Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/08/09 3:57 AM

Caps 7, Florida Panthers 4

That was a good weekend for the Caps. They swept the Panthers and managed to win games even without stars Mike Green (upper-body injury) and Alex Ovechkin (upper-body strain). Both of those players will be re-evaluated after practice on Monday and Tuesday along with defenseman Jeff Schultz (lower-body injury).

Interesting comments from Caps coach Bruce Boudreau when asked if Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom struggle without Ovechkin on the ice - especially considering the strong chemistry that trio has. Semin had a pretty pedestrian game - not the disaster that he had Wednesday in New Jersey, but not exactly Disneyland, either, He committed two more minor penalties - a trip and a cross check - but neither resulted in a goal. Semin also managed just two shots and didn't record a point. We say it over and over - consistency os the key with Semin. Having said that - expect a hat trick on Wednesday against the Islanders or at least something dynamic. He doesn't stay in funks for too long.

"I don’t know. It might throw Semin off more than it does Nicky because he has no one really to talk to on the bench [in Russian]," Boudreau said. "Because Alex and Alex do a lot of talking on the bench and so he doesn’t have that communication thing. But it’s really difficult to get inside his head so I couldn’t really tell you.&...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/07/09 8:48 PM

Panthers 3, Caps 2

Not a great period there. Florida scored three times. Brooks Laich did have a power-play goal for Caps - his seventh of the year. But Jose Theodore probably should have been in better position to see Florida's second goal - the first NHL tally by Dmitry Kulikov. The third goal was just a matter of the Panthers working hard behind their own net and then a great pass by Kenndal McArdle to Michal Repik - who just moments earlier took a big hit from Quintin Laing at the other end of the ice. That was also his first goal of the season. Florida also received a goal from forward Michael Frolik at 1:35 of the first.

Florida leads in shots, 23-16. Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen has looked shaky on both Caps goals so this one's definitely not over. But given that the Caps had to play shorthanded last night - especially on defense - it's not ideal to be down a goal heading into the third period. Panthers are 0-for-2 on the power play. Caps are 1-for-3. Laich now has 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in 17 games. He had a career-best 23 G and 30 A (53 points) last season.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/07/09 7:49 PM

Caps 1, Panthers 0

Washington jumps on top early. Brooks Laich earned the secondary assist on goal by Mike Knuble. Laich kept puck alive for Brendan Morrison, who found Knuble from back of Scott Clemmensen's net. Not doubt both are angry about Michigan's football loss at home to Purdue. That's just unacceptable. Another tough year for the Wolverines - but I digress. Morrison was coming off a two-goal game last night against the Panthers. Laich's assist means he's had a hand in five of his team's last 10 goals - thanks to Caps PR for that nugget. We'll play 4-on-4 for first 14 seconds of the second period. Then the Panthers will have a brief 18-second power play thanks to an Alex Semin trip. Florida actually outshot Washington 11-7. No huge saves needed for Jose Theodore in goal so far.

Caps Game Night

By: Brian McNally
11/07/09 5:42 PM

Game #17

Caps (9-3-4, 22 points) vs. Florida Panthers (5-8-1, 11 points)

Long time, no see. These two teams met last night, a 4-1 Caps win. It was a little costly, though. Defensemen Mike Green and Jeff Schultz are both out. Green was hurt in the first period last night (upper-body injury). Schultz went out in the second (lower-body injury). Caps coach Bruce Boudreau called both "day-to-day" and said they'd be re-evaluated at practice on Tuesday. He hedged when asked if they'd be back Wednesday for the game with the Islanders.

No surprise, Alex Ovechkin will miss his third game in a row (upper-body strain). His only action in recent days was Thursday's practice in Sunrise, Fla. The Caps have placed him on injured reserve to clear a roster spot for teammate Eric Fehr - back in the lineup after being sidelined for six games with a rib injury.

"He's still sore so there's no point [in playing him]," Boudreau said. "I can see him skating and then you know Alex wants to push it and all of the sudden he trips on somebody's bad ice and goes into the corner. We're sort of hurting ourselves at that point. Tomorrow is the day off and we'll see how it is Monday or Tuesday."

Caps will start Jose Theodore for the second game in a row. Tyler Sloan moves back to defense - something he had to do early in last night's game. He will pair with Milan Jurcina. No word from t...

Nats decline Kearns' option

By: Brian McNally
11/06/09 11:29 PM

The Nationals on Friday declined a $10 million option for outfielder Austin Kearns, who instead was granted a $1 million buyout and is now a free agent. That ends a dissapointing tenure for the 29-year-old in Washington. He was acquired with high hopes in a 2006 trade with the Cincinnati Reds along with second baseman Felipe Lopez, among others. Kearns was given a three-year, $17 million extension by then-general manager Jim Bowden the following winter.

A thumb injury proved costly in 2009 as Kearns hit .195 with three homers and 17 RBI. But 15 of those RBI came in the season's first five weeks. He has a long history of hand injuries and finally went on the disabled list for good in early August after just 80 games. Elbow and foot problems had already limited Kearns to 86 games in 2008. His best season as a Nat was 2007 when he played in 161 games and batted .266 with 35 doubles and 16 home runs. Relief pitcher Ron Villone and first baseman Dmitri Young have also filed for free agency. Catcher Josh Bard and starter Livan Hernandez made that move on Thursday. Young was the National League comeback player of the year in 2007 after making the NL All-Star team. He signed a two-year, $10 million extension that summer but played just 50 games in 2008 and none in 2009 as he struggled to control his weight and diabetes.

The Nats also announced on Friday that prized pitching prospect Step...

Pacers 102, Wizards 86: Washington minus two starters equals yuck

By: Craig Stouffer
11/06/09 10:59 PM

Four thoughts about the Wizards' 102-86 loss at the Pacers, which was (a) simply an abomination, (b) moved Washington one step closer to legitimate concerns about this season's prospects, or (c) was simply an exclamation point demonstrating how much the Wiz are hurting with two starters (Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller) sidelined by shoulder injuries [Update before I post -- Jamison apparently berated his teammates afterward, making the answer (a)]:

At least Caron Butler got some of his scoring mojo back, with a team-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds. His three-pointer was still off (1 for 5) and he committed the first of Washington's seven first-quarter turnovers. Tonight, it wasn't that the Wizards punched and then couldn't handle the counter. They went into the ring without any gloves.

Three of the other four Wizards starters sleptwalked through the first quarter and had the proverbial awful game, as did Andray Blatche (zippy for 5) and DeShawn Stevenson (0 for 2 from 3-pt) off the bench. Gilbert Arenas (13 points, 5 assists, 3 turnovers) got torched defensively. Nick Young made a 3-pointer and a block -- and then missed his next three shots and was yanked until garbage time in the fourth quarter. Fabricio Oberto's two assists and two points were cancelled out by two points and an inability to guard rookie Tyler Hansbrough. (Speaking of Hansbrough, there should've been odds...

Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/06/09 10:30 PM

Caps 4, Florida 1

That may have been the craziest game of the year so far. No other way to describe a night where the Caps lost three defensemen - Mike Green was injured in the first, Jeff Schultz went down in the second and Shaone Morrisonn was ejected for a boarding major in the third. Washington played the final 8 minutes, 18 seconds with just four defensemen - and that was only because natural defenseman Tyler Sloan happened to be in the lineup as a winger and could move back to his normal spot.

That led to Tom Poti playing 28:42. Brian Pothier played 25:20 and Milan Jurcina logged 23:12. Even Sloan played 18:25. Those minutes will have an affect on Saturday night when these two teams meet again. It wasn't a season-high for Poti, who skated 29:29 in a loss to the Devils on Oct. 12. But it was just his third game with more than 25 minutes on ice. Jurcina has topped 20 minutes just three times in 15 games so far. Pothier has gone over 17:30 just twice now and Sloan played a season-high and went over 11 minutes for only the third time in eight games. The Caps do have John Erskine to plug in - he was a healthy scratch tonight - and Sloan could stay there, too.

According to Caps coach Bruce Boudreau - thanks to the Caps crack PR staff for sending along audio from Florida - Schultz has a lower-body injury and Green has an upper-body injury. Their status for Saturday is still questio...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/06/09 9:33 PM

Caps 2, Panthers 0

Brendan Morrison put Washington up by two heading into the third period. It was his fifth goal of the season. Florida has yet to beat Jose Theodore on 20 shots so far. But injuries continue to mount for the Caps. Jeff Schultz left the ice at 15:30 of the second period. He joins fellow defenseman Mike Green in the dressing room. Green did not return after his fourth shift in the first period. They made up for one of those by putting Tyler Sloan back on defense. But Caps will have to play down a forward and down a defenseman now with Schultz out. We'll see if they can hold. But they may want to add a goal or two to salt this one away.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/06/09 8:33 PM

Caps 1, Panthers 0

Tyler Sloan does it again with his second goal in as many games. He scored at 4:53 of the first on an assist from Chris Clark. The big news, though, is the injury to Mike Green. He played just four shifts in that period before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Total minutes: 2:44. Not good.

Team officials say he "may return." Of course, that's what was said about Alex Ovechkin on Sunday against Columbus. We'll see. That means extra work for the other "D" if Green can't return. Sloan moves back to his natural defense position from the wing, where he's filling in for Eric Fehr (rib). Could be a factor tomorrow, too, when these two teams play again at Verizon Center. Those minutes started to pile up for Caps' defense.

Injury update, notes

By: John Keim
11/06/09 2:25 PM

...Linebacker H.B. Blades will be a game-time decision, less than two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Earlier in the week, the Redskins did not anticipate he would be able to play vs. Atlanta. But he practiced Friday and, in the portion the media could watch, looked normal. You'd never know he'd had surgery recently. The key for Blades is how his knee feels Saturday after working today.

...Like Blades, safety Chris Horton is questionable, but coach Jim Zorn said he expects him to play.

...Zorn said he will continue to interject with a play call or two during games. He did that in the two-minute drill and in the red zone vs. Philadelphia. When asked if vice president Vinny Cerrato was fine with this Zorn said, "I haven't asked him."

...Defensive end Phillip Daniels is the Redskins recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award after returning from a torn ACL in 2008 (suffered during the first practice).

The honor is well-deserved. Daniels said he never considered quitting, which would have been easy to do considering he's 36 and has dealt with numerous injuries the past five years.

"I never doubted anything," Daniels said. "I always felt it was worth coming back to help this team win. I wanted to be back with my teammates and do positive things. When I was going through the rehab process I was determined. I would listen to people say he can't do it beca...

Caps Game Night

By: Brian McNally
11/06/09 1:01 PM

Game #16

Caps (8-3-4, 20 points) at Florida Panthers (5-7-1, 11 points)

First meeting of the year between these two Southeast Division rivals. They'll make up for it when they both fly to D.C. right after tonight's game for another one at Verizon Center tomorrow night. I'll be on the radio pregame show with Jonathan Warner on WFED-1500 at 6:30 p.m. Saturday so check it out.

Caps still trying to shake off a tough 3-2 loss to New Jersey on Wednesday. Penalties were their downfall in that game - four in the third period alone. From the Caps official web site - coach Bruce Boudreau says defenseman Brian Pothier is back in the lineup and John Erskine is out. Erskine returned from a hand injury Wednesday, but Boudreau said he likely will get back in the lineup Saturdat night. Tyler Sloan again will play forward as Eric Fehr (ribs) sits out. Alex Ovechkin didn't participate in the morning skate down in Sunrise this morning and will likely miss both games this weekend. After that he has time to re-evaluate. Caps don't play again until next Wednesday at home against the Islanders.

Florida is on a bit of a roll, winning three games in a row after goalie Tomas Vokoun posted back-to-back shutouts against St. Louis and Carolina. He stopped 66 shots combined in those two victories. In his career against Washington, Vokoun is 7-9 in 16 starts. But he has a .930 save percentage against the Caps an...

Fraschilla: Who are the Hoyas?

By: Craig Stouffer
11/05/09 10:25 PM

It's not unusual to see Georgetown among the top 25 teams in the nation at the beginning of any season. So why would it be unexpected this year, when they're beginning the season No. 20 in The Associated Press preseason poll?

ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla says it's because there's a balance between knowing what the Hoyas have -- three McDonald's All-Americans -- and what they did last year, which was lose 12 of their final 16 games.

"They're a mystery team because they need to get their mojo back," said Franschilla in a conference call this week. "In doing so, they have three anchors in [Austin] Freeman, [Greg] Monroe and Chris Wright to build around, and then a youngster like Jason Clark, who I think is going to emerge this year, I think, as well. They had some very difficult losses in the toughest Big East conference ever, and they really lost their confidence because of that."

Franschilla will be watching closely to see how Georgetown fares during the non-conference portion of its schedule, which climaxes with games against preseason No. 11 Butler, No. 14 Washington and Old Dominion, which won last year's CollegeInsider.com championship.

He also isn't expecting the Hoyas to play anything but the Princeton-style offense that is their trademark under head coach John Thompson III.

"I do think they do have good fits for that offense because they do have a mobi...

Fantastic Four's final farewell?

By: Jeffrey Tomik
11/05/09 10:22 PM

The New York Yankees: The best team money could buy.

But the backbone of the Yankees' 27th championship team is not the three free agents New York committed $423.5 million to during the offseason. The Fantastic Four -- and their fistful of rings -- have been the backbone of this team for over a decade and once again produced on the biggest stage.

Their fearless leader, Derek Jeter, batted .344 with 14 runs this postseason.

The man behind the plate, Jorge Posada, is still a power bat in the lineup and had three RBI in Game 4 of the World Series.

The winningest playoff pitcher ever, Andy Pettitte, recorded two more wins in the World Series, further bloating his record 18 postseason victories.

The best closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, allowed just one earned run in 16 innings this postseason and was asked to get five outs in the clincher on Wednesday night. No problem.

So is this title the final farewell to the Fantastic Four?

If so, who will carry the torch as the next group of true Yankees?

These five-time champions were brought up through the farm system, not purchased by the highest bidder.

In the case of Jeter, Posada and Rivera, they have prospered while only wearing one uniform.

Can you see Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain celebrating another Yankees' championship 10 years from now?

This title may not only be the end of the Fantastic Four, but the end ...

Blache defends Snyder

By: John Keim
11/05/09 1:34 PM

One of these days we'll actually get back to writing and discussing football at Redskins Park. One of these days they may give you a reason to do just that. Today was not one of those days. Why? Well, because it's a day that ends in Y.

Anyway, here's defensive coordinator Greg Blache's defense of owner Dan Snyder. First note: Blache is paid handsomely by Snyder, so we would expect him to stick up for his owner. Blache's beef is with ex-Redskin John Riggins who blasted Snyder -- again -- on Showtime's Inside the NFL.

Second note: Blache has not taken questions from the media since Oct. 4 and did not do so again today. It's a bit lame. I also think it's funny how fast the Redskins released the transcript from Blache's comments; let's just say it was a little bit quicker than normal. And part of what Blache did is make Riggins' comments a bigger deal. Can't say that anybody was going to write about them before Blache spoke.

Anyway, first let's get to Riggins' comments:

"This is a bad guy that owns this team. I'll just tell you that upfront. Bad guy. And if the commissioner is worried about potential new owners and saying some of these guys shouldn't apply, he might want to police his own inside guys."

"It's driven all by his ego and everything has to come from him. And I just don't think you can be successful in those situations and when you are dealing with someone wit...

Falcons built proper way

By: John Keim
11/05/09 12:07 PM

Falcons coach Mike Smith, a rookie coach like Jim Zorn last year, talked about why he's had a lot of early success in Atlanta. It differs from Zorn's experience in Washington.

Smith said of why he had early success: "I think there are a lot more unsuccessful coaching staffs than there are unsuccessful head coaches. It's very important to put a staff around you that has the same philosophy that you do and believes in the same things you do schematicaly. And I've been very fortunate to assemble a staff. We have over 212 years of NFL experience, guys that have been coordinators and guys that have been head coaches and they've been valuable resources for me. That's been the thing that's helped me to have those guys around and have the same ideas philosophically that I have.

"And it helps to get an outstanding quarterback in the first round and I thought we did a very good job with our draft last year. When we opened the season we had five rookie starters in 2008 and we've continued to start younger players in year two with the guys we drafted this year."

On the ability to build his roster the way he wanted: It's very important. Thomas Dmitroff and myself sat down and philosophically had the same ideas in how to build a roster, not only in the skill sets but the type of players we wanted to have on our team. I think it's very important that you have an agreement in how y...

Riggo blasts Snyder on Showtime's "Inside the NFL"

By: Jim Williams
11/05/09 7:55 AM

On this week’s edition of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” former Redskins great John Riggins leveled some the harshest criticism ever spoken by a former player at the team’s owner Daniel Snyder. Riggins who hosted a daily radio show for Snyder’s Red Zebra Broadcasting group was not shy in sharing his thoughts about his former boss.

Here is part of the Hall of Famer's conversation with the show’s host James Brown and analyst Cris Collinsworth. BROWN: John, you have been pretty doggone outspoken on the Washington Redskins and what is not working. Maybe it is an obvious question, but why so passionate? Why so intense in terms of your critique or criticism of the Redskins? RIGGINS: First of all it’s what I do JB. I have been in broadcasting for the last 15-20 years, so it is sort of my job. And the other part is, and I’ve been asked this question a lot, when they say do you have an ax to grind, and I think anytime an older player criticizes or says anything about his former team, unless he’s throwing Bon Mots at them, that all of a sudden you get a, ‘What’s he griping at’ type of thing. Maybe that’s the case. But truthfully I do have an ax to grind and I just realized I have been a little bit disingenuous. But this is a bad guy that owns this team. I’ll just tell you that upfront. Bad guy. ...

Heat 93, Wizards 89: Feeling warm and fuzzy

By: Craig Stouffer
11/05/09 12:34 AM

Four reasons to keep smiling after the Wizards came back from 19 points down and still lost to Miami, 93-89:

Gilbert Arenas gave a great explanation for what happened with 15 seconds left and instead of taking a three-pointer he decided to feed Brendan Haywood for a failed alley oop. “Obviously, it hit the rim,” said Arenas, who was in full mope but reluctantly and thankfully spoke with the media. “It’s not rocket scientist.”

Mike Miller mustered a smile despite having his left arm immobilized in a sling. “[It happened] riding a guy over a screen, a guy kind of clipped me in a weird spot,” said Miller. “It felt like it kind of came out of place and went numb. That scared me a little bit, more than anything, but I’ll be alright… It was tough. But the one good thing we got going for us is it’s early in the season. Unfortunately, we’re already going through some injuries that we don’t want to go through, but that’s part of basketball. We’ll be alright. We just gotta get everyone on the floor together at the same time and get some practice time with everybody. The best thing about it is you play 82 games.”

Brendan Haywood also kept a brave face. “How long’s [Miller] out?” Seven-ten days. “Damn. It’s tough to develop the chemistry until we get everybody out the...

Le Moyne: The best hoops team in Syracuse

By: Brian McNally
11/04/09 11:00 PM

Sizzle Anze Kopitar » You’ve never heard of him. But the L.A. Kings forward just took the NHL scoring lead away from Alex Ovechkin. The 22-year-old Slovenian has 11 goals and 13 assists for the surprising Kings (9-4-2, 20 points).

Le Moyne’s basketball team » When Division II Le Moyne stunned No. 25 Syracuse in a preseason game Tuesday night, players reacted like they’d won a title. Who cares if it didn’t count? The kids from the “other” Syracuse school will never have a bigger win.

Fizzle Cleveland Browns » Tough to pick an NFL franchise in more turmoil. Don’t we say that about a new team every week? After firing their general manager — hand-picked by coach Eric Mangini — the Browns are in good company with the Raiders and Redskins.

Calgary Flames » The province of Alberta is investigating how Flames players, team officials and their families received H1N1 flu shots last Friday even as thousands of Canadians stood in long lines or were turned away thanks to shortages.

The Caps' 'freak of nature'

By: Brian McNally
11/04/09 11:00 PM

He had missed just four games during his NHL career and only two because of injury. Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has played hurt in the playoffs two years in a row, including wrist and groin injuries last spring that required injections. Let's just say the man has a high tolerance for pain. That reputation won't change now that he's on the shelf with an upper-body strain.

But shouldn't he curtail the physical part of his game? That question has been asked several times this season. It's not why he was hurt Sunday. But in the long run isn't Ovechkin at greater risk of injury because of his rugged style?

"Absolutely. But Alex is one of those guys that if he didn't play that way he wouldn't be the player that he is," said Caps captain Chris Clark. "So you can't tell a guy to go out there and not skate as hard as he can or to check everybody. It's just not in his makeup. He wouldn't be as effective. So you take the good with the bad with him."

Two of Ovechkin's missed games came last October when he traveled back to Russia to visit his sick grandfather. He missed one game as a rookie in 2006 with a groin pull. He also sat out a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a bruised heel last March. Otherwise -- hurt or not -- Ovechkin plays.

"He's just been an iron man consistently through the last few years that we've never really missed him," said Ca...

Hey, Dan Snyder: Here's your sign

By: Leon Saffelle
11/04/09 11:00 PM

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

— The Declaration of Independence

There's a revolution brewing and it was only strengthened by an "apology" from Redskins owner Dan Snyder.

Redskins fans are mad and nothing less than a proven playoff contender will quell this rebellion, which is gathering strength by the day.

In Tuesday's "apology," Snyder used the term "we" a lot. Cheers & Jeers thinks this apology was useless, as he took no personal responsibility for the team's lack of success under his ownership.

Many ardent fans are showing they agree.

In fact, they're pretty teed off and are taking matters into their own hands. There are boycotts of Redskins' merchandise and season ticket holders who have not renewed their tickets -- but these are harder to see as the public isn't privy to the overall bottom line.

However, a few tangible items exist:

Extremeskins.com » Created and posted a symbolic Redskins Fan Card where you are "returning" it to the team to show Snyder that you are upset with him, not the team.

Fire-snyder-sign.blogspot.com » Came up with an answer to the recently enforced sign b...

Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/04/09 10:44 PM

Devils 3, Caps 2

On Tuesday, NHL agent Mark Gandler told Examiner.com's Dmitry Chesnokov that he "doesn't believe in discounts" as he begins contract discusions with the Caps on behalf of client Alexander Semin - a restricted free agent next summer. He also reportedly said "You don't trade one of your best players from a playoff team to another playoff team. It is self defeating" when asked if a trade was possible if negotiations with general manager George McPhee falter between now and the trade deadline in March. (And just to be clear, Chesnokov is an independent blogger for Examiner.com - a sister company to the Washington Examiner - and the reporting is his own. I don't want our newspaper to take credit for his conversation with Gandler.)

Now, Semin didn't do Gandler - or himself - any favors with the stinker of a game he put up tonight. He blew two good scoring chances, didn't take a shot until the third period and took three offensive-zone minor penalties. Just 24 hours earlier, Semin spoke to myself and Washington Times reporter Corey Masisak about how he planned to step up with teammate Alex Ovechkin out of the lineup: "I welcome that because it means I'm going to get tested more and probably more ice time. I look forward to that."

But he didn't back up those words at all. It was telling that with the Caps desperately pushing for the tying goa...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/04/09 8:45 PM

Caps 1, Devils 1

Set up for a good third period. Both goalies are playing well. Semyon Varlamov was unlucky on the one goal he did allow and his rebound control has been good. Martin Brodeur flat robbed Caps defenseman Mike Green with a glove save on a blast from the slot. Both have 16 saves. There was even a nice fight between Caps captain Chris Clark and Devils forward Rod Pelley - trying to generate some energy in a building that hasn't had much life tonight. The referees have called just one minor penalty on each team. Have to believe that will change in the third as both teams push for the win.

Alex Ovechkin - just on with Comcast SportsNet for a between-periods interview - said he's been impressed with rookie center Mathieu Perreault, who had another strong period after assisting on the Caps' goal by Tyler Sloan in the first. Mike Green had a passing attempt by Brian Rolston bank off his hand and past Varlamov for New Jersey's goal. Caps were held to just six shots in the second.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/04/09 7:53 PM

Caps 1, Devils 0

Tyler Sloan with the goal for Washington at 17:10 of the first period. Give credit to the entire third line on that one. Sloan got the puck into the zone with a pass to himself in the neutral zone, then fired a shot in on New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur. Rookie Mathieu Perreault kept possession along the boards, passed to captain Chris Clark - who almost gave the puck away, but swiped at it before it could exit the zone. He batted it right back to Perreault, catching the Devils heading up ice in the process. Perreault drove the net with only one defender back and dropped a sweet saucer pass to Sloan, who beat Brodeur short side for the goal.

Perreault received a good recommendation from the Hershey coaching staff before his call-up on Tuesday and showed why in the first. He won a faceoff, took two shots and had a legit takeaway in his first NHL period. All that in just four shifts and 3 minutes, 21 seconds of ice time.

Heat (3-1) at Wizards (2-2)

By: Craig Stouffer
11/04/09 6:39 PM

What are you playing down ahead of the first of three meetings this month between Washington and Miami? They play again next Tuesday and on Nov. 27 in Florida.

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders is playing down foul trouble for his big men last night at Cleveland.

"Our bigs played really well," said Saunders. "There were some bad calls that shook them out of their offense and took them off the floor so they can’t just change. If you go out like that, you’re going to go out non-aggressive, they’re not going to have very much success. They just gotta hope that the way they play, they get some good whistles. But that’s what happens in this game. Our referees do as well a job as any professional. It’s a hard game to referee, and as I told our players, you have to fight through that type of situation and not all of a sudden fold because you had a couple bad calls."

As for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, he preferred to understate the Heat's struggles against the Phoenix zone in their first loss of the year last night.

"Really it’s the first time we’ve seen it in the preseason or the regular season. It’s different when you drill and say, okay, here’s five straight possessions, here’s what we’re getting into.’ What happened in the fourth quarter, and really it was a result and we should take it ...

News, notes and analysis

By: John Keim
11/04/09 5:11 PM

...Coach Jim Zorn said Antwaan Randle El will be deep on the first punt return vs. Atlanta, but that DeAngelo Hall and Santana Moss would also return punts. It's the same thing that happened in Philadelphia and it's what Zorn said on his radio show two weeks ago. However, he started to hedge a bit on his radio show this week citing Randle El's production as a returner (5.2 yards per return).

But Zorn was strong in his statement today.

"Antwaan Randle El is our punt returner," Zorn said.

We do know that the Redskins would prefer someone else to return punts. But Moss is not a legitimate option because of injury concerns. Nor does he want more than one or two a game. Hall does not want to do it fulltime either. Not to mention he's only returned 13 punts in the NFL. We've known special teams coach Danny Smith long enough to know that it would take a lot for him to put in Hall as the fulltime guy. Despite Randle El's recent fumble, Smith trusts his decision making and ball security.

But the other two will be used to create a spark.

By the way, Randle El does not think he's missed any holes. That may be the case; but his penchant for trying to find big holes prevents him from squeezing through the tiny ones where he might be able to pick up more than five yards. He's at his best when he makes one cut and goes.

...Linebacker H.B. Blades already was doing some work on the side t...