Capitals-4,Panthers-1: Green Suspended

Did Coach Bruce Boudreau ever dream that following the Post-Christmas trade of Captain Chris Clark and Defenseman Milan Jurcina for Columbus Blue Jackets Jason Chimera, his team would go on a nine game winning streak? As fans chanted “We Want Wings!” in almost as many nights as the Caps have played in the month of January, the team took it to the Panthers, who were sent home without the third straight win they were seeking.

Though admittedly not playing their best game, the Caps were the first to get on the board after Mike Knuble, in his typical net-crashing style, allowed Nicklas Backstrom to come in underneath and shove the puck past scrambling Florida Goalie Tomas Vokoun and Defensemen Dennis Seidenberg. Not to be upstaged, Knuble went on to score twice later in the game to earn his 17th and 18th goals of the season, with Backstrom earning assists off both goals.

From Panthers 1-29-10

Late in the second period, Caps Defensemen Mike Green would suffer an injury to his right leg after being hit by Florida player Dmitry Kulikov. Green's parents were both in attendace for the game and watched helplessly from the stands.  Green was helped off the ice by Eric Fehr and Jeff Schultz, while favoring his right leg.  The injury is being called a contusion, but that is not the least of Green’s worries. In the first period of play, Green gave Panthers player Michael Frolik an elbow to the head and was assessed a minor penalty of two minutes. Following a hearing today, Green has been suspended for three games and is not eligible to play again until Feb 5th.

From Panthers 1-29-10

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average salary, Green will forfeit $81,606.21. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. (www.nhl.com)

Although Green would remain out of the lineup for the remainder of play, the surprise of the night came in the third period when Caps Defenseman Jeff Schultz would score his second goal of the season, effectively giving the Caps some breathing room to make it 3-1.

From Panthers 1-29-10

Not normally one to allow his lines to remain stable for long, Boudreau has been known to keep the opposing teams guessing as to which players they would have to guard. Lately though, Boudreau has been content to allow his lines to do their job, which seems to be scoring goals. The Caps are in a goal scoring frenzy, passing all other teams in the NHL. Goalie Michal Neuvirth was again brilliant, earning him the third star of the game. He has effectively stopped 104 of the last 108 shots he has faced from some of the best scoring powerhouses in the league. Knuble would earn the second star of the game, and Backstrom the first.

Sunday the Caps will face another Southeast Division rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Capitals vs. Panthers @ 7:00 PM

Can the Washington Capital continue their game winning streak to make it 9 in row tonight against the Florida Panthers? After seeing the Caps flex their scoring muscle these past few weeks, one would hope so.


The Caps defeated Philly, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and the Phoenix Coyotes, all in one week mind you. Not stopping their winning there, they then went on to beat Tampa Bay, the NY Islanders, and the Anaheim Ducks. Throughout this process, the Caps amassed huge numbers of goals in the month of January, 200 so far, which is the most in the league.

Alex Ovechkin is also nearing a career milestone and could earn his 500th point in the very near future. Currently he has 493 career points and a +/- of 51.

Washington Capitals 6, Pittsburgh Penguins 3

The game of the day turned out to be quite a game indeed as the Caps iced the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. This could have easily gone the other way as the Pens are every bit as talented and strong defensively as the best of them, but tonight just wasn’t their night, it was the Caps’.

Sidney Crosby scored the easy 1st goal with a bouncing puck, which seemed to take goalie Jose Theodore and defenseman Karl Alzner by surprise. Alzner tried unsuccessfully to clear the bouncing puck, but it was already declared a goal after two different Pens took a stab at it. Mike Knuble tied it up with a strategic goal, thanks in great part to an assist by Alex Ovechkin.

In the second, Eric Fehr scored to make it Caps 2-Pens 1, but Pittsburgh responded less than 30 second later and tied it up again 2-2. Kris Letang gave the Pens a nice lead with a goal, but Ovechkin made sure the Caps were not trailing too long and tied it up again on their first PP opportunity when goal scorer Letang was called for holding. The physical play really began to take both teams into a frenzy in the second period, which opened the door to allow the first Penguin penalty of the game.

In the 3rd, Thomas Fleishman took an Alexander Semin feed ahead, and scored a nifty goal on former Cap Brent Johnson to take an early lead. It was all downhill for the Pens from there as the Caps went on to score two more goals, one on an empty net.

It wasn’t just an ordinary game as Ovechkin played his heart out to score two goals and earned one assist in a game that could very well be the indicator of their Playoff potential. Crosby on the other hand, ended the night with a -1 +/-. Crosby a -1?? Surely he must have worn himself out with the 6 pt. game the other night.

Pittsburgh’s Ruslan Fedotenko had 3 assists on the night, and the Caps needed to keep him for making any more scoring opportunities. This is one player that you don’t take your eyes off of, and the Caps will surely work on shutting his game down when they meet up again at the Verizon Center on Sunday, February 7th. To be noted, the game has been scheduled for 12:00 and will be featured as the NBC Game of the Week. Interestingly, this is also Super Bowl Sunday. We know where we will be!

Big Match-Up Caps vs. Pens

Who is going to come out on top tonight in the big game? Will it be former Capital goalie Brent Johnson making the big saves against his former team? Or, will it be current Caps goalie Jose Theodore, who has had the hot hand lately, having just stood on his head against the Red Wings on Tuesday night?


With the Ovechkin/Crosby rivalry taking center stage, one has to hope that it is a game everyone wants it to be: evenly refereed, played cleanly and without injury, and most of all, entertaining. Pittsburgh is still smarting over the hit on Sergi Gonchar, but the Caps are smarting due to their 2nd Round Playoff loss, in the 7th game of the series, on home ice.  Ouch...

Let's Go Caps!!

Washington Capitals 3, Detroit Red Wings 2

From Detroit 1-19-10

I'm not going to rehash what was obviously a brilliant performance by goalie Jose Theodore. Aww, what the heck...If it wasn't for Jose, this damn game would have been over before we even settled into our seats for some nachos and a Coke; not diet.

Detroit outshot the Caps 15-3 in the first period, making it look as if the entire team was sleep walking. Matt Bradley, who always seems to come out strong in games that require that extra effort, spurred his team in the 2nd period with a goal to tie the score 1-1 in the final two minutes of play. In a period, which not been their best historically, the Caps held the Wings without allowing a single tally.

From Detroit 1-19-10

Coming out in the 3rd, the two teams played as if the playoffs were being held that night. Even the crowd understood the stakes, and responded with all the energy required to keep the Caps engaged to the end. Were it not for the refreshing performance from 1st star Theodore, who had been taking a backseat to the younger, less experienced Michal Neuvirth, it certainly could have been a very different ending.

As we head into Pittsburgh for Thursday's big tilt, let's keep in mind that the story of the moment is not Crosby's 6 pts, or Malkin's hattie. It is the brilliance of a goalie, whose moment many thought had passed, and a team who can win big games in surprising ways.

From Detroit 1-19-10

Capitals 5, Flyers 3

The Washington Capitals have successfully regained 1st in the Eastern Conference with a solid performance against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The first period was a back and forth battle for the lead after the Flyers scored the first goal of the game. Former Flyer, Mike Knuble, evened the score with a nifty goal at the net after a feed by Alex Ovechkin. The Flyers, who earned only 4 total minutes of penalties compared to Washingtons' 12, still managed to toss Alex Ovechkin off a play, resulting in his 6th career penalty shot. Ovechkin made it count, backhanding the puck past a sprawling Ray Emery. But, it was a two goal tally, one of which was shorthanded, and assist by "Iron Man" Brooks Laich that helped push the Caps to a lead in the 3rd period. Laich had been concerned over his play of late and spent some time reviewing video with Coach Boudreau. Keeping it simple and sticking to his net-crashing style, Laich finally had his hard work rewarded, earning the 1st star of the game.

The second star of the game was awarded to Alexander Semin, who tallied his 20th goal of the year, and the 3rd went to Alex Ovechkin, who tallied his 30th goal -for the 5th consecutive year!!

Brooks Laich Rockin' the Red in many ways

Caps forward Brooks Laich is many things-hockey player, drummer, guitar hero, and "ladies man". He really enjoys his music, with tastes running from AC/DC to Guns and Roses. Although he wants us to know that his preference for the track "Shook Me All Night Long" has nothing to do with his reputation as the ladies man, he adds that he "wants to put that one to bed"...hmmm...really trying hard aren't you buddy.

Puck Tracks Episode 2: Brooks Laich from Greg Wyshynski on Vimeo.

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Rough night for the Washington Capitals, who saw their hopes of a 4th straight win dashed in the opening period of play. Fighting to regain their footing in the second after goalie Michal Neuvirth was pulled, the Caps saw their edge lost again when replacement goalie Jose Theodore was unable to stop the Lightning's playmakers. The Caps were certainly happy to head out to their next stop in Miami with a disappointing 7-4 loss in regulation.

Notables:
Not surprisingly, Alex Ovechkin rose to the occasion after being sent to the penalty box for a hit on Steve Downie. In a move that many would consider "waking a sleeping dog", the Lightning player gave Ovechkin a swift stick to the left thigh when the duo exited their respective penalty boxes, to which Ovie responded exactly as Downie intended, removing his gear to "get it on". Matt Bradley, being the hero he is, quickly skated into the fray, leaving Ovie to simply watch the instigator take a pounding, not of his own doing. Check out the video below. Should Bradley have jumped in to defend the Captain, or should Ovie finish what he started?

Behind the Scenes-Shooting the Verizon Wireless Commercial

Following the debut of the new Verizon Wireless commercial featuring NHL players from the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers, Alex Ovechkin takes us on a tour of the shoot. (All the while providing his witty and humble take on reporting.)

Capitals Vs. Flyers Verizon Commercial

In case you haven't seen the newest Verizon Wireless commercial featuring Alex Ovechkin, Brooks Laich, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green-or the back of his head, here is the finished product as it appeared during the Winter Classic.

Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers 1/9/2010

What do you get Coach Bruce Boudreau, a Jack Adams winner, on his 55th birthday? You give him a stellar win against friend John Anderson and his Atlanta Thrashers, of course. On a night when Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth could have, and arguably should have been a star of the night with 38 saves, the Capitals rolled into Atlanta's Philips Arena later than expected, and rolled right over the competition.


Having faced issues with the charter flight the previous night, the team had to wait until morning to leave the D.C. area; only to play the same night against a Southeast Division team looking for their first playoff bid since the 06-07 season. What a birthday present it was for Boudreau, who saw his Caps come out a bit flat the first period, withstanding two separate Thrasher Power Plays opportunities when Boyd Gordon was called for tripping, and John Erskine was called for holding. Neuvirth held off the opponents facing 18 shots. Mike Knuble struck first getting the Caps on the board 1-0. With Atlanta on a Power Play minutes later, Alexander Semin scored a shorthanded goal, only to be followed by a Nicklas Backstrom goal late in the 1st to make it 3-0 in the final minute of play.

The Caps never looked back soundly defeating the Thrashers 8-1, with the only Atlanta goal coming off a Maxim Afinogenov tally late in the second.

Notables: Mike Knuble scored his 10th goal of the season, and Defenseman Tom Poti, whom Boudreau called upon to step up his offensive game now that he had earned the permanent “A”, scored a Power Play goal and earned an assist off of a second Semin goal in the 3rd period. Jason Chimera, newly acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, also scored his first goal as a Washington Capital.

Thrasher Captain Ilya Kovalchuk was held off the score sheet for the third time in as many games, ending the night with a -3. In the midst of contract negotiations, superstar Kovalchuk has to be weighing his role in the organization that was simply steamrolled by his future fellow Russian Olympians, Semin and Ovechkin.