Lucky 13: Caps overcome Thrashers, blizzard to extend streak

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

11 and counting for streaking Caps

By Bud L. Ellis

The calendar has changed. The Washington Capitals haven’t.

With Jose Theodore back in net Tuesday night and playing for the first time since ending January with a club record for wins in a month, the Caps pulled away for their 11th consecutive victory, downing Boston 4-1.

With the victory, the Caps set a new franchise record for longest winning streak, set during the 1983-84 season. It’s the longest win streak in the NHL since San Jose won 11 in a row two years ago.

The Caps (38-12-6) extended their Eastern Conference lead on New Jersey to 10 points, and moved one point ahead of San Jose for most points in the NHL (82 points).

Theodore, playing for the first time in more than a week, allowed an early goal but nothing more, making 41 saves. And the high-flying Washington offense, the runaway NHL leader in goals, brought the Caps back yet again.

Mike Knuble tied the game at 1-1 with a goal 2:04 into the second period. The Caps broke the tie 5:04 into the final period, Brooks Laich scoring off an Alexander Semin feed to make it 2-1.

Boyd Gordon pushed the lead to 3-1 at the 7:51 mark of the third, and Alex Ovechkin added an empty-netter in the final minute.

Washington goes for 12 in a row when it plays Thursday at the New York Rangers.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 5:58 am by bud

Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Boston Bruins, Boyd Gordon, Brooks Laich, Jose Theodore, Mike Knuble, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals

Caps top Lightning, close January with perfect 10

By Bud L. Ellis

The Washington Capitals closed January by doing what they did so many times during their best month in franchise history.

The Caps finished January with a club record 13 victories, getting a game-winning goal from Alex Ovechkin with 6:26 left as Washington beat Tampa Bay 3-2 at the Verizon Center for their 10th consecutive victory.

It was the final brushstroke on a masterpiece of a month for the Caps, who now lead the Eastern Conference with 80 points. Washington closed the month 13-2, winning 12 of its final 13 games. Sunday’s win ties a franchise record for most wins in a row, tying the 10-game winning streak set in 1983-84. The 13 wins in January snaps the old club record of 12, set in December 1984.

After a scoreless first period, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich scored for the Caps in the second. Backstrom lit the lamp on a power play 57 seconds into the period, and Laich made it 2-0 at the 12:56 mark.

But Tampa Bay rallied with two goals in a 2:42 span of the third period. Ovechkin netted the game winner with 6:26 to go, and the Caps held on from there.

The Caps open a two-game road trip Tuesday at Boston. Five of their final seven games before the Olympic break are away from home.

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Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 6:04 pm by bud

Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Boston Bruins, Brooks Laich, National Hockey League, Nicklas Backstrom, Tampa Bay Lightning, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals

Caps cruise to seventh straight victory

By Bud L. Ellis

Just 65 seconds into Tuesday’s game, the Washington Capitals already were ahead. Twenty minutes in, the Caps enjoyed a 4-1 advantage.

There simply is no slowing down this team. Not right now, as the New York Islanders experienced the hard way. Washington rode that fast start to its seventh straight victory, a 7-2 rout of the Isles that featured two goals from Alexander Semin, and a goal and an assist from John Erskine and Jason Chimera.

Washington improves to 10-2 in January, and pushes its Eastern Conference leading record to 34-12-6, good for 74 points and a five-point lead over second-place New Jersey.

Ahead 2-1 on a Brendan Morrison goal just 1:05 into the contest and a Semin tally nearly four minutes later, the Caps pushed down the accelerator in the final 1:47 of the first period. Mike Knuble and Semin both scored in that stretch to make it 4-1 after a period.

Erskine scored in the second – his first goal since Jan. 19, 2008 – at 2:36 of the second. Chimera scored later in the second and Brooks Laich closed the scoring in the third.

Jose Theodore earned the win in goal, but left with a lower-body injury after two periods. The Caps say he is day-to-day, and Michal Neuvirth played a flawless third.

The Caps now return home to close out January with a three-game homestand, starting Wednesday against Anaheim.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 5:52 am by bud

Tags: Alexander Semin, Anaheim Ducks, Brendan Morrison, Brooks Laich, Jason Chimera, John Erskine, Jose Theodore, Michal Neuvirth, Mike Knuble, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals

Caps push win streak to six as white-hot January continues

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

Ovechkin, Laich keep Caps atop East standings

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