Washington Capitals Schedule
Wednesday
9/22/2010
7:00 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals PRE
Saturday
9/25/2010
7:00 PM
Nashville Predators vs Washington Capitals PRE
Tuesday
9/28/2010
7:00 PM
Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins PRE
NEWS
By Bud L. Ellis
The weight of expectation is a burden every No. 1 seed carries into the NHL playoffs. Maybe that weight was too much for the Washington Capitals in their postseason opener.
The Caps, who steamrolled the Eastern Conference in the second half of the regular season, looked tight and tentative throughout Thursday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The eighth-seeded Montreal Canadians took full advantage, upsetting the Caps 3-2 in overtime to take a surprising 1-0 series lead.
Facing a Game 2 Saturday night at the Verizon Center that isn’t a must win, but is close, the Caps seek to relax and regain their free-flowing style that saw the Caps finish the season with more points than any team in the standings.
It starts with Alexander Ovechkin, Washington’s leading scorer who was held without a goal, an assist and a shot on goal in the postseason opener. It’s the first time in 417 NHL games that Ovechkin was shut out in all three categories on the scoresheet.
Washington finished 0-for-4 on the power play and could not break through against Montreal’s defense. The Caps can ill afford a repeat performance Saturday, as the series will shift to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Wednesday.
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Friday, April 16, 2010 at 10:49 pm by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
The Washington Capitals dominated the first season. But the second season is underway, and the President’s Trophy winners suddenly find themselves one game down in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tomas Plekanec scored 13:19 into overtime Thursday night at the Verizon Center, sending No. 8-seed Montreal past the Caps in stunning fashion in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, 3-2.
This certainly wasn’t the type of start envisioned by the Caps, who ran away with the Eastern Conference regular-season title and top seed following a scorching second half of the regular season. But Montreal, which won a spirited battle with several teams for the final playoff spot in the East, took the fight to the heavily favored Caps all night long.
Now Washington has work to do.
Joe Corvo scored in the first for the Caps, and Nicklas Backstrom added a goal in the third period. Jose Theodore made 45 saves, but he gave up the game-winner to put Washington in a 1-0 hole.
Game 2 is Saturday night in Washington. The Caps will have to be better on special teams, after going 0-for-4 on the power play in the opener. It also would help for Alexander Ovechkin to get on track. The Caps’ superstar not only didn’t register a point in Game 1, he didn’t even get off a shot after Montreal’s defense.
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Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 10:40 pm by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Joe Corvo, Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, Nicklas Backstrom, Tomas Plekanec, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
Alex Ovechkin didn’t light the lamp, but he put the Washington Capitals in position to bounce back from a rare loss on home ice.
Ovechkin, fighting Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby for the NHL scoring title, did not score but dished out two assists Wednesday, and Tomas Fleischmann netted the game-winner in overtime as the Caps knocked off Carolina 4-3 at Verizon Center.
The win gave Washington 99 points on the season, tops in the NHL and good for a 14-point lead in the Eastern Conference. The win came two days after a shootout loss to Dallas snapped a 13-game home winning streak for the Caps (45-13-9).
Against Carolina, the last team to beat the Caps at home in regulation (on Dec. 28), Alexander Semin scored on a breakaway in the first period to make it 1-0. Mike Green netted the first of his two goals to make it 2-0. Carolina fought back to tie it 2-2 before Green scored his second of the game.
The Hurricanes tied it and forced overtime, but Fleischmann – who didn’t play Monday as the Caps begin resting some of their regulars for the playoffs – came through in extra time.
Jose Theodore earned the win in goal for Washington, which plays host to Tampa Bay Friday night. The Caps have earned at least one point in 15 straight home games.
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Friday, March 12, 2010 at 9:08 pm by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Jose Theodore, Mike Green, National Hockey League, Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tomas Fleischmann, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
Jose Theodore slammed shut the door. Eric Fehr and newcomer Eric Belanger provided all the support. Roll it together, and it’s another win at home for the Washington Capitals.
The Caps made it 13 straight at home on Saturday, Theodore making 30 saves to whitewash the New York Rangers 2-0 at Verizon Center.
The win moves Washington to 44-13-8 on the season, good for 96 points and a 14-point lead over Pittsburgh for top honors in the Eastern Conference. The Caps lead San Jose and Chicago by five points each in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy for most points in the NHL.
Washington has not dropped a game at home since falling to Carolina on Dec. 28. The Caps improved to 25-3-3 at home, best in the NHL.
Fehr scored in the first period at the end of a 5-on-3 to stake the Caps to a 1-0 lead. Belanger, one of four players acquired by the Caps during the trade deadline this week, lit the lamp in the second period. That was more than enough for Theodore, who improved to 12-0-2 in his past 14 decisions.
Washington plays host to Dallas on Monday.
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Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 1:19 am by bud
Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Star, Eric Belanger, Eric Fehr, Jose Theodore, National Hockey League, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
Their historic win streak now history, the Washington Capitals nonetheless find themselves in a good place as the NHL pauses for the Olympic break.
The Caps closed out the pre-Olympic portion of their schedule by gaining a point in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss at St. Louis. But despite losing three straight games after winning a franchise-record 14 games in a row, Washington still closes out the pre-Olympic part of the season atop the NHL with 90 points.
Washington leads New Jersey by 13 points in the Eastern Conference standings, and holds a commanding 27-point advantage over Tampa Bay in the Southeast Division.
Saturday, the Caps fought back from three one-goal deficits against the Blues. Mike Knuble scored on the power play at the 10:40 mark of the first period, 1:27 after St. Louis had taken a 1-0 lead. With the Blues up 2-1 in the second, Alexander Semin scored at 13:26 to tie the game at 2-2.
St. Louis took a 3-2 lead two minutes later, but Washington needed just 1:20 to knot the score again, Knuble scoring his second power-play goal of the contest.
Washington now is off until a March 3 road game at Buffalo.
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Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:57 am by bud
Tags: Alexander Semin, Buffalo Sabres, Mike Knuble, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
The Washington Capitals take their historic surge north of the border starting Wednesday night.
The Caps, winners of a franchise-record 14 games in a row, take on Montreal on Wednesday. A win would tie the 1981-82 New York Islanders for second-longest streak in NHL history at 15 games in a row.
But winning at Montreal and then again at red-hot Ottawa (which just had an 11-game win streak snapped) won’t be an easy task.
Washington is 3-0 against the Canadians this season, having won the last meeting on Jan. 5 in D.C., 4-2. One week after that game, the Caps lost at Tampa Bay, but haven’t tasted defeat since. Starting with the win on Jan. 5 over Montreal, the Caps have won 17 of 18.
It’s been three days since the Caps pushed their win streak to 14 games in dramatic fashion, rallying from a three-goal deficit to down archrival Pittsburgh in overtime, 5-4.
The Canadians are 5-3-2 in their past 10 games. It’s been an unsettling week in Montreal, as Bob Gainey stepped down as general manager on Monday.
The Caps lead New Jersey by 14 points in the Eastern Conference standings.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 6:48 am by bud
Tags: Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
As remarkable as their nearly month-long winning streak has been, nothing topped the way the Washington Capitals pushed their way to a 14th consecutive victory on Sunday.
Down three goals in the second period to one of their most hated rivals before a national TV audience, the Caps roared back and gave the fans who trudged through a blizzard to the Verizon Center a memory to last a lifetime. Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick, and Mike Knuble banged home a rebound in overtime, the Caps extending their win streak to 14 games with a show-stopping 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh.
Knuble poked home a rebound after Ovechkin hit the post at 2:49 of extra time, capping a furious comeback and sending the home crowd into a state of delirium. The 14 straight wins extends Washington’s franchise record, and is the third-longest streak in NHL history, behind the 17 consecutive games won by the 1992-93 Penguins and the 15 straight reeled off by the 1981-82 Islanders.
The win also pushed the Caps’ lead over New Jersey to 14 points in the Eastern Conference standings.
It certainly didn’t appear the streak would continue, not after Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal each scored twice in the first 33:07 of the game to stake Pittsburgh to a 4-1 advantage.
Ovechkin scored the first goal for Washington at the 9:01 mark of the second period, then came Staal’s two tallies 1:27 apart to make it 4-1. Eric Fehr made it 4-2 at the 17:12 mark of the second, then came the memorable third period and overtime.
Ovechkin scored his second of the game at 6:51 of the third to bring the Caps within one, then finished off his hat trick and tied the game at 4-4 at the 11:06 mark. Into overtime the game went, and a penalty on Pittsburgh gave the Caps a power play, setting up Knuble’s heroics.
Washington guns for No. 15 in a row Wednesday at Montreal.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 4:30 pm by bud
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Eric Fehr, Jordan Staal, Mike Knuble, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
The Washington Capitals’ historic win streak reached a whole new level Friday night: even Mother Nature is powerless against the hottest team in the NHL.
With a blizzard swirling outside the Verizon Center, the Caps continued to bury the competition. Down early 1-0 against the Atlanta Thrashers, the Caps once again cranked up their high-octane offense and pulled away, extending their franchise-record win streak to 13 with a 5-2 victory.
Washington (40-12-6, 86 points) continues to win at a historic pace, extending the NHL’s longest win streak since the New Jersey Devils won 13 in a row in the 2000-01 season. A win against Pittsburgh at home Sunday would give the Caps the league’s longest streak since the 1992-93 Penguins reeled off 17 straight wins.
The victory keeps Washington 12 points ahead of the Devils in the Eastern Conference. Ironically, Friday marked the Devils’ first game with Ilya Kovalchuk, the star winger traded from Atlanta to the Devils the day before.
Perhaps boosted by the departure of the constant Kovalchuk rumors, the Thrashers came out shooting and swinging against the Caps. But Michal Neuvirth, recalled from Hershey earlier in the day, was equal to the task, making 43 saves.
And, per the script they’ve rolled out time and time again during the win streak, the Caps got plenty of offense. Alex Ovechkin tied the game at 1-1 at the 13:41 mark of the first period, his league-leading 39th goal of the season. Washington took the lead for keeps on Nicklas Backstrom’s 25th of the season at 4:31 of the second period.
The Caps then put it away early in the third. Brooks Laich fed Alexander Semin on a two-on-one off an Atlanta turnover at the 3:52 mark to make it 3-1. Another Atlanta turnover led to another Washington goal 68 seconds later, Jason Chimera finished a three-on-one breakaway for a 4-1 lead.
Mike Green, playing for the first time since returning from a three-game suspension, added an empty netter to close the scoring.
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Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 8:38 am by bud
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Atlanta Thrashers, Brooks Laich, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Chimera, Michal Neuvirth, Mike Green, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Nicklas Backstrom, Pittsburgh Penguins, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
A dozen, the dirty way.
Down two goals late in the second period Thursday night, the Washington Capitals found a way to keep their franchise-record win streak alive.
In an up-and-down affair at Madison Square Garden, the Caps rallied from a 5-3 deficit, scoring three times in a 5:42 span to grab a 6-5 victory over the New York Rangers.
That makes 12 consecutive wins for the Caps (39-12-6, 84 points), pushing Washington’s lead over New Jersey in Eastern Conference to 12 points. The Devils made a big move Thursday night, trading for Atlanta winger Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Caps’ streak is the longest in the NHL since New Jersey won 13 in a row in 2000-01.
Ironically, the Caps go for No. 13 Friday against the Thrashers, in Atlanta’s first game without Kovalchuk.
The Caps had to battle back twice Thursday. Down 2-1 after one, Washington found itself down 5-3 with time running low in the second period.
But Alex Ovechkin, who scored twice on a three-point night and reached the 500-point career plateau, scored his second of the night with 8.5 seconds left in the period to make it 5-4 after two. Tom Poti tied the game at 5-5 with a power-play goal 59 seconds into the third period.
Nicklas Backstrom gave the Caps the lead for keeps at the 5:34 mark with a power-play goal.
Boyd Gordon scored Washington’s first goal with 3:20 left in the first, tying the game at 1-1. Down 2-1 after one, Mike Knuble’s goal 4:41 into the second tied it. Ovechkin’s first of the game came on a power play at 7:16, but the Rangers scored three times off Jose Theodore in a 6:29 span of the second to take a 5-3 lead.
Theodore made the 6-5 lead hold up, making 33 saves (and stopping all six Rangers’ shots in the final 20 minutes). Backstrom finished with a five-point night (four assists).
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Friday, February 5, 2010 at 6:33 am by bud
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Atlanta Thrashers, Boyd Gordon, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jose Theodore, Madison Square Garden, Mike Knuble, National Hockey League, New York Rangers, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Poti, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
It started with a 4-2 victory over Montreal on Jan. 5. Now, nearly one month later, the Washington Capitals have just lost one time in that 15-game stretch.
The great work has carried the Caps from the middle of the Eastern Conference to the top of the NHL. And as the Caps get ready for Thursday’s visit with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, Washington truly is working on some history.
The Caps beat Boston Tuesday 4-1, setting a franchise record with their 11th straight victory. That’s the longest streak in the NHL since the lockout five seasons ago. With five games to go until the Olympic break, the Caps could really put some more breathing room between them and the Eastern Conference if they can continue their good work for another nine days.
Washington’s offense has been crazy-good during the streak, outscoring the opposition 51-22. The top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble have teamed up for 14 goals in 20 assists during the 11-game win streak.
Since this time last month, Washington’s only loss came Jan. 12 at Tampa Bay, 7-4. The Caps return home Friday to face Atlanta.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 6:43 am by bud
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Mike Knuble, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, New York Rangers, Nicklas Backstrom, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
