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.

CSN Picks up Caps 2/10 Game

After being dropped from NBC's coverage, Comcast SportsNet has picked up the Capitals Sunday, February 10th game versus the Rangers. It will be on the main channel and broadcasted in HD. Stay tuned, official announcement to come.

Courage Caps

I was proud to be a part of putting together this nice piece on the Capitals visit to the Children's National Medical Center. This is the full piece that aired on Monday during the 10pm SportsNite. The best part is Poti's exchange with one of the kids in which the kid goes from saying "You'll turn it around" to "You won't turn it around" (in regards to the Capitals current two game losing streak). Poti was quick to change the subject. It was a great event. (Photo courtesy of OnFrozenBlog.com.)

http://midatlantic.comcastsportsnet.com/media/video/capitals/capitals-101507.wmv

Caps/Devils Preview

Washington Capitals (23-28-10, 56 points)
at
New Jersey Devils (38-17-6, 82 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM ET

It's the first of a home and home afternoon series this weekend as the Caps travel to the Garden State to take on Martin Brodeur and the Atlantic Division leaders.

Again Washington will face arguably one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment as the Devils are 9-3-1 in 13 games since the All-Star break. They are also 19-4-3 in their last 26 games and 26-8-5 in their last 39. At home this season they have an outstanding mark of 22-6-4. Why did I just throw all of those numbers at you? Because all of this means that the Caps will have to play some of their best hockey if they wish to come out of either contest this weekend with two points.

The Caps bring a 1-12-1 record in their last 14 road games into today's contest. The key will be a good start and hopefully some lucky bounces that can get this team on the board first, giving them the confidence they have surely lacked in recent outings. A repeat opening of their last road game in Montreal, where the Caps took 7 penalties and allowed 3 power play goals in the first period, and they will be in for a long and ugly weekend.

While it's hard to believe given the results this past week, goaltender Brent Johnson has filled in admirably for the injured Olie Kolzig recording a 2.65 goals against average and a .908 save percentage in the last four games.

If nothing else today's game will be another chance for Alex Ovechkin to try and break out of the current funk he is in. He has 0 points in his last 4 games and just 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 9. They will need him to find a way to contribute as the team will be without it's captain and first line right winger Chris Clark for the next 7 to 10 days with a shoulder sprain. In his place, Tomas Fleichmann was recalled from Hershey and should get the opportunity to step right into the Capitals top line. The speedy Czech winger has 20 goals and 27 assists so far this season in 43 games at the AHL level.

Caps/Canadians Preview

Washington Capitals (23-27-9, 55 points)
at
Montreal Canadians (30-25-6, 66 points)

Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WTNT 570-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


It's a tale of two teams who are limping their way into Tuesday night's game. As much as the Capitals have been struggling lately, there's a team that just may be hurting even more right now.

The Montreal Canadians recently snapped a six game losing streak with a 3-2 win in Columbus on Sunday. It was their first road win since January 18th when they defeated the Thrashers in Atlanta 4-1. They are a team that in the middle of December was battling the Buffalo Sabres for the Northeast Division lead. Since then, they have gone into a complete tailspin. After defeating the Caps at the Verizon Center on December 27th, they have compiled a record of 8-16-1 and now find themselves clinging to their playoff lives. Entering tonight's game, they are in a three-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders, who ended the Penguins 16 regulation unbeaten streak yesterday.

They have also recently lost their All-Star goaltender Cristobal Huet who will have surgery on his injured left hamstring. With backup David Aebischer failing to adequately fill in, the Canadians hopes now rest on the shoulders of rookie Jaroslav Halak who was an AHL All-Star this season. He had a 2.00 goals against average, along with a .932 save percentage in 28 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Caps have their own problems heading into tonight's game. They are riding a 1-11-1 streak in their last 13 road games. While their defensive play has improved as of late, their offense has completely disappeared. Since their 7-3 win against Carolina on January 27th, they have averaged just 2.11 goals a game over the last 9 contests. Alex Ovechkin is in the middle of the biggest slump of his short career, recording just 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 7 games. The Caps could sure use a breakthrough performance from him to spark their offense.

Their could be a feel good story tonight. Backup Frederic Cassivi should get his first NHL start of the season in his return to his native Quebec. The 31-year old Cassivi was called up last week after Kolzig suffered a left knee injury in practice. He was an essential part of the Hershey Bears Calder Cup Championship run last season, and had a 15-7-4 record this year at the time of his recall.

With a little magic from Cassivi, and a little offense from Ovechkin, hopefully the Caps can get a W against a struggling Montreal team.

Caps/Lightning Preview

Washington Capitals (23-26-8, 54 points)
at
Tampa Bay Lightning (32-24-2, 66 points)

Television: Comcast Sports Net
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 7:30 PM ET


The Capitals lineup will have a different feel as they start a three game road trip in Tampa Thursday night. After longtime franchise goaltender Olie Kolzig was injured in Monday's practice, Brent Johnson will try to fill the slack until he can return.

And when will Kolzig return? There seems to be some debate over that issue. It has been reported that he has a partial tear in the MCL in his left knee, and if true the original report of him missing only three weeks might be wishful thinking at best. If the team becomes mathematically eliminated at some point from the playoff race, it might be in their best interest to shut him down for the season and not risk rushing him back. This could also be a big opportunity for Johnson to reestablish his game.

Brian Pothier and John Erskine accompanied the team on their trip and it appears that Pothier will dress for Thursday's game. He has been taken off of the injured reserve and listed in the lineup by the NHL. Erskine also seems ready to return anytime and if he doesn't appear in Tampa he could very well return for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. Their returns will result in some roster moves as one or two players will be sent back to Hershey. Those roster moves have been heavily debated by fans over the last few days and the assumption is that anyone of the following: Schultz, Green, Nycholat, or Beech could be the ones to go.

This game could represent the Caps last chance to make a run at the playoffs. Since they last played in their 5-2 loss against the Rangers Saturday night, they have seen Florida move in front of them again putting Washington in last place in the Southeast Division and 14 in the Eastern Conference. They now stand 10 points behind the Montreal Canadians for the 8th and final playoff spot.