Caps work overtime for dramatic 14th win in a row

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

The other Alexander has been great for Caps

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

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

Red-hot Caps fighting off the pack atop East standings

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

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