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!

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!

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.

Mike Knuble – Post-game Video Part 1

Mike Knuble – Post-game Video Part 2

Bruce Boudreau's Post-game Presser (Audio)

The Caps even missed the services of Mike Green for a couple of those games, and didn’t miss a beat.

The injury bug finally caught up with them when Mike Knuble was injured Friday night and absent from Saturday’s game in New Jersey.

Knuble hasn’t been the prolific scorer that Ovechkin is, but he’s a hard worker. He wears down opponents.  He finds the open slots, controls and moves the puck well, and if he sees a few inches of daylight, he’ll score on you.

The Caps still got good pressure on New Jersey. I don’t want to take anything away from the team. They fought hard against a rested New Jersey team, and a future hall-of-fame netminder in Marty Brodeur, but they missed Knuble who plays well from in front of the crease gobbling up rebounds for either redistribution, or second chance attempts.

Hopefully he feels better soon; and with that, let’s get to some recapping.

Wednesday, November 11^th, vs. NY Islanders – :08 seconds in and the Caps were up 1-0 thanks to Alex Semin. Six minutes later the Caps were down 3-1 and Jose Theodore was replaced by Semyon Varlamov. A period and a half later, the Caps were up 4-3, and with less than three minutes left in regulation, the Islanders tied the game on the power-play and forced overtime. After a scoreless overtime period, the game came down to a shootout. The Caps elected to shoot first. After the obligatory three rounds, both teams had scored a goal. With each stop of a Caps’ shot, it put all the pressure on Varlamov, as the Islanders could end the game with their next goal. Verizon Center was on it’s feet, and in the 11^th round it was Chris Clark that finally put the pressure on New York when he scored. Semyon held his team’s fate in his glove literally as he caught New York’s final shot and ended the game with a big win and a big grin! Washington would win 5-4.

The goal that tied the record – Alex Semin’s goal in the first :08 seconds tied a Caps record for the fastest first goal of a game that dates back to March 14^th, 1987.

Note to the fans – Shootout goals do not count for season stats or hat-tricks. Alex Semin’s goal during the shoot-out was in fact the third time he had put a puck in the net, but it doesn’t count as a “hat-trick.” This can actually have the unintended consequence of icing your own goalie, as he waits nervously while all the hats are cleaned up off the ice. Thankfully; it didn’t take long for the hats to be cleared, and I think Varlamov has ice in his veins.

The Goalie of record – After giving up three goals in the game’s first six minutes, Jose Theodore was given the night off. When Alex Semin tied the game at 3 early in the 2^nd period, it became Varlamov’s game to lose. He played 57 minutes (including OT) and stopped 25 of 26 shots surrendering his only goal while NY was on the power-play. Words cannot accurately convey how spectacular he was in the shoot-out.

Friday, November 13^th, vs. Minnesota – Coming into Verizon off a tough shootout loss in Tampa, the Minnesota Wild should have been exhausted. They started off strong outshooting the Caps 7-1 in the first half of the first period, but after that it was all Washington who outshot Minnesota 32-9 over the next period and a half. Cal Clutterbuck, who torched Washington last season for two goals, got his third against the home team as he put Minnesota on the board first just 1:31 into the second period. It was the first time in eight games that Washington hadn’t notched the game’s first goal. Defenders Mike Green and Brian Pothier scored two for the Caps to put them back on top and it was Brooks Laich with the empty netter that put the game out of reach. Minnesota would fall 3-1.

Varly is Gnarly – Varlamov stopped 55 of 57 shots in the 117 minutes he played this week. He is now 11-1-1 in regular season games, and 7-1-0 this season. He has a .912 save percentage and a 2.67 goals against average in his games this year.

On the bright side – The loss of Mike Knuble comes just as the Caps are about to welcome back Alex Ovechkin. This should leave room on the roster for the Caps latest call-up, Mathieu Perreault. In Perreault’s six games he has 2 goals and 3 assists and a 22% shooting percentage.

Saturday, November 14^th, @ New Jersey – Washington entered New Jersey tied for first place in the Eastern conference. Washington was riding a four game winning streak; New Jersey had won their last eight straight. Just as the game was five minutes old, the Caps had a 2-0 lead; unfortunately it would be all New Jersey from there. Bruce Boudreau was looking for his 100^th career victory but would have to wait a little longer as he watched New Jersey score five unanswered goals over the next 38 minutes. Washington, who had played pretty disciplined hockey over their last four victories, began to come apart as they pressed for answer goals. The Caps gave up several odd-man breaks, breakaway goals, and started committing penalties that greatly hindered their come-back effort. In the end, the Caps fell 5-2 and slipped to second in the Eastern Conference.

Random Scoring Stats – For the fourth time this season, the Caps scored on their first shot of the game. For the first time the season, the Caps found themselves down by as many as three goals.

Reaching a milestone – Caps’ Captain Chris Clark played his 500^th game Saturday night.

Coming Up – The Caps are hanging around in Jersey waiting for their matchup Tuesday versus the Rangers. Then they come back for a Friday night game versus the Canandiens, and immediately head to Toronto to face former Caps Coach Ron Wilson and his struggling Maple Leafs.

New York is always a tough opponent for Washington, especially in New York, but it is looking like the Caps are going to get some high powered help with the return of Ovechkin. Having a few days off before facing Montreal should help the Caps, but the overnight flight to Toronto could make that game a little more even than it would be ordinarily.

If I’m Coach Boudreau, I start Varlamov versus New York and Montreal, and give him a break Saturday by starting Theodore versus the Leafs.

All in all, it’s been a good week for the Caps, but now I’m off to write a ‘Skins blog as they finally put together a game to be proud of this week!

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

The week before last, the Washington Capitals went 0-2-1. It looked like they trend would continue when they kicked their week off last week with an overtime loss to New Jersey. Instead they bounced back against a team they hadn’t beaten since 1999, the San Jose Sharks. The Caps rounded out their week Saturday night by edging Nashville in the shootout and finished 2-1-0 for the week.

Alex Ovechkin added four goals to his already impressive five for the season and has scored a total of nine goals in eight games. Ovechkin, who lead the league with 56 goals last year, didn’t score his ninth goal until his 19th game last season. At his current rate Ovechkin is on pace to score 82 goals in 82 games.

Let’s get to some recapping!

Monday, October 12th vs. New Jersey - The Caps jumped out to a two goal lead midway through the first period. Devil’s goalie Marty Brodeur locked up his crease after that by refusing to allow the Caps to add to their lead. Meanwhile, his teammates kept working and snuck back into the game getting the tying goal midway through the third period. Try as they might the Caps could not avoid overtime and ultimately fell in the shootout following a scoreless overtime period.

Looked Laich it hurt - With the Devils already a man short, Marty Brodeur gave the Caps a two-man advantage 5:12 into the third period when he slapped Brooks Laich square in the face with his goalie paddle. The hit was unintentional as Brodeur was trying to bat the puck from mid-air, but I’m sure that didn’t make it hurt any less!

They say it’s your Birthday - Mike Green turned 24 on Monday and celebrated by ending his scoring drought early in the first period; his first goal of the season. Mike Green, known as “Game-Over” Green, lead all defensemen in goals last season with 31, but has been in a slump that started shortly before the playoffs.

Thursday, October 15th vs. San Jose - Having lost four straight the Caps were now facing an opponent they hadn’t beat in over a decade. The Sharks brutalized Washington last year in San Jose by a score of 6-2; this time it was Washington’s turn to be inhospitable. The Caps scored first, but San Jose came right back to tie it up and the first period ended with the teams tied at one. When the Caps returned to start the second period they did so without their starting netminder as Jose Theodore had fallen to an injury. Semyon Varlamov, who had been victimized earlier in the season, would need to come in and finish the game for the fallen Theodore. Semyon’s teammates made sure he wouldn’t be alone. Playing their best game since their first versus the Bruins, the Caps finally played the kind of two-way hockey we had been looking for from them all season. With two goals from Ovechkin in the second period, and a final goal in the third by Matt Bradley, the Caps
sent the Sharks packing; winning 4-1.

Was that fast? It looked fast. Was it fast? - Alex Ovechkin scored at the 2:55 mark of the second period to give the Caps a one goal lead over San Jose. He only needed :28 seconds to make it a two goal lead, scoring at the 3:23 mark.

One list ends; a new list begins - While we are on the topic of Ovechkin, he has now scratched San Jose off his list of teams he has scored a goal against. He has now scored at least one goal against every team in the NHL. His second goal allowed him to scratch San Jose off his next list. The only teams he has not scored TWO goals against are Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and Minnesota.

For more Caps coverage of their amazing win versus San Jose, check out these articles exclusively on TheHogs.net

http://www.thehogs.net/blogs/2009/10/16/caps-dominate-sharks-end-slide/

http://www.thehogs.net/blogs/2009/10/16/by-the-numbers-caps-4-sharks-1/

Saturday, October 17 vs Nashville – Last season the Capitals faced Nashville twice taking both games into OT. The Caps won both of those games; one in OT and the other in a shootout. They kept that streak alive by downing the Predators once again in the shootout. Again, the star of the game was one Alex Ovechkin who notched not only both the team’s regulation goals, but also scored the only goal of the shootout to win. Semyon Varlamov got the nod again for the still injured Jose Theodore and things were looking pretty good from the start for the Caps; then they got sloppy. No one was immune from the sloppiness for the Caps including Varlamov who stonewalled two breakaway attempts in the first, but let in a flukey game tying goal. In the end though, it was the glove hand of Varlamov that closed the door on Nashville and held them scoreless in his first career shootout.

Hats off…even so – Alex Ovechkin scored the team’s only two goals in regulation, and the team’s only goal in the shoot-out. Shoot-out goals do not count towards a player’s stats, but that didn’t stop fans from sending their hat’s out on the ice to celebrate Ovie’s “unofficial” hat-trick.

That’s gratitude for you – The Washington Capitals selected Semyon Varlamov with a draft pick they had received from Nashville.

A little Ovie makes everything better – Mike Knuble may see a career high in assists this year. His 5 assists put him on pace for 51 for the year; which would be 20 more than he’s ever had in his 12-year career.

Washington has a slow week this week with only two opponents.

Thursday @ Atlanta, 7:00pm

Saturday @ New York Islanders, 7:00pm

Knuble talks about his transition to a new team and how the Capitals look so far in the 2009-2010 season. Mr. Leonsis discusses how the Capitals look compared to last year, the new additions (Knuble and Brendan Morrison), the status of the team right now and how the 2014 Olympics effects the business of the NHL and it’s players.

The audio files are m4a files and should play on any MAC or PC audio player, or can be downloaded to your handheld device.

Ted Leonsis Post Game Comments

Mike Knuble Post Game Comments

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.