Double OT Thriller Today at Kettler

Blue Team
Forwards - Nicklas Backstrom, Francois Bouchard (Pictured), Steve Werner, Andrew Glass, Travis Morin, Pasi Salonen, Brett Bruneteau, Brett Leffler, Mathieu Perrault, Lovecchio
Defenseman - Jamie Hunt, Theo Ruth, Sami Lepisto, Viktor Dovgan, Joe Finley
Goaltenders - Michal Neuvirth, Daren Machesney

White Team
Forwards - Oskar Osala, Kyle Wilson (Pictured), Maxime Lacroix, Andrew Joudrey, Andrew Gordon, Justin Taylor, Phil DeSimone, Luke Lynes, Backman, Lerg
Defenseman - Patrick McNeill, Karl Alzner, Oscar Hedman, Sean Collins, Josh Godfrey
Goaltenders - Simeon Varlamov, Justin Mrazek, Dan Dunn

Today's scrimmage continued with the structure of two 30 minute continuously running periods. Special teams were the main focus of the day as the final 15-20 minutes of both periods were spent alternating five on fours. Despite the numerous odd man advantages though, the scrimmage was a defensive battle led by Karl Alzner of the White Team and Jeff Finley of the Blue Team. Each defender dominated in their own particular style of play.

Alzner shut down his side of the ice by always being in the right place at the right time. He doesn't stand out with big hits or a booming shot from the point. In fact the average fan probably would not even notice him on the ice because he silences his opponents so quietly. But the fact is the guy flat out does not get beat. It will be great to see how he fairs against NHL competition this fall.

Finley on the other hand makes his presence known on the ice. He punishes his opponents by lining them up and throwing his 6'7" 233 pound body at them. He had the hit of the night with two minutes left in the second session, knocking the much smaller Lerg on his backside as he tried to maneuver around him on the attack. One thing Finley needs to learn is when to be aggressive and when to lay back, as he put himself out of position one time while trying to line up a huge hit.

After 60 minutes of play the teams were stuck in a 2-2 tie. The first overtime period followed traditional NHL rules as both teams played four aside. Michal Neuvirth had the save of the night, and the camp, as he made a sprawling save on a breakaway chance by Bryan Lerg. Lerg deeked and tried to beat him on the backhand, but while lying on his chest Neuvirth snapped his glove up and snared the puck out of mid air. Truly an amazing save that makes me excited about Neuvirth's Hasek like abilities.

Still with no winner after 65 minutes, Tarik (who I had the pleasure of talking hockey with for a good long while) and I were hoping for a shootout. But instead Coach Hanlon decided to go to a second overtime period with three men aside. One minute into the session Francois Bouchard streaked up the right wing in an odd man rush and found Backstrom in front for the game winning goal and a 3-2 Blue Team victory.

Your other goals on the night were scored by:
Blue Team - Lovecchio, Travis Morin
White Team - Backman (who has shown great quickness), and Josh Godfrey (Pictured)

A couple of inside tidbits to note. Tarik confirmed to me that Francois Bouchard will definitely be signed and brought to training camp this year. He described Bouchard as the MVP of the camp so far and that he has a very good chance of making the club. Sasha Pokulok is at the camp but is not participating due to an undisclosed injury. No word on what exactly that injury is, but he did miss most of the last season with two separate concussions.

And yes Ted was in the house again today checking out the action.

Also, a shameless plug here as well. This Sunday at noon I'll have John from OFB as well as possibly some more Capitals experts on The Capital Fanatic.com Show. We'll be discussing the rookie camp and the team's off-season moves in great detail, so don't miss it.

Rookie Development Camp Begins at Kettler

Capitals Also Sign Their Top Goaltending Prospect to an Entry-Level Contract

White Team

Forwards - Oskar Osala, Kyle Wilson, Maxime Lacroix, Andrew Joudrey, Andrew Gordon, Justin Taylor, Phil DeSimone(Pictured Left), Luke Lynes

Defensemen - Patrick McNeill, Karl Alzner, Oscar Hedman, Sean Collins, Josh Godfrey(Pictured Right)

Goalies - Michal Neuvirth, Simeon Varlamov, Justin Mrazek

Blue Team

Forwards - Nicklas Backstrom, Francois Bouchard, Steve Werner, Andrew Glass, Travis Morin, Pasi Salonen, Brett Bruneteau, Brett Leffler, Mathieu Perrault

Defensemen - Jaime Hunt, Theo Ruth, Sami Lepisto, Viktor Dovgan, Joe Finley

Goalies - Daren Machesney, Dan Dunn

Goals on the Night
White - Beagle (2), Lerg, Patrick McNeill, Justin Taylor
Blue - Radja, Mathieu Perrault (2),

The scrimmage consisted of two 30 minute periods with constantly running clock. A notable absence tonight was 2005 1st round pick, Sasha Pokulok. He missed a lot of time this past season with concussion problems so hopefully they are just holding him out as a precaution.

As you can tell by the goal scorers there are players taking part in the camp that are not on the official roster. I asked a Capitals spokesman if there was an updated roster, but unfortunately there isn't so I can't tell you much about them.

I can tell you that Nicklas Backstrom centered a line with Pasi Salonen on the left and Francois Bouchard on the right. Bouchard had some of the nicest moves of the night, continuously displaying his stickhandling skills that resulted in his leading the QMJHL in points last season with 125 (45 g, 80a).

Goal of the Night - Patrick McNeill pinching in, taking a nice pass from behind the net, and beating goaltender Daren Machesney. Hopefully we will see a lot more of that in the near future.

Hit of the Night - The 6'0" 180 pound Maxime Lacroix knocked the 6'7" 233 pound Joe Finlay (Pictured) directly on his backside on the forecheck. Honorable Mention goes to Oskar Osala who provided a physical presence throughout the scrimmage with big hits on Jamie Hunt and Viktor Dovgan.

Goaltender of the Night - Michal Neuvirth. He came up with some exceptional saves during the second half of the final period, helping to secure the win for the white team.

And lastly the big news of the day was the announcement that the Capitals have signed their second pick of the 2006 draft, goaltender Simeon Varlamov. He signed a three year entry-level contract after playing the past season with Yaroslavl of the Russian Super League where he posted a 15-7-6 record with a 2.12 goals against average. Varlamov's contract includes a clause during the first year where if he doesn't make the NHL team, he can be reassigned to his Russian Super League team. So unless he has an unbelievable training camp he will most likely spend one more season with Varlamov before coming to the NHL full time for the '08-'09 season.

Morning Thoughts

It's games such as these that show how bright the future is for the Washington Capitals. They outplayed one of the better teams in their conference despite still being shorthanded with injuries. The only thing you can be disappointed about from the game was the score. They controlled the action, especially during the third period, and had many quality chances to tie. Once again, the team needs to build on this momentum as they have another important game Thursday night in Florida. A win and they are still only a few points out of a playoff spot. A loss and they would fall into last place in the division and possibly 14th place in the conference. Now some hump-day morning thoughts:

• After the game, coach Glen Hanlon said that it will be up to Zednik whether or not he will play Thursday night. He has been medically cleared to do so.

• Alex Ovechkin now leads the NHL in goals with 32 and is second in points with 69, which is 10 points behind the leading Sidney Crosby. He is currently on pace for 111 points which would surpass his total from last season.
  

• Don't look now but Kris Beech has put together back-to-back solid games. He followed up a goal against Carolina Saturday night with a beautiful assist last night. It was a nice individual play that involved winning a loose puck from veteran defenseman Wade Redden.

• The Capitals lost for only the third time this season when their goaltender Olie Kolzig has faced 35 shots or more. His record now stands at 11-3-1 in these games.

Draft Pick Updates:

• The Capitals 2005 first-round pick Joe Finley currently leads the North Dakota Fightning Sioux with a +13 defensive rating. The 19 year-old 6 foot 7 inch defenseman also has 1 goal and 1 assist on the season.

• Michal Neuvirth, the 2006 second-round pick, currently leads the OHL with a .933 save percentage. He has posted a 19-6-1-1 record to go along with a 2.28 gaa and 4 shutouts.

• The Fourth-round pick in 2006, Luke Lynes, has 21 goals and 24 assists but is -12 defensively for the OHL's Brampton Battalion.

• Another 2006 Fourth-round pick Oskar Osala has 13 goals and 11 assists and is +9 defensively for the OHL's Mississauga IceDogs.

• The 2005 Fourth-round pick Patrick McNeill has 17 goals and 24 assists and is +2 defensively.