By Bud L. Ellis
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Washington Captials got plenty of offense and solid goaltending Friday night.
It’s a recipe the Caps have shaken, stirred, served and repeated throughout a torrid January that’s vaulted the team to the top of the Eastern Conference. And it was more of the same Friday, the Caps extending their winning streak to nine with a 4-1 victory over Florida at the Verizon Center.
Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble each has three-point nights, Knuble scoring twice, as the Caps improved to 12-2 in January. A win Sunday at Florida, on the final day of the month, will set a franchise record for most victories in a month (the Caps also won 12 games in December 1984), and will tie the team mark for longest winning streak, 10, set in 1983-84.
Washington (36-12-6) leads the East with 78 points, six ahead of New Jersey and seven ahead of Buffalo. The win ties the Caps for second in points earned this season with Chicago, one behind San Jose.
Backstrom opened the scoring 7:26 into the first period with his 22nd goal of the season. The Panthers tied it at 4:22 of the second, sneaking a shot past rookie goaltender Michal Neuvirth.
But Neuvirth stopped Florida from there, making 35 saves. And the Caps’ high-powered offense took care of things the rest of the night.
Knuble tipped in an Alex Ovechkin shot just 25 seconds after Florida tied the game. Jeff Schultz scored 4:46 into the third to make it 3-1. Knuble scored later in the third to put it away, his 11th goal in his past 12 games.
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Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 11:38 am by bud
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Jeff Schultz, Michal Neuvirth, Mike Knuble, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Nicklas Backstrom, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
Locked in a tight, low-scoring game entering the third period Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals did what they’ve done so much during their scorching-hot January.
The Caps stood on the accelerator on the offensive end, turning a close contest into another easy victory.
Washington scored three goals in a 2:30 span of the third on three shots, pulling away from Anaheim 5-1 at the Verizon Center for their eighth-consecutive victory.
It’s the longest Washington streak since March 1989. The victory pushes the Caps to 12-1 at home since Thanksgiving week, and gives Washington 76 points, good for a six-point lead over New Jersey in the Eastern Conference.
Shaone Morrisonn snapped the 1-1 tie at 1:45 of the third. Mike Knuble scored 54 seconds later, and Alexander Semin scored at 4:15. Just like that, it was 4-1 and the Caps were cruising again.
Semin scored on the power play at 11:47, giving him four goals in two nights. Alex Ovechkin scored Washington’s first goal just 36 seconds into the game.
The Caps, who are 11-2 in January and have won 11 of their past 12, finish off January with home games Friday against Florida and Sunday against Tampa Bay. Win both of those, and the Caps will match their franchise record for longest winning streak (10 games), set in 1983-84.
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Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 5:53 am by bud
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers, Mike Knuble, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Shaone Morrisonn, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
By Bud L. Ellis
The Washington Capitals enjoy a comfy 19-point advantage over Florida in the Southeast Division. A third-consecutive division title looks like a near certainty at this point.
But the Caps’ standing at the top of the Eastern Conference is anything but a certainty.
Washington enters Tuesday’s road contest at the New York Islanders soaring, having won six games in a row and nine out of 11. But while that torrid stretch has all but salted away the division, the conference race remains wide open.
The Caps sit at 33-12-6 on the season, good for 72 points. The Caps lead second-place New Jersey by a mere three points. The Devils are 5-5 in their past 10 games, as the Caps have sped past New Jersey in the past two weeks. But only three points out of first, New Jersey figures to be around for the duration.
Buffalo sits in third with 67 points, five behind Washington. Pittsburgh is fourth with 65 points after beating the Rangers on Monday.
The hottest team beside Washington? Ottawa. The Senators also have won six in a row and are now in fifth in the East with 60 points.
Nobody expects the Caps to win nine out of 10 the rest of the way. But if Washington does finish the season on top in the East, you’ll look no further than January as evidence of how it happened.
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Monday, January 25, 2010 at 9:46 pm by bud
Tags: Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
