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
He shares a first name with a much more famous teammate. But to be honest, it’s been this Alexander who’s driving the Washington Capitals toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs as much as that other more well-known Alexander.
Alexander Semin may not grab the headlines like Alexander Ovechkin, but that hasn’t stopped the Caps’ left winger from putting together a solid season.
Semin’s 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points is a big reason the Caps lead the Eastern Conference standings, are cruising to a third-straight Southeast Division championship, and are riding the franchise’s hottest streak in more than 20 years.
The Caps have won eight straight games, their longest winning streak since 1989. And Semin has played a big part in the January surge that’s propelled the Caps to the top of the conference. He scored twice in a win at the Islanders on Tuesday, and followed that up with another two-goal performance as Washington beat Anaheim to push its win streak to eight games.
He ranks ninth in the NHL in goals scored, 14th in points and 13th in plus-minus rating (+20). His four game-winning goals stands 13th in the league. In his past five games, Semin has 10 points, including a four-point effort (one goal, three assists) in a win over Phoenix Saturday.
If the Caps indeed are going to play deep into spring, the Caps have to have both Alexanders doing their thing.
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Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:57 am by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Anaheim Ducks, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
Nobody has been hotter in 2010 than the Washington Capitals. Saturday night, the Phoenix Coyotes tried their best to slow down the NHL’s most torrid team.
No dice. Michal Neuvirth shined in goal, Eric Fehr scored the go-ahead tally and the Caps made it nine wins in 11 tries in the new year, downing Phoenix 4-2 at home.
The win moves the Caps to 72 points on the season, tops in the Eastern Conference and just four behind San Jose in the race for best record in the NHL (Chicago leads the Caps by two points).
Winners of six in a row, Washington improved to 18-3-3 at home. And the Caps did so by rallying from an early 1-0 deficit, tying the game on Brooks Laich’s power-play goal in the first period. Fehr scored on the power-play with 6:38 left in the second period, and Alexander Semin pushed the Caps’ advantage to 3-1 with a goal four minutes later.
Neuvirth made it stand up from there. Alexander Ovechkin scored his 33rd goal into an empty net with six seconds remaining.
Washington now gets two days off to rest up for a busy final week of what’s been a nearly perfect month. The Caps play Tuesday at the Islanders, then finish the month with three consecutive games on home ice.
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Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 10:09 pm by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Brooks Laich, Chicago Blackhawks, Eric Fehr, Michal Neuvirth, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
Jose Theodore hung on against an avalanche of shots, and David Steckel slid through the goal that mattered most.
That recipe cooked up another victory for the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, this one moving the Caps back into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.
Theodore stopped 44 of 46 shots, and Steckel banged home the game-winning goal with 5:59 left, leading Washington to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at the Verizon Center.
The Caps’ fourth victory in a row, and seventh in their past 10, gives them 68 points on the season. Washington moves back into sole possession of the East’s top spot, as Buffalo lost 5-4 at Anaheim late Tuesday.
Washington downed Detroit without any offensive contributions from star Alexander Ovechkin. The Red Wings held Ovechkin without a shot, the first time in the brilliant Russian’s career he has not attempted a shot in an NHL game.
It didn’t matter on this night. Theodore, starting his third consecutive game for the first time in three months, was simply awesome. Despite being outshot by a 2-1 ratio (46-23), the Caps made their chances count in the third period.
Down 2-1, Washington needed just 46 seconds to flip the script. First, it was Nicklas Backstrom on the power play with 6:45 remaining. Then it was Steckel, who corralled a rebound and flicked home the go-ahead goal.
Washington fell behind 1-0, but tied it on Matt Bradley’s goal late in the second period.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 5:57 am by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Buffalo Sabres, David Steckel, Detroit Red Wings, Jose Theodore, Matt Bradley, National Hockey League, Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
It’s one of the most exciting plays in hockey. So it was fitting Sunday afternoon that one of the sport’s most exciting players found himself with a chance to ice the game for the Washington Capitals with a penalty shot.
That’s exactly what Alexander Ovechkin did, burying a penalty shot with 4:12 left, turning a two-goal lead into a three-goal cushion and pushing the Capitals to a key 5-3 victory over Philadelphia.
The victory gave the Caps 30 wins on the season. Their 66 points is tops in the Eastern Conference, the latest in a season Washington has held the conference’s top spot.
Brooks Laich scored twice to fuel the Washington offense. His first tally came in the first period, four minutes after Philly had taken a 2-1 lead. His second was bigger, Laich taking a loose puck on the penalty kill and scoring a short-handed goal in the third period to make it 4-2.
Then Ovechkin iced things with his first career penalty-shot goal (he previously was 0-for-5 in his career).
Washington improved to 3-0-1 against the Flyers, and pushed its January record to 6-2. The Caps play host to Detroit Tuesday.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 7:27 pm by bud
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Brooks Laich, Detroit Red Wings, National Hockey League, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals
