning 63.5% in this series. That’s 54 wins in 85 chances. Not too shabby.

David Steckel is also a key cog in Washington’s penalty killing unit. His size and long arms make him a real asset when down a man. He uses his reach to cover a lot of ice, poke checking, blocking passing lanes and shots, which is why his 4:02 of shorthanded ice time is third in the league for the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Those are both great contributions to the team, but in this series, its been his offense that has been the difference. Steckel has scrored three times and the Capitals are 3-0 in those games.

The 6′5″, 225-lb Winsconsonite started off the scoring for the Caps in this series, 13:10 into Game 1. The Capitals went on to beat the Pens 3-2.

In game 2, it really did seem like it was Ovie vs. Sid, with both players recording a hat trick. The Caps won 4-3. The difference: David Steckel, playing tough in front of the net gobbled up a Tyler Sloan shot that bounced off of Kris Letang right onto his stick, and slammed it through Marc-Andre Fleury’s five hole.

Then of course, came the game winner in game 6 to eevn the series and force a deciding game 7 on home ice for the Capitals. Steckel could have won game 5 in overtime, but fanned on the shot missing an open net. Then he took a penalty that led to the Penguins third goal in game 6. Being the big-game player he is, he begged his teammates to give him a shot and they did. He repayed them ten-fold.

The Caps had the face-off to the left of Marc-Andre Fleury in the offensive zone, and who better to work it than David Steckel, who was 10 of 14 in game 6 to that point. Stecks won the face-off to Brooks Laich and drove to the net. Laich, from his knees, passed the puck to Matt Bradley against the boards who passed it back to Laich for the one-timer. Steckel put his stick out and deflected the Laich’s shot in midair, past a butterflied Fleury for the game winner.

So yes, Simeon Varlamov will need to stand on his head again. Semin and Kozlov will need to play the same inspired hockey they played at Mellon Arena on Monday night. And, of course, Ovie will need to be Ovie, but the difference will be David Steckel.