Ovechkin Stands Alone

He's now statistically the best left wing in NHL history.

All I can say is, what's next?

Photo courtesy of OffWingOpinion.com.

The Road to 50!

Here's a look back at Alex Ovechkin's first 50 goals this season. Thanks to Comcast SportsNet for putting this together.

Hart Trophy for Ovechkin?

The question should be, how can Ovechkin not win the Hart Trophy? Tell me one player in the NHL that means more to his team than Alex? ........ that's right, I can't think of one either.

Ovechkin Explodes, Re-Captures Scoring Lead

Ovechkin's reaction says it all. He truly is one of a kind. It's nice to know that we have at least another 13 years of this excitement ahead.

"Simply Sensational"

Look I could spend this time writing about what a great game Alex Ovechkin had last night and how lucky we are here in Washington to have such a special player. But instead what I'd like to do is acknowledge Joe Benenati and Craig Laughlin who night in and night out take the game experience to another level.

While it can't be hard showing enthusiasm calling an Ovechkin goal, Benenati still paints the picture like no other. Last night was a perfect example, each one of his calls for Ovechkin's goals grew in emotion resulting in a crescendo to his game winner.

"Ovechkin in front, a chance... SCORE!!!!!! Ovechkin's 4th is the game-winning 5th." It sounded simple enough, but it perfectly described the emotion of the moment, and as a result made me want to jump in the celebration huddle as well.

The play-by-play position is key to the overall game experience. Remember back in the day when we used to have Jeff Rimer? We are lucky to have the NHL's best in Joe Benanati, and a great color commentator in Craig Laughlin. Hopefully like Ovechkin these two will be with the organization for at least the next 13 years.

Saturday Roundup

Is it just me or was anybody else having a hard time finding something to watch on tv last night with the NHL on it's All-Star break? However, a thrilling 3-3 tie between Boston College and Maine on NESN did get me through the evening.
(Photo courtesy Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Since the Capitals are making noise around the league, the first talks of Alexander Ovechkin and the Hart Trophy are being thrown around. From TSN:

Pierre McGuire: "I think it's Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. When you think about what he's done with his 39 goals so far this year, it's a tremendous story he's writing there in Washington. When you watch Ovechkin play, it's like he's the Superman of the National Hockey League. He beats you with size, he beats you with speed and he beats you with skill and creativity. On top of that, he has a shot that's just lethal. You tell me about a player that has transformed a team the way he's done.

The Washington Capitals without Ovechkin would be the Los Angeles Kings of the Eastern Conference. If the Capitals don't make the playoffs, I would go with Daniel Alfredsson or Jarome Iginla, but how about Henrik Zetterberg in Detroit? Is there a player who does it better in two-way hockey?"

Mike Milbury: "The Washington Capitals will make the playoffs solely on Ovechkin carrying the team single-handedly since the coaching change to Bruce Boudreau. It's Alexander Ovechkin all the way."

People are also starting to take notice of coach Bruce Boudreau, and if the Capitals make the playoffs in any capacity, he should be a major player for the NHL coach of the year.

With his rumpled suits and odd-looking glasses, the balding Boudreau is not the NHL's version of Pat Riley behind the bench. There is nothing buttoned up about Boudreau. He looks like he could be a character from Slap Shot.

Leading all NHL rookies in points since Thanksgiving, Nicklas Backstrom is now a strong candidate for rookie of the year.

"(Backstrom) is the rookie of the year right now," says Ovechkin, a Calder winner himself in a marginal upset of Sidney Crosby two years ago. "He got eight points in two games – no rookie has ever done that."

Sean Collins, Patrick McNeill, and Steve Pinizzotto were all reassigned by Hershey on Friday to South Carolina of the ECHL. With their additions, the Caps now have four of their prospects playing with the Stingrays (Travis Morin is the other). In their first game back with the team, the Stingrays defeated the Florida Everblades in overtime 3-2.

With that note it's time to take a look at the top Capitals prospects and how they are performing this season. (As ranked by Hockey's Future)

• Karl Alzner, D: 6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points, +16 in 37 games with the Calgary Hitmen
• Eric Fehr, F: 1 goal, 3 assts, 4 points, even in 8 games with the Hershey Bears
• Semen Varlamov, G: 15 GP, 2.63 GAA, .893 SV% with Yaroslavl
• Francois Bouchard, F: 25 goals, 44 assists, 69 points, +10 in 50 games with Baie-Comeau
• Michal Neuvirth, G: 13-5-2-0, 2.67 gaa, .915 SV% in 21 total games with Oshawa, Windsor, and Plymouth
• Keith Seabrook, D: 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points, -1 in 39 games with the Calgary Hitmen
• Chris Bourque, F: 14 goals, 14 assists, 28 points, +9 in 39 games with the Hershey Bears
• Oskar Osala, F: 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, 50 PIM in 40 games with the Espoo Blues
• Mathieu Perreault, F: 24 goals, 44 assists, 68 points, +28 in 42 games with Acadie-Bathurst
• Josh Godfrey, D: 15 goals, 21 assists, 36 points, +14 in 39 games with Sault Ste. Marie
• Teddy Ruth, D: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, +11 in 24 games with Notre Dame
• Patrick McNeill, D: 1 goal, 8 assists, 9 points, +3 in 25 games with the Hershey Bears, also 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, +5 in 10 games with the South Carolina Stingrays
• Andrew Gordon, F: 7 goals, 14 assists, 21 points, +14 in 29 games with the Hershey Bears, also 8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points, +1 in 11 games with the South Carolina Stingrays
• Phil DeSimone, F: 1 goal, 9 assists, 10 points, +2 in 22 games with New Hampshire
• Sasha Pokulok, D: 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +6 in 31 games with the Hershey Bears
• Sami Lepisto, D: 1 goal, 19 assists, 20 points, +15 in 32 games with the Hershey Bears
• Travis Morin, F: 18 goals, 26 assists, 44 points, +12 in 37 games with the South Carolina Stingrays
• Viktor Dovgan, D: 0 points, +2 in 16 games with CSKA
• Dan Dunn, G: 3-1-2, 2.25 gaa, .927 SV% in 8 games with St. Cloud State
  
• Jeff Finley, D: 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, +19 in 24 games with North Dakota
  

Electric Win in Pittsburgh

Regardless of the result, last night's game in Pittsburgh showed why this is the most exciting sport in the world. The Capitals and Penguins put on an absolute show at the Mellon Arena trading leads all night long. Fittingly enough, the shootout also lead up to the hype as Ovechkin and Semin, who have notoriously struggled in the discipline, both tallied goals to give the Caps their first victory in Pittsburgh in the "new" NHL.

With Sidney Crosby on the shelf, the game was hyped as "Russian vs Russian". And did they ever live up to the expections. Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin both had two goals and one assist. For Malkin the output raised his season totals to 26 goals and 30 assists for 56 points in 48 games. For Ovechkin, the two goals gave him 38 on the season, passing the Thrashers Ilya Kovolchuk for the NHL lead.

Despite those amazing performances from the Russian superstars, the night was stolen by a Swede. Nicklas Backstrom became the first rookie in NHL history to record back-to-back 4 assist games. He is now second in the league in scoring among first-year players just five points behind Patrick Kane.

If you missed it, shame on you, but even if you witnessed it live, you must relive the experience by checking out the highlights again.

A Look Back at Ovechkin's Highlights So Far

Since we are officially in the slowest part of the NHL calendar, it's a great time to reflect back on the highlights of Alex "The Great" in his career so far.


Update: Milan Jurcina has re-signed with the Caps today avoiding an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Monday. According to Tarik of the Washington Post, Jurcina will make $850,000 next season and $912,500 in '08-'09. This is another great job by McPhee locking up a promising young defenseman and sidestepping the arbitration process that has lead to hard feelings in the past between players and management.

Crosby Signs Extension, Is Ovechkin Next?

Caps Announce Development Camp Schedule and Add a Stanley Cup Champion to Their Roster
The Pittsburgh Penguins made sure that this year's MVP would not hit the restricted free agent market after next season, locking up Sidney Crosby for the next six years at a total of $43.5 million. That just happens to average out to $8.7 million a season for number 87 beginning in '08-'09.

So what does this mean for Alex Ovechkin? Russian reporters caught up with Ovy and asked him what he thought about the signing. Courtesy of AOL Fanhouse:

"What can I say? Good for Crosby! It is easier for any player to come out and play when he knows that his future is secure. I think Pittsburgh wasted no time offering Crosby the deal because of what Edmonton did trying to sign a restricted free agent. Any Canadian team (and not only Canadian) could have offered great terms to Crosby in the future. And who knows if the Penguins could have matched it. But now Sindey is staying in Pittsburgh, and will stay there beyond 2013, in my opinion."

When asked about his contract, Ovechkin said:

"I will negotiate with the Capitals myself. To be precise, I will wait for their offer. If I like it, I will sign the contract. If I don't, then I will get myself an agent (I don't have one right now) to represent me in talks with the Capitals."

There is no question that this needs to get done soon, preferably before the season starts. Now that Crosby has signed the parameters are in place and should make the deal with Ovechkin easier. The quicker this gets done, the better off all parties will be.

The Caps also announced today the roster for their developmental camp this week. From their press release:

2007 Washington Capitals
Summer Development Camp July 11-14, 2007
Arlington, Va. Kettler Capitals Iceplex

No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate 2006-07 Team Acquired
19 Nicklas Backstrom C 6’0” 183 11/23/87 Brynas U-18 (Sweden) Draft (1st, 2006)
29 Jamie Hunt D 6’2” 200 4/20/84 Hershey (AHL) Free Agent
30 Michal Neuvirth G 6’1” 197 3/23/88 Plymouth (OHL) Draft (2nd, 2006)
31 Daren Machesney G 6’0” 182 4/17/87 S. Carolina (ECHL)/Hershey (AHL) Draft (5th, 2005)
34 Sasha Pokulok D 6’5” 220 5/25/86 S. Carolina (ECHL)/Hershey (AHL) Draft (1st, 2005)
36 Francois Bouchard RW 6’1” 187 4/26/88 Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) Draft (2nd, 2006)
40 Simeon Varlamov G 6’1” 183 4/27/88 Yaroslavl (Russia) Draft (1st, 2006)
41 Theo Ruth D 6’1” 199 2/14/89 USA U-18 (USNTDP) Draft (2nd, 2007)
42 Sami Lepisto D 5’11” 176 10/17/84 Jokerit Helsinki (Finland) Draft (3rd, 2004)
45 Steve Werner RW 6’1” 200 8/8/84 S.Carolina (ECHL)/Hershey (AHL) Draft (3rd, 2003)
46 Patrick McNeill D 6’1” 198 3/17/87 Saginaw (OHL) Draft (4th, 2005)
47 Karl Alzner D 6’2” 206 9/24/88 Calgary (WHL) Draft (1st, 2007)
48 Oskar Osala LW 6’4” 222 12/26/87 Mississauga (OHL) Draft (4th, 2006)
49 Viktor Dovgan D 6’1” 205 2/27/87 S. Carolina (ECHL)/Hershey (AHL)
54 Oscar Hedman D 6’0” 209 4/21/86 Modo (Sweden) Draft (5th, 2004)
57 Kyle Wilson C 6’0” 200 12/5/84 Hershey (AHL)/S. Carolina (ECHL)
58 Maxime Lacroix LW 6’0” 180 6/5/87 Quebec (QMJHL) Draft (5th, 2006)
59 Joe Finley D 6’7” 233 6/29/87 North Dakota (WCHA) Draft (1st, 2005)
61 Andrew Joudrey C 5’11” 191 7/15/84 Wisconsin (WCHA)/Hershey (AHL)
62 Sean Collins D 6’1” 215 10/30/83 Ohio State (CCHA)/Hershey (AHL)
63 Andrew Gordon RW 5’11” 180 12/13/85 St. Cloud State (WCHA) Draft (7th, 2004)
65 Andrew Glass LW 5’11” 180 7/14/89 Nobles (High-Mass.) Draft (7th, 2007)
67 Justin Taylor C 5’11” 180 2/8/89 London (OHL) Draft (6th, 2007)
70 Justin Mrazek G 6’3” 185 7/21/85 Union College (ECACHL) Draft (8th, 2004)
71 Travis Morin C 6’2” 175 1/9/84 Minn. St. (WCHA)/S. Car. (ECHL)
72 Pasi Salonen LW 5’11” 187 12/18/85 HIFK Helsinki (Finland) Draft (5th, 2004)
73 Josh Godfrey D 6’0” 197 1/15/88 Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) Draft (2nd, 2007)
75 Phil DeSimone C 5’11” 193 3/19/87 Sioux City (USHL) Draft (3rd, 2007)
76 Brett Bruneteau C 5’11” 183 1/5/89 Omaha (USHL) Draft (4th, 2007)
78 Brett Leffler RW 6’0” 198 5/19/89 Regina (WHL) Draft (5th, 2007)
80 Dan Dunn G 6’4” 200 6/20/88 Wellington (OPJHL) Draft (6th, 2007)
85 Mathieu Perrault C 5’8” 151 1/5/88 Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) Draft (6th, 2006)
86 Luke Lynes C 6’0” 195 11/28/87 Brampton (OHL) Draft (4th, 2006)

Don't miss your opportunity to see some of the future Capitals in action this week at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Visit WashingtonCaps.com for the complete schedule of all the action.

And finally, General Manager George McPhee was busy again today signing right winger Joe Motzko to a two year contract. Motzko finished up this past season with the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks after being acquired in a trade from Columbus in January. He was fortunate enough to appear in three playoff games including game 4 of the finals against Ottawa where he totaled 2 minutes and 46 seconds of ice time. There has been no official word but Motzko most likely signed a two-way deal, meaning he could be sent to the Hershey Bears without clearing having to clear waivers. While the Minnesota native has yet to make much of an impact at the NHL level, Motzko has excelled at the AHL level tallying 100 goals, 133 assists, for 233 points in 277 games over the past 4 seasons.

Joe Motzko's scouting report from sportsnet.ca:

Assets - Has been an accomplished point producer at the AHL level. Displays enough feistiness and grit to play a bottom-six forward role in the NHL.

Flaws - Is somewhat undersized for the big league and doesn't own the hands of a natural sniper. Lacks a particular niche for the NHL game.

Another depth signing, Motzko should provide competition in training camp while helping the Bears remain an elite team in the American Hockey League.

Vanek's Contract Offer Should Serve as a Warning

If there's anything that Kevin Lowe's insanely overpriced offer to Buffalo's Thomas Vanek has accomplished, it put the rest of the league on notice. The restriced free agent market, which for so long was dormant, is alive and kicking once again.

General Managers around the league have been put on alert. What for so long seemed like a gentleman's agreement between teams not to bid on each other's restricted free agents, is no more. The message is clear, draft picks be damned.

So with Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Shaone Morrisonn, and Mike Green among others set to become restricted free agents next season, George McPhee you have been adequately forewarned.

Ovechkin's Magic Still Isn't Enough

Superstar's Two Goals Gives Him Back-to-Back 40 Goal Seasons
Atlanta Thrashers 4, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore
Monday, March 12th 2007
(Photo Courtesy of Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin provided the team with some much needed offensive excitement that has been hard to come by lately. He single handedly kept the Capitals in the game by flying around the ice and creating havoc for the Thrashers defense.

His first goal was a result of just charging the net and making something happen. Niclas Havelid knocked the puck away from him on his way to the goal, but the puck somehow found it's way into the back of the net.

Ovechkin's second of the night came as he was trying to set up Kris Beech in front of the Thrashers net. The puck deflected off the skate of defenseman Andy Sutton and over the glove of goaltender Kari Lehtonen. With 41 goals on the season now, a repeat of last years 50 plus seems as though it could be reachable.

Atlanta put the game away at the 9:35 mark of the third period when they restored their 2 goal advantage thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk's 37th goal of the season. He was able to beat Frederic Cassivi through the five hole as the Caps' backup gave up his only goal of the game after replacing Brent Johnson at the start of the final period.

Johnson was hurt while attempting to stop Atlanta's 3rd goal of the night in the second period. A Steve Eminger turnover directly led to the Keith Tkachuk marker thanks to a nice feed by Eric Boulton.

The loss was Washington's 8th straight as the team still has not won since the trading deadline passed and the team moved it's #1 center Danius Zubrus. They hope to get Olie Kolzig back at the end of week in either Thursday night's game at Boston, or Friday night's game at home against Toronto.

Game Notes:

Jiri Novotny only won 5 of 16 faceoffs as he saw most of his ice time centering the team's first line.... Ovechkin continues to lead the team in ice time as he recorded 25:33.... Atlanta's win improved their record to 5-0-2 against the Caps this season and moved them into sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division.

Sunday Prognosis

Sunday, March 11th 2007

Through the first 40 minutes of yesterday's game on Long Island the Caps looked like a team that had completely lost their way. They were able to accumulate enough shots, but goaltender Rick DiPietro had the answer every time. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

With each goal they gave up, you could see in their body language that they were spent. Tired of giving it their all and continuously coming up short. A 4-0 lead by the Islanders heading into the final period didn't give Washington much to look forward too, except for the fact that they only had another 20 minutes to endure before they could head out of town.

But then Alex Ovechkin provided the team with a spark. He made an explosive move around the right side and fired a shot on net. DiPietro made the first stop but the rebound was left in front and Ovechkin had broken the Capitals scoreless streak just five minutes before it would had tied the all-time record of futility. (Goal Pictured)

That goal seemed to change the attitude of the entire team. From that point on, the Capitals dominated the playoff-bound Islanders producing many quality scoring chances from players such as Alexander Semin, Ben Clymer, and Brian Pothier. Donald Brashear tallied the only other goal on the night and the Caps lost for the 7th straight time 5-2. But they showed in third period that even though their lineup is highly depleted, because of injuries and trades, they are still capable of playing at a high level.

If they can put together a full game at the level they played at in the third period, they should have a very good chance at pulling the upset tomorrow night in Atlanta.

Down on the Farm:

The South Carolina Stingrays won all three of their games this weekend, an impressive feat considering their thin lineup due to injuries and callups to Hershey. The wins moved them in front of the Charlotte Checkers and into the final playoff position in the South Division. They lead the Checkers by 2 points and trail the Augusta Lynx by just 2 points for fourth place. The Stingrays got a boost to their lineup as Cail MacLean was activated from the disabled list before Saturday night's win over Reading.

The Hershey Bears won Friday night in Manchester and Saturday night in Portland before falling to Bridgeport this afternoon. The wins get the Bears in pace with their divisional foes and they continue to trail the Norfolk Admirals by five points for first place in the East Division. While they continue to lead the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by five points for the second place. Top performers this weekend were forwards Alexandre Giroux and Chris Bourque who both tallied 3 goals in the 3 games.

Road Woes Continue

Loss is Caps 14th out of their Last 16 Games Away From the Verizon Center

Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Washington Capitals 0
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Frank Gunn/AP)


After his streak of 26 straight starts was snapped last Saturday, Andrew Raycroft came into tonight's game refreshed and it showed. He made several remarkable saves on the way to stopping 24 Washington shots while recording his second shutout of the season.

A solid defensive first period for the Caps ended with a Kris Beech hooking penalty as the period expired. After a Shaone Morrisonn holding penalty on Johnny Pohl the Maple Leafs were given a two man advantage in the first minute of the second period. While the Caps were able to kill off both penalties, Toronto was able to crack the scoreboard shortly thereafter courtesy of a lucky bounce.

Pohl led the break into the right side of the offensive zone and fired a shot on net. Frederic Cassivi was able to make the blocker save, but the rebound deflected off of Darcy Tucker's right arm and into the back of the net. It was Tucker's 20th goal of the season in his first game back since missing time with a foot injury. Yanic Perreault added his 20th goal of the season as well and his 1st since joining the Maple Leafs for his third tour of duty 11 minutes later giving them a 2-0 lead.

An Alexei Ponikarovsky deflection of a Nik Antropov shot from the point stretched the lead to 3-0 just 2:47 into the final period. Both Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin had numerous scoring opportunities in their bid to get Washington back into the game, but neither was able to beat Raycroft.

The Caps continued to struggle on the power play as they had a hard time bringing the puck into the offensive zone the entire night. They failed to convert on all five of their opportunities.

Frederic Cassivi was the bright spot on the evening stopping 28 of 31 shots in his first start of the season in the NHL this season.

Overall, despite the lack of offense it was not a bad outing tonight for the Capitals. The better team was able to get the breaks and came out on top. It was as simple as that.

Game Notes:

Dave Steckel, who was recalled today from Hershey, was on the lineup sheet but did not see any ice time.... Kris Beech was the Caps leader in faceoffs as he won 9 of 15 draws for 60%.... Brian Muir was a healthy scratch.

Monday Morning Thoughts

Let's face it, this team is in dire straits right now. Not only is it going to be hard for this team to win games the rest of the season, it's going to be hard for them to even be competitive.
(Photo Courtesy of Jason Cohn/Reuters)

Last Thursday night's surprising performance against a streaking Lightning team provided a glimmer of hope, that this team could still string together some solid games and at least continue their reputation of being a hard working team that is tough to beat. But injuries to Matt Pettinger and Boyd Gordon that night severely depleted an already thin lineup. The result was a 6-2 trashing at the hands of the N.Y. Islanders Saturday night that saw the Caps over matched by the playoff bound team. And the team was hit by the injury bug again as Kris Beech left the game after a blocked shot hit his left knee.

It's hard to believe that an injury to Beech could be so devastating given the fact that he was a regular healthy scratch earlier in the year. But with the recent trades and roster moves, Beech ended up centering the team's first line between Ovechkin and Semin. Now the Caps are left with just 2 regular centers, Brian Sutherby and newly acquired Jiri Novotny, on their roster.

Their schedule will only get tougher from here on out. Nine of their next thirteen games will be played away from the Verizon Center where the Caps are 2-12-1 in their last 15 road games. Plus they are coming off of a winless (0-2-2) homestand.

What once looked like a season that was going to be much improved over the previous one, now even that is in question. With 16 games to go Washington needs 10 points to match it's total of 70 last year. That might be a hard number for this team to reach.

Caps in the news:

Prospect Mathieu Perreault is having an excellent year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Daily News, a Halifax newspaper, reviewed the league's season and gave out awards. Perreault was recognized multiple times.

BEST PLAYER: Tie, Mathieu Perreault (Bathurst) and Thomas Beauregard (Bathurst), three votes - The Q is divided on who is the better player, but Perreault, the playmaker, and Beauregard, the trigger man, form a devastating line. They're the highest-scoring duo in the Q, with 106 goals and 125 assists for 230 points in just 64 games. Other: Withheld.

BEST PLAYMAKER: Mathieu Perreault (Bathurst), five votes - The Washington Capitals draft choice (177th overall in 2006) has 76 assists in 61 games. His slick passes have helped Q goal-scoring king Thomas Beauregard net 70 goals. "He'd make any player score goals," one GM said. Others: Withheld.

BEST STICKHANDLER: Mathieu Perreault (Bathurst), five votes - As clever a playmaker as Perreault might be, the five-foot-nine, 155-pound centre is equally adept with the puck on his stick. He can flat-out dangle and makes defenders look silly. Others: David Perron (1), withheld (1).

MOST DANGEROUS ON POWER PLAY: Thomas Beauregard (Bathurst), five votes - Beauregard is the centrepiece of the league's best power play, which operates at better than 26 per cent. He leads the division with 26 power-play goals and has an uncanny knack for finding open ice in scoring areas. Others: Cam Fergus (1), Mathieu Perreault (1).

Caps/Islanders Preview

New York Islanders (32-23-9, 73 points)
at
Washington Capitals (24-29-12, 60 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:00 PM ET


Richard Zednik will not have to wait long to make his return to the Verizon Center as he and his new teammates from the New York Islanders travel to Washington tonight. The game will mark the end of Washington's current four game homestand. They'll begin a stretch that will see 9 of their next 13 games on the road when they visit Toronto on Tuesday.

The Islanders were one of the biggest buyers at the trading deadline as they picked up Zednik along with Alberta native and former Oiler Ryan Smyth. The moves signify the club's intentions of making a serious run in the post-season this year. Before Thursday night's loss against St. Louis in overtime, the Islanders had won 4 games in a row and 6 of their last 7. As of today they find themselves in seventh place in the conference and in the middle of a highly competitive race with Carolina, Montreal, and Toronto for one of the final playoff spots.

As if the Caps were not short handed enough following their trades of Zednik and Zubrus at the deadline, the team lost two more of it's regular forwards in Thursday night's shootout loss to Tampa. Matt Pettinger is likely out for the season with a broken thumb, while Boyd Gordon is out at least two weeks with a knee injury. That leaves the team with only three healthy centers as they chose to only recall Alexandre Giroux from Hershey. The Caps will now dress 7 defenseman and just 11 fowards as the extra ice time will most likely go to double shifting Ovechkin and Semin.

Ovechkin now has 8 points in his last 4 games after putting up only 2 points in his previous 9 games. It seems like his slump is behind him now, which is good news for the Caps because besides Ovechkin and Semin, the only players to dress tonight that have more than 20 points on the season are defenseman Brian Pothier and center Kris Beech.

The key to the game will be whether or not the Caps supporting cast can contribute offensively and whether the Caps defenseman can shut down the Islanders newly acquired snipers.

Capitals Fail to Finish Off Lighnting

Caps Blow a Two Goal Third Period Lead and Once Again Fall in a Shootout
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Washington Capitals 4 F/SO

Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Nick Wass/AP)

First, I just want to say that as I write this I am not feeling too good. So bear with me if I ramble a little bit. Now, after the disclaimer, on to the recap:

Coming into tonight's game, given the circumstances surrounding both teams, you could not have asked for a better performance from this Capitals team.

After going through the first ten minutes of the game without recording a shot, the Caps made their first flurry count. Shaone Morrisonn continued the team's recent trend of offensive production from their defenseman when he broke the scoreless tie at the 11:35 mark. His slap shot from the point as their power play expired beat goaltender Johan Holmqvist thanks to a screen in front from tough guy Donald Brashear. It was Morrisonn's 3rd goal of the season, a new career high for the 24-year old blue liner.

After a Vinny Prospal sharp angle goal tied the game, Washington was able to build a two goal advantage in the second period. Center Jiri Novotny tallied his first point in his Capitals' debut on a wonderful setup pass to Alex Ovechkin, who wristed home a wicked shot into the top right corner. The goal was Ovechkin's 38th of the season and extended his current goal scoring streak to three games, as it seems his slump is well behind him now.

Later in the period the Caps received a gift from the Lightning after a miscommunication between Holmqvist and his defensemen led to a Matt Pettinger goal. Holmqvist seemed to be trying to play the puck following his save on a Boyd Gordon shot, while his defensemen thought his intentions were to cover the puck. The result led to the loose puck finding the stick of Pettinger who converted on his second attempt at the net for his 15th goal of the season.

But the Capitals could not hold off the high powered Tampa offense and three critical plays saw the Caps trailing for the first time in the game with 3:18 remaining in the third period.

First, they allowed the Lightning to cut the lead to one with just 28 seconds remaining in the second period. In a 2 on 2 situation, Ruslan Fedotenko beat Erskine with a lateral move and snapped the puck past Brent Johnson.

Second, with the Caps on the power play and only eight minutes remaining in the game, a pass back to the point bounced over the stick of Brian Pothier and sent Martin St. Louis in on a breakaway. The puck ended up rolling off his stick, but he was able to recover and feed Vincent Lecavalier who finished off the play for his NHL leading 42nd goal of the season.

Lastly, a Novotny and Fleichmann collision in the neutral zone lead to another 2 on 2 situation. St. Louis this time was the beneficiary of a Lecavalier pass as he tipped it past Johnson for his 39th of the season and a 4-3 Lightning lead.

Washington would respond however, thanks to two Tampa penalties in the final minutes of the game, giving them a seldom seen 6 on 3 situation after they pulled Johnson for the extra skater. The first penalty went to Cory Sarich on a delay of game in his own defensive corner. He had lost his stick and presumed to cover the puck with his glove leading to the penalty. Fourty-one seconds later Eric Perrin hooked Alexander Semin to set up the three man advantage.

The Caps would make them pay as a Semin backdoor pass to Kris Beech was inadvertently deflected past Holmqvist by Lightning defenseman Nolan Pratt. Semin's 33rd goal of the year tied the score at 4 with just 11 seconds remaining. And following a scoreless overtime that saw power play opportunities for both teams, we were once again headed to the dreaded shootout.

While it was definitely entertaining, it was another frustrating outcome for Washington as they failed to score on 10 straight attempts, and dropped their record to 1-10 in shootouts on the year. Both goalies were spectacular in the shootout as the lone goal was scored in the 10th round by Nick Tarnasky.

For the first time this season Ovechkin was not among the Capitals first three shooters. However when neither team was able to score, he was the first one out in the sudden death attempts. Ovechkin's miss dropped him to 1 for 11 on the season in shootout opportunities.

After the six attempt, which was unsuccessful by Kris Beech, Glen Hanlon made some interesting choices with his last 4 shooters. Ben Clymer, Brian Pothier, Donald Brashear, and Matt Bradley are all not known for their goal scoring prowess. And they all made pathetic attempts by not even making any moves and just trying to beat Holmqvist with straight shots. All the while Pettinger, who has been one of their most successful shooters, sat on the bench. I wonder what was behind that move?

Still, even with another shootout loss, you have to be impressed with the Capitals performance tonight. They were able to take a two goal lead on one of the hottest teams in the NHL, and didn't panic when they fell behind late in the third period for the first time. Hopefully they also learned something along the way to help in their development process.

Game Notes:

Brian Muir was the only healthy scratch. Chris Clark and Eric Fehr continued to be medically scratched.... RW Jason Ward and LW Karl Stewart, who were acquired by the Lightning at the trading deadline, made their debuts tonight.

Caps/Lightning Preview

Tampa Bay Lightning (36-25-4, 76 points)
at
Washington Capitals (24-29-11, 59 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:00 PM


The newest member of the Washington Capitals roster arrived early this morning and practiced with the team at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Jiri Novotny, who has been sidelined recently with a high ankle sprain, announced after practice that he is ready to play and will make his debut tonight as the Caps welcome their divisional foe the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Verizon Center.

Where he will play is anyone's guess. In practice he centered a line that included Brooks Laich and his fellow countryman from the Czech Republic, Tomas Fleichmann. But that plan could change many times before and after the puck drops tonight, as the trade of the team's number one center, Danius Zubrus, has shuffled all the lines around.

Alex Ovechkin will be looking to prove that following Tuesday night's game in which he had a season high 4 points, he has put his slump behind him. It couldn't come at a better time for the team that will need him to step up his game after losing two of their better scores, in Zubrus and Zednik, at the trade deadline.

Tonight's game marks the start of a six game road streak for the Lightning. They are coming off of a 1-1-1 homestand in which they lost their last game in overtime to the Dallas Stars. Still, they post one of the best records in the NHL over the last 23 games with a mark of 17-4-2. And they've won 4 out of 5 games against the Caps this season.

Washington will need to have a repeat performance of their offense outburst against the Panthers Tuesday night if they want to be able to keep up with this high powered team. Vincent Lecavalier leads the league in goals with 41, with his teammate Martin St. Louis not too far behind with 38.

Goaltender Brent Johnson will have to be on top of his game if the Caps will have any chance in this one.

Caps Lose Free For All in Shootout

Ovechkin Breaks Out of His Slump, But Team Falls to 1-9 in Shootouts This Season
Florida Panthers 6, Washington Capitals 5 F/SO
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Both the Panthers and Capitals came into tonight's matchup shorthanded following an active day at the trade deadline. This led to an interesting game as players found themselves playing in situations they are not normally used to being in.

One example of this was Brian Sutherby's promotion to centering the team's first line between Ovechkin and Brashear. In response, the Edmonton, Alberta native had a two point night and tallied the 1st power play goal of his career. He also won 12 out of 14 faceoffs, making a statement to the coaching staff that he deserves to see more playing time down the stretch.

Washington railed from an early 3-0 deficit to make a game of it. The bright spot of the night was none other than Alex Ovechkin, who took advantage of the free flowing game and finally broke out of his scoring slump notching 2 goals and 2 assists on the night. After losing his center and father figure Danius Zubrus earlier in the day to the Buffalo Sabres, Ovechkin responded and displayed the game changing speed and deadly shot that he has been lacking in recent weeks. His 4 point night was the 1st of the season for a Caps player and pulled him within 4 goals of the NHL leader, Vincent Lecavalier who has 41. He did this all while leading the team in ice time with 26:33 on the night.

Olli Jokinen led the Panthers attack recording a hat trick by the 3:29 mark of the second period. It was the third 3 goal game on the season for Florida's scoring leader. And he almost got his forth goal of the game as a game winning attempt in overtime beat Cassivi with a nice snap shot, but the puck clanged off the inside of the post forcing another dreaded shootout situation for both clubs.

If there is any team that has struggled more than the Caps in the shootout this season it is the Florida Panthers. They came into tonight having yet to win in the competition going 0 for 7 on the season. Goals by Jozef Stumpel and Ville Peltonen changed that luck however, finally getting the team into the win column.

Game Notes:

The Panthers made 3 trades before the deadline, dealing Gary Roberts and Joel Kwiatkowski to Pittsburgh, and Todd Bertuzzi to Detroit.... Frederic Cassivi saw NHL action for the first time this season, replacing Brent Johnson after he allowed 4 first period goals.... Following today's trades the Caps roster was short handed forcing Brian Muir back into the lineup for the first time since December.... Mike Vogel announced during the second period that the team expects Jiri Novotny to be in the lineup for Saturday night's game against Richard Zednik and the New York Islanders.

Devils Lull Caps into Submission

This Time Bounces Go the Devils Way as Teams Split Weekend Home-and-Home Series

New Jersey Devils 3, Washington Capitals 2
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Greg Fiume/Getty Images)


After yesterday's disappointing loss at home, the Devils made sure they established their style of play in today's game. And they accomplished that to perfection, using their neural zone trap and sound defensive positioning to lull their opponents and everyone in the Verizon Center to sleep.

The home team was able to strike first however, taking a 1-0 lead after a John Erskine shot from the point deflected off a Devils defenceman right to the front of the net, where Brooks Laich snapped it home into the wide open net. The goal by the fourth line winger was Laich's 7th of the season and 1st since his demotion from the second line center position.

The 22-year old Zach Parise was able to strike back for the Devils just 5:34 into the second period, taking a nice feed from the left corner by Travis Zajac and beating goaltender Brent Johnson five-hole along the ice from point blank range. The play followed a couple of unsuccessful attempts by the Caps to clear the defensive zone.

In the third period the Devils were the recipients of a couple bounces. They struck early again, this time just 1:37 in as a Brian Rafalski shot from the point hit traffic and front and bounced directly to Zajac for the easy goal.

At the 9:13 mark, Alex Ovechkin was able to answer and tie the game at two after he used defenseman Paul Martin as a screen and wristed a shot high off of goaltender Scott Clemmensen and in. It was Ovechkin's 1st goal in his last 6 games, giving him 35 now on the season and hopefully putting his slump behind him.

But the Capitals were not able to celebrate for long, as only 35 seconds later Brian Pothier was called for a questionable tripping penalty after a diving poke check to the right of the net dislodged the puck from the Devils forward, but also sent him to the ice. The Devils capitalized with the extra man and tallied the game winning goal on another lucky bounce, as a Jamie Langenbrunner shot deflected off of Johnson's right shoulder high into the air and somehow found the back of the net. It was Langenbrunner's 20th goal of the season as he sent the Devils back to New Jersey victorious.

After seeing the Devils in action it's not hard to see why despite their success on the ice, they fail to draw crowds at the Meadowlands. Their style of play is just so boring, and while the lack of energy from the fans may have been somewhat attributed to the bad weather on the trip in, it was more a result of the slow play because of their defensive approach.

Game Notes:

Brent Johnson had another solid game in net, keeping his team in the game with a number a quality stops on his way to 26 saves on the afternoon.... In what might have been their final game with the Caps, Danius Zubrus won 10 of 11 faceoffs and Richard Zednik notched a secondary assist on Laich's opening goal.... Scott Clemmensen gave Martin Brodeur the day off and stopped 23 shots in the Devils win.

Caps/Devils Preview

New Jersey Devils (38-18-6, 82 points)
at
Washington Capitals (24-28-10, 58 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WTNT 570-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM ET

When the Caps and Devils hit the ice today at the Verizon Center, the NHL's trade deadline will be a little more than 48 hours away. What that means is that this might be the last time a few select players get a chance to wear a Capitals sweater.

Danius Zubrus and Richard Zednik seem to be the most sought after assets Washington has. Both players will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, and while the team has expressed interest in resigning them, neither is close to an agreement. If extensions are not reached before the deadline the word is that they will be dealt.

The Caps could also part with a few other players in hopes of solving their current logjam on the blue line. Veterans Jamie Heward and Brian Muir have both been involved in trade rumors over the past few days. The only problem with trading them is, what can you get in return? Is it really worth dealing them for middle round draft picks, which is about as much as I can see them getting in individual deals. Their is always the possibility that they could package them together with Zubrus or Zednik in hopes of increasing their overall value. All of this should lead to an exciting couple of days as the team prepares to make moves to improve the team for the long haul.

As for the game itself, the Capitals will look to build on their solid performance in New Jersey in hopes of sweeping their weekend series against the Devils. While Alex Ovechkin was unable to break out of his current funk, going scoreless again in yesterday game, his fellow countryman Alexander Semin had a goal and assist to lead the Caps to the win. The team also got offense contributions from Boyd Gordon (2 assists), Matt Pettinger (SH goal), Milan Jurcina (1st goal with Caps), and Tomas Fleichmann (1st NHL goal, picured) to provide an unexpected offensive explosion against one of the best goaltenders in the game today.
(Photo Courtesy of Bill Kostroun/AP)

Before yesterday's result the plan was for the Devils to rest Martin Brodeur today and start his seldom used backup Scott Clemmensen. But now it wouldn't surprise anyone if Brodeur is back in the net again today in a game New Jersey would hate to lose.

Heading into the weekend, the Caps had already announced their intentions to play Brent Johnson in both games. On Saturday, he finally was able to win his first game in the fifth start he's had since since replacing the injured Olie Kolzig, and picked up his first career victory over the Devils.

The key to the game will once again be to get out to a good start and avoid falling behind a Devils team that is traditionally hard to come from behind on. Plus, you have to expect New Jersey to be extra prepared for this game following yesterday's outcome.