Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/21/09 10:21 PM

Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Caps 1

Bruce Boudreau said this wouldn't be an easy game and he was right. The Caps just didn't have much jump for the first 30 minutes or so. They got an early goal from Alex Ovechkin and were completely outplayed in the second period. Goalie Semyon Varlamov was excellent and kept his team in front until a puck banged off Toronto's Niklas Hagman late in that period to tie the game at 1.

Washington played harder in the third period and rang the post twice - first Eric Fehr and then Brian Pothier. But it couldn't squeeze one past Vesa Toskala, who finished with 31 saves. Varlamov had 38 saves as the Leafs threw all kinds of pucks his way. Toronto probably should have won the game late in overtime, too, as Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Ovechkin all got caught deep in their own zone on a long shift (just shy of 90 seconds). Toronto couldn't finish, though, and had to win it in the shootout. Phil Kessel beat Varlamov off the bat and neither Fehr (broken stick) nor Ovechkin (rolling puck) could score. Hagman finally put the game away with his shootout goal.

Caps (13-5-5, 31 points) still have most points in the Eastern Conference. But they aren't going to be happy with this weekend. Losing at home to Montreal and grabbing just one point against the worst team in the conference isn't good. Then again - they are missing seven regulars and they were playing the ...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/21/09 8:52 PM

Caps 1, Maple Leafs 1

Caps look like a team that played last night. Offensive push just wasn't there in the second period. But that period was really about Semyon Varlamov. You can say the Leafs got a lucky bounce on their goal by Nik Hagman. But they could have had three or four more, including Hagman moments after he scored his eighth of the season. Washington leaving its young goalie out to dry with odd-man rushes left and right. Toronto has outshot Washington 28-20 - but it was 17-10 in that period. Varlamov has 27 saves already. Only one power play and that went to Caps, who are now 0-for-3 on the night.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/21/09 8:10 PM

Caps 1, Maple Leafs 0

Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 16 on a beautiful sequence of passes by Brooks Laich and Mike Green. That was an even strength goal at 17:11. Green now has 20 assists and 23 points - taking the NHL points lead among defensemen from Toronto's Tomas Kaberle. Green has six assists in his last nine games.

Give credit to both goalies, though. There was some sloppy play by each team early in the first. Semyon Varlamov made a couple of nice stops with the Leafs buzzing in front of him. And Vesa Toskala had nine saves for Toronto, spoiling several good Washington chances himself. Easily could have been three or four goals in that period. Caps were 0-for-2 on the power play. The first one was horrendous. No juice at all. The second was a little better, but still limited chances.

Caps Game Night

By: Brian McNally
11/21/09 5:14 PM

Game # 23

Caps (13-5-4, 30 points) at Toronto Maple Leafs (3-11-6, 12 points)

The best team in the Eastern Conference faces the worst tonight at Air Canada Centre. Caps are coming off a 3-2 loss at home to Montreal. The Maple Leafs? They are winless in five - including a shootout loss to Carolina on Thursday where they blew a 3-0 lead and allowed the game-tying goal with two seconds left - and have the league's worst penalty kill (72.3 %). Other than that, things are great for coach Ron Wilson.

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau was adamant last night that his team wouldn't overlook Toronto. In case they forgot who they were playing, there were reportedly close to 10,000 fans at the teams' morning skate at ACC this morning. Yeah - this sport is a big deal in TO and tonight's game will be broadcast across the country on the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

Washington is hurting. While goalie Jose Theodore did make the trip and could play Monday in Ottawa, seven other regulars from opening night are out. Defensemen Tom Poti (upper-body injury), Shaone Morrisonn (head injury) and Milan Jurcia (hamstring) are out. None made the trip so Tyler Sloan goes back to defense with rookie John Carlson still up. Forwards Boyd Gordon (back), Alex Semin (wrist), Mike Knuble (broken finger) and Quintin Laing (broken jaw) are all out as well.

Forward Andrew Gordon was recalled from AHL Hershey to fill out the r...

Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/21/09 1:01 AM

Canadiens 3, Caps 2

Well, it was a fun final two minutes or so as the Caps pushed for the game-tying goal. Mike Green almost had it when his shot slid off the right post. Tough loss - and it doesn't help that the players immediately had to board a flight for Toronto for two more games over the next three days in Canada.

I wrote about the injury situation in my game story. Things are getting worse on that front and the Caps will almost certainly make another Hershey callup tonight. Now, if forward Mike Knuble is on the long-term injured reserve list (unconfirmed per team policy) then the money is likely there to call up defenseman Karl Alzner. He could seamlessly team up with Hershey partner John Carlson, who made his NHL debut and acquited himself well Friday night. Alzner is a +15 with a goal and three assists for the Bears, who played last night in Binghamton, NY.

If Knuble isn't on LTIR - or the Caps just want to move Tyler Sloan back to his natural defensive spot, where he finished Friday night after Tom Poti was hurt - then a forward makes the most sense. It would be a winger for sure. They already have Mathieu Perreault, a natural center, playing wing on the third line. Alexandre Giroux would work. He came up earlier this season and had one goal in three games. He already has nine with Hershey in just 14 games and had 60 last year with another 15 in the playoffs.

The Bears ha...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/20/09 8:45 PM

Montreal 2, Caps 1

Kind of a disjointed period. Caps defenseman Tom Poti played just a few shifts and left with an injury. He is not expected to return. Will have more after the game. So Bruce Boudreau was shifting his lines all over the place. Matt Bradley took the elevator from the fourth line to the first. Tomas Fleischmann dropped to third with Mathieu Perreault and Eric Fehr. Tyler Sloan had to move off the fourth line and back to "D" to replace Poti. Caps had some decent scoring chances - rookie John Carlson banged a shot off the post - but couldn't convert.

Meanwhile, Tomas Plekanec and Travis Moen both scored for the Canadiens to give them the lead. Give credit to Montreal - they are playing hard and - as Boudreau predicted - very aggressive. They challenge shots. They fight for pucks in the corners. Both goals were the result of hard work up front. It's obviously been an up-and-down team this year. But maybe with so many new players, the Canadiens are slowly generating some chemistry, We'll see.

Absolutely no penalties on either team in the second. No chance that holds in the third. Caps will get their chances with the man-advantage. Michal Neuvirth has stopped 16 of 18 shots. Montreal goalie Carey Price has been very good - 17 of 18 saves - although the Caps have had some chances they haven't buried.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/20/09 7:59 PM

Caps 1, Canadiens 0

Caps were outshot 14-7 - and at one point were down 8-1. Rookie Michal Neuvirth looked steady in goal in first NHL start of the year. Montreal did a pretty good job of getting traffic in front, but the 21-year-old appeared pretty calm. Fellow rookie John Carlson held his own playing alongside defensive partner Tom Poti. Six shifts for the 19-year-old - the youngest player to suit up for Caps since Alex Semin in 2003. Played 6 minutes, 19 seconds. No glaring mistakes at all or obvious nerves.

Caps power play looked lethargic on its first attempt and dangerous on the next two. Mike Green blasted a good half-dozen shots just wide of goalie Carey Price. Just didn't get lucky. So 0-for-3 so far. But Montreal is playing with fire with three minor penalties. Washington's lone penalty came with one second left in the period when Caps defenseman John Erskine and Canadiens heavyweight Georges Laraque jawed for a second and then lept at each other. Brief bout, but a good one. Erskine got a few good shots in and then the two fell to the ice.

Lone goal came from Eric Fehr. His shot from the left circle was set up by dirty work by teammate Mathieu Perreault, who continues to shine in his call-up from AHL Hershey. Thanks to Caps PR staff: Perreault has six points in eight games played (2 G, 4 A). Because of the injuries he's not likely to go back to Hershey anytime soon. But ...

Caps Game Night

By: Brian McNally
11/20/09 5:40 PM

Game #22

Caps (13-4-4, 30 points) vs. Montreal Canadiens (10-11, 20 points)

Rookie Michal Neuvirth will make his first start of the year in goal for the Caps. The 21-year-old, who led Hershey to the AHL title last season, is up as Jose Theodore deals with the "personal matter" that kept him out of Tuesday's game against the Rangers in New York.

"No reason. We wanted to see him play," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said when asked why Neuvirth was in goal. "He had a great training camp and then got hurt. So it's early on in the season and we've got three games in four nights and we just wanted to see him play."

Theodore will accompany the team on its two-game road trip after the Montreal game and Boudreau said he could even play Saturday in Toronto - "you never know." A Monday return against Ottawa seems more likely. In that case, expect Semyon Varlamov to get the nod on Saturday night and Neuvirth to make a quick return to Hershey. Neuvirth made three starts last year for the Caps and appeared in two other games. His last start was March 3 at Verizon Center against the Carolina Hurricanes. Neuvirth allowed five goals on 30 shots in that 5-2 loss. His best game in the NHL was his first - Valentine's Day at Tampa Bay when he gave up just one goal on 32 shots in a 5-1 Washington win.

Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin will make his return to Verizon Center. H...

Shaone Morrisonn dinged

By: Brian McNally and Brian McNally
11/19/09 3:09 PM

Caps defenseman Shaone Morrisonn is not expected to play Friday night againt Montreal. He suffered a head injury during Tuesday's win at New York - though no team official used the word "concussion". With defenseman Milan Jurcina on injured reserve (hamstring) and Tyler Sloan needed at forward because of Quintin Laing's broken jaw, the Caps had to recall defenseman John Carlson from AHL Hershey. Morrisonn played just 10 minutes, 27 seconds against the Rangers on Tuesday. His last shift came at 3:05 of the third period and lasted 53 seconds.

"When you get hit in the head and you get basically knocked out it’s one of those things you want to really make sure that he’s ready before you send him back in and do the wrong thing," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We want to make sure we do the right thing... Well, he was almost out - like in la-la land."

Jose Theodore's status uncertain for this weekend

By: Brian McNally
11/19/09 2:52 PM

Caps goalie Jose Theodore was back at practice for the second day in a row. But he couldn't shed any more light on if he'll play this weekend in games against Montreal at home and Toronto on the road. Theodore left the team earlier this week for "personal reasons". He returned to Northern Virginia while the Caps played the Rangers in New York.

"I don’t know. I just expect that we got a [10 a.m. morning skate] tomorrow and I’m going to come here," Theodore said. "I’m back with the team and practicing hard."

Theodore has allowed four or five goals in four of his last six starts, including last Saturday against the Devils. And he was pulled from a game against the Islanders last week after allowing three goals on five shots. Theodore insisted he didn't need a "mental break" and was simply taking care of that personal matter. Now he's ready to go when asked. But the Caps appear to feel differently. Michal Neuvirth is still with the team after a recall from AHL Hershey and could see action this weekend. Semyon Varlamov will likely start vs. Montreal on Friday night.

"Well, everybody knows what’s been going on. And sometimes you go through a rough break mentally," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "And [Theodore] wants to play so well and he wants to work so hard for the team that sometimes everything adds up....

Carlson to make NHL debut

By: Brian McNally
11/19/09 2:27 PM

Caps rookie John Carlson was a late first-round draft pick just 17 months ago. Tomorrow night he will make his NHL debut at Verizon Center against the Montreal Candiens. It's been a whirwind year for Carlson, who was playing junior hockey at this time last year. The 19-year-old is considered one of the organization's top prospects along with Hershey teammate Karl Alzner.

"When I was on my couch five years ago I never knew that I could ever be in this position," said Carlson, who was the 27th overall pick by the Caps in 2008. "But I’m happy to be here. I was happy to be in Heshey...I can’t wait for tomorrow."

The 6-foot-3, 208-pounder has never lacked confidence. That's one reason the Caps believe he can handle the transition smoothly. Unlike Alzner - who was the No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft - Carlson was a bit of a sleeper during his draft year. He was born in Massachusetts and grew up in New Jersey, playing just one year of junior hockey in Canada before turning pro. Carlson had only played in the less-prestigious United States Hockey League when chosen by Washington. He then spent a year in Canada with the London Knights under the tutelage of former Caps star Dale Hunter. He scored 16 goals and had 60 assists in 59 games.

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said Carlson's recall "might have been" partly salary-cap related. Alzner makes $1.675 mil...

More Caps chime in on Quintin Laing injury

By: Brian McNally
11/18/09 3:42 PM

Got some more reaction from Quintin Laing's teammates on the broken jaw he suffered during Tuesday night's 4-2 win over the Rangers. Laing went down to block a shot by New York defenseman Michal Rozsival - well, because that's what Laing does. I wrote about this in detail in Tuesday night's game story. But needless to say, Laing is on this team to make plays like that. Not blocking shots isn't an option for him if he wants to stay in the NHL. And he does.

"He’s not the most skilled guy, but he’ll do anything it takes to get the puck," said teammate Mike Green.

"He’s never gonna score you 40. But he’s instrumental in what our team does," added coach Bruce Boudreau.

Green was amazed that after the game Laing was conducting business as if nothing had happened - talking calmly with the equipment managers as best he could even though he knew he was headed for the hospital and surgery. The left side of Laing's face was a swollen mess. Team captain Chris Clark - no stranger to gruesome injuries himself - couldn't watch as Laing was helped off the ice. Clark had his palate bone smashed and two front teeth knocked out when he took a puck to the mouth in a game against Boston in November of 2006. Clark, incredibly, finished his shift. A year later in an October game against Vancouver, the top of Clark's ear was severed by an Alex Ovechkin slap sho...

Bruce Boudreau and Sean Avery: Together again

By: Brian McNally and Brian McNally
11/18/09 3:12 PM

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau has a noted history with New York Rangers agitator Sean Avery. He said so during the playoff series between the two teams last season when Avery was doing everything possible to get under the skin of Washington's players. That's a big part of his job, of course. Avery skated past the Caps' bench and called Boudreau "the biggest, fattest [explitive] pig he'd ever seen," according to Boudreau in his new autobiography "Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer".

Remember, Boudreau coached Avery when both were in the AHL with Manchester so he comes by his feelings the hard way. Avery must have grabbed a copy of Boudreau's book, though, because he spent much of warmups prior to Tuesday's game at Madison Square Garden lobbing verbal bombs at Boudreau again.

"I didn't even know he was doing it until I looked over and I said to [assistant coach] Bob Woods 'Is he talking to me?' [Avery] just stayed at the redline and talked and talked. Didn't even take warmups. I never responded or even looked at him. But he took himself out of the game."

Avery committed a tripping penalty in the first period. He later drew a penalty on Caps defenseman John Erskine after punching goalie Semyon Varlamov in the head and waiting for the inevitable response. The Rangers would score the tying goal on the ensuing power play. Earlier, Avery got into a confrontat...

Injuries creeping up on Caps

By: Brian McNally
11/18/09 2:42 PM

It isn't quite last November when players were dropping all over the ice. But the Caps have some roster issues to attend to over the next few days. Forward Alex Semin didn't play against the Rangers last night. He didn't participate in the optional practice today and showed up wearing a wrap on his right wrist. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said there's a chance Semin will miss this weekend's games against Montreal and Toronto.

Defenseman Milan Jurcia (hamstring) is not ready yet, either - though he did skate before practice and Boudreau said he's doing better than last week. The news isn't so good for Boyd Gordon. The forward has been battling back issues all season and the team is struggling to find out the exact cause.

"I’ve had a guy on my team that missed three years and then Eric Fehr missed a year [with a back injury]," Boudreau said. "It’s just so hard sometimes to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with it. So he’s just in the doing tests process. He went through this last year and probably the year before. And it’s tough going through that. We’d like to get him fixed because he’s a valuable member of our team."

Then, of course, there is forward Quintin Laing, who blocked a shot Tuesday night and broke his jaw. According to team officials, general manager George McPhee put the estimate at four-to-six weeks for the fourth lin...

Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/17/09 11:59 PM

Caps 4, Rangers 2

Just a great game to watch and a fun story to write. Matt Bradley, who scored two goals in Game 5 of last year's playoff series vs. the Rangers, had the game-winner again tonight for Washington. Oh, and he had a momentum-changing fight, leaving the ice bloodied and needing stitches. And he dished out four hits. Just tremendous stuff and it overshadowed the return of Alex Ovechkin, who scored goal No. 15 on the power play in the first period after missing six games with an upper-body strain.

Feel awful for forward Quintin Laing, who suffered a broken jaw when he dove to block a shot in the third period with the Caps up a goal. It was a courageous play and left his teammates and coaches in awe. I'm not kidding. Brooks Laich afterwards could hardly find the words to describe what Laing did for his team - though he eventually did. That's why he's the most quotable player in that locker room.

Laing, of course, had swine flu last month. He suffered a ruptured spleen in his one and only NHL game last season and could have died if not for a heads-up reaction by trainer Greg Smith. This is a guy who has gotten everything out of his ability and lived his dream of playing in the NHL. He even has two goals this season. But his luck never seems to hold and that just doesn't seem fair. Team officials say he will be out "weeks" and that Laing was staying in a New York...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/17/09 8:54 PM

Caps 2, Rangers 1

Brooks Laich does his best Mike Knuble impression. Bangs home a tipped shot by defenseman Mike Green, who was a blur in front of the net on a Chris Clark centering pass. So the Caps enter the third period up a goal. The Rangers have come back against Washington once already this season - down 3-2 in the third on Oct. 8 at Verizon Center. Marian Gaborik - already with a goal tonight - scored twice to beat the Caps that night. Laich now has five power-play goals on the year - one more than Ovechkin, who scored one earlier in the night - and nine goals overall. Right now, Caps are out-hitting New York 24-15, outshooting them 21-11 and just generally controlling play. We'll see if they can hold on in the third.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/17/09 8:02 PM

Caps 1, Rangers 1

Thought New York came out harder in the first 10 minutes. Rangers got pucks in deep, dished out some big hits. Sean Avery was jawing at every Caps player he could - as usual - but especially with defenseman John Erskine. Looks like he's found his target for the night. As for who would crack first - a question I asked on Twitter - Avery took a tripping penalty that Alex Ovechkin converted into a power-play goal. Assists on that one go to Mike Green and Tomas Fleischmann. Ovechkin scored goal No. 15 in his first game game since missing six in a row with an upper-body strain. For Fleischmann, that's nine games in a row with at least one point, upping his career high.

Marian Gaborik had briefly tied Ovechkin, Dany Heatley (San Jose) and Anze Kopitar for the NHL goal lead. Gaborik's tally at 1:16 gave New York a 1-0 lead. Most entertaining moment? Matt Bradley's fight with Rangers forward Aaron Voros. Bradley is a middle weight and almost always leaves these things bleeding. No difference this time. He was cut by his helmet, I assume. But he threw some haymakers early on before Voros evened things up and then knocked Bradley down at the very end. Pretty much a draw, I'd say, and both players drew hearty applause from their teammates.

Caps Game Night

By: Brian McNally
11/17/09 1:37 PM

Game #21

Caps (12-4-4, 28 points) at New York Rangers (11-8-1, 23 points)

Second meeting of the year between these two and a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup playoff series that went seven games. Rangers won 4-3 at Verizon Center on Oct. 8. Caps will be without goalie Jose Theodore, who team officials say has left the team for one day to deal with a "personal matter". Semyon Varlamov gets the start in his place. Michael Neuvirth has been recalled from AHL Hershey to be the backup. Rest of the lineup is in flux. David Steckel hopes to play, but is clearly hurting. Alex Semin didn't participate in the morning skate, according to coach Bruce Boudreau. Is he in or is he out? Unclear. Defenseman Milan Jurcina (hamstring) and forward Boyd Gordon (back) are out. Mike Knuble (broken finger) is obviously out - at least three weeks. Forward Jay Beagle has also been recalled from Hershey. Oh - and that Ovechkin guy is expected to play for the first time since Nov. 1, but no one will say that for sure. Got all that? Caps will try and leave NYC with a split after a rough effort against the Devils in Newark on Saturday night. Will have more after Boudreau's pregame chat with the media from MSG.

Caps notes: Ovi eyeing return?

By: Brian McNally
11/16/09 3:33 PM

The Caps remained in the New York City metro area this weekend after Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Devils in Newark. They take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night and held practice this morning across the river at Prudential Center. The big news? Forward Alex Ovechkin was wearing his red - i.e. contact - practice jersey. So is he playing for the first time since Nov. 1?

"We'll see tomorrow," Ovechkin told reporters in New Jersey on Monday. "I feel good, excited. Again, we'll see tomorrow how I'm going to feel."

Ovechkin was on the top line with center Nicklas Backstrom and right wing Chris Clark - who replaced the injured Mike Knuble, out three-to-four weeks with a broken finger. Neither defenseman Milan Jurcina (hamstring) nor forward Boyd Gordon (back) practiced on Monday. Forward Tomas Fleischmann - seven goals in nine games - dropped to the third line with Mathieu Perreault and Matt Bradley. The fourth line was David Steckel, Eric Fehr and Quintin Laing.

"I think he's fine," said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau about Ovechkin. "I haven't got the 100-percent word yet [from trainer Greg Smith]. But he practiced today and there's a good probablity of it happening."

Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally and Brian McNally
11/14/09 12:45 AM

Caps 3, Minnesota 1

Entertaining non-conference game at Verizon Center tonight - even if the two teams only combined for four goals. The Caps (12-3-4, 28 points) have now won four in a row heading into Saturday night's showdown with New Jersey (13-4, 26 points). That's a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference as of now.

The injury to forward Mike Knuble, of course, overshadows the win a bit. He's out for three-to-four weeks with a broken left finger. That's a bummer, especially considering Knuble (5 G, 10 A) had been playing well in the absence of star winger Alex Ovechkin. Does this mean Ovechkin is a lock to play against the Devils? It would certainly make sense. But I just don't see the Caps rushing him back. If he plays it was because Ovechkin was ready anyway - not because Knuble is out of the lineup. If Ovechkin does wait until Tuesday against the Rangers it will make for some interesting lineup choices for Caps coach Bruce Boudreau.

Notes

» Caps D Mike Green, so good on the power-play last year with a team-record 18 goals, notched his second this season. He now has three goals overall. "Thanks for reminding me," Green said with a smile when asked about that production drop afterwards. "It seems like I don't have a lot of room out there - maybe because of last year. It seems like every guy is standing in front of me. That's good thoug...

Caps Second Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/13/09 8:45 PM

Caps 1, Wild 1

Washington took control that period. Outshot Minnesota 16-6. Wild goal came from Caps killer Cal Clutterbuck. He scored twice against Washington in their game in St. Paul last season. Have to wonder if last night's shootout loss to Tampa and subsequent late travel to D.C. will hurt the Wild in the final period.

Mike Green scored for the Caps to tie the game. It was his first power-play goal of the year. He posted 18 last season - a Caps' record for a defenseman. Tomas Fleischmann and Brendan Morrison had the assists. Flash found Green streaking into the slot. It was his third assist of the season. Washington has 31 shots to 16. They're also being outhit 13-8 - for what it's worth.

Forward David Steckel has won seven of his nine faceoffs. Forward Mike Knuble was injured in the first period. I thought he landed on his wrist or forearm when he drove - or was helped depending on your perspective - into the Minnesota goal. Others here at Verizon think he landed on his head or neck. Either way, Caps PR says he "may return" with an undisclosed injury. But we didn't see him in the second period so I'm guessing his night is finished.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/13/09 7:52 PM

Caps 0, Wild 0

Caps held scoreless in the opening period for the first time in eight games (thanks Caps PR staff). Took almost eight minutes for Washington to put a shot on Minnesota back-up goalie Josh Harding. Almost 12 minutes in they had a measley two shots. That changed during a power-play after a questionable tripping call on Wild defenseman Nick Schultz.

The Wild got some calls of their own, though. Nick Backstrom - the Swede not the Finn - took a retaliatory cross-check that didn't seem worth much. Minnesota went up 5-on-3 when the Caps were whistled for a too-many-men call. Technically it was the right call. Then again, Caps forward Chris Clark was literally lifting his leg to step onto the bench. Washington killed the first penalty. They'll start the second down a man for another 1:26. Semyon Varlamov has been pretty steady in goal for the Caps. He stopped all 10 shots he faced - though seven of those came in the first 10 minutes.

Caps Game Night: vs. Wild

By: Brian McNally
11/13/09 1:15 PM

Game #19

Caps (11-3-4, 26 points) vs. Minnesota Wild (7-10-1, 15 points)

The season is starting to fly by here. Just about a quarter of the way through already and the Caps are on top of the Eastern Conference - though tied with the New Jersey Devils (13-4), who have actually beatem them twice. I mentioned this in a post last week but that club is the Jason Voorhees of the NHL at this point. If GM Lou Lamoriello wants to write a book about how to be awesome at life I'm buying that thing.

Well, the Caps won't have to worry about the Devils until tomorrow night when they hit The Rock (Prudential Center). For now, they get a Minnesota Wild club that struggled early this season under new coach Todd Richards. Having said that - Minnesota is 4-1-1 in its last six games so maybe it's just taking a while to get used to a system far different from the one run by former coach Jacques Lamaire. Caps do catch a break because the Wild played last night in Tampa Bay - a 4-3 shootout loss. We'll see if that makes a difference late in this one.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the Caps may also miss Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom - the Finn, not D.C.'s playmaking Swede - who has started the last 12 games. That workload isn't sustainable and with another game Sunday at Carolina Richards needed to find his star a day off. Backstrom's numbers actually aren't all that great so far - .910 s...

Caps Practice Notes

By: Brian McNally and Brian McNally
11/12/09 1:38 PM

Some brief notes from Caps practice this morning. Alex Ovechkin was indeed back on the ice and looking a iittle bit better than in recent days. Forward Alex Semin, who scored twice in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Islanders, was not. He is still dealing with a sore wrist. Center Nicklas Backstrom also too the day off - it was an optional skate.

Center David Steckel was not here either. His grandmother passed away this week so thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau thought Steckel would be back for the morning skate Friday. But his status for the game against Minnesota, obviously, is up in the air.

Fellow center Boyd Gordon, though, looks ready to go on Friday night. He's had three good practices now and skated hard on his own last weekend. The back injury that has sidelined him since Oct. 12 seems to be letting up. He's one of their best penalty-killers and a right-handed center - which the Caps don't have right now - so it would be nice to have him back.

That likely would spell the end for rookie Mathieu Perreault, who has been playing with distinction as the third-line center since last week. The 21-year-old would likely head back to Hershey. Although another roster spot could open if a certain Swedish center finalizes a deal to play in the KHL. Nothing new to report on the Michael Nylander saga, by the way. Caps didn't even say if an update was comi...

Ovechkin update

By: Brian McNally
11/12/09 1:19 PM

Greetings from Kettler Iceplex, where the Caps wrapped up a short optional practice about 90 minutes ago. Remember, this team is in the middle of another three-games-in-four nights stretch. First up: An update on injured winger Alex Ovechkin (upper-body strain), who took to the ice with a little more vigor today. Still no contact drills. And the thought has been that Ovechkin would need a few days of legitimate practice before returning to the ice for a real game. He disputed that today, though.

"It’s not about hitting. It’s some different things," Ovechkin said. "I can make a hit. It’s not my shoulder, it’s [other] things...No, I can make some hits. It’s not going to bother me. But just curious to see what I have right now. Just need more couple days. I don’t need some game practice. Just go to the game and play this way."

Still, Caps coach Bruce Boudreau used the word "questionable" with regards to Ovechkin for either Friday's game against Minnesota or Saturday's game at New Jersey: "Because if he was to play in New Jersey, we don’t play until Tuesday after that," Boudreau said. "And if those three days are going to make it 100 percent better we’re going to wait the three days."

No question, though, Ovechkin went harder at today's practice. Where earlier in the week he was taking so...

Caps Postgame

By: Brian McNally
11/11/09 11:56 PM

Caps 5, Islanders 4 (shootout)

Another wild night at Verizon Center. The Caps had a lead in eight seconds thanks to Alex Semin. They lost it less than a minute later. They fell behind 3-1. They fought back to go up 4-3 entering the third. Then they took three penalties and one of them proved costly as the Islanders tied the game with 2:08 to play.

Semin was his spectacularly combustable self in this one. He scored twice. He missed a wide open net and probably could have posted three or four goals. He also tried to get fancy again and got drilled to the ice by an Islanders defenseman. That led to a breakaway goal for Sean Bergenheim. No one knows the roller-coaster ride that is Semin like Caps coach Bruce Boudreau.

“He looked like he wanted to play. And when he wants to play – he could have had six. He makes some moves and he can shoot the puck. He’s scary good when he’s motivated...[But] oh yeah, there was the good and the bad. The goal, the giveaway, the miss. He’s like a lot of us in Washington. At least he’s exciting."

Caps Notes

» Chris Clark said he's used his shootout move - a shot to the top-right corner of the goal - in the past. During the Caps' epic 15-rounder with the Rangers in 2005 he tried it on New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist - who didn't move. He made the easy save and Clark had four long years to plot his next chance. ...

Nylander update

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

Sorry folks. Would love to be done with this Michael Nylander story. But general manager George McPhee would only say he "didn't know" if a French-Canadian network report saying Nylander was definitely headed to the KHL is accurate. That was after tonight's 5-4 win over the Islanders. McPhee seems as exasperated as anybody to still be answering these questions. RDS is the network and - for what it's worth - they are saying the team is Dynamo Minsk, a club based in that Belarussian city. Again, no one with the Caps will confirm that and I don't have sources in Minsk, either, where it's closing in on 7 a.m.

Nylander has been quiet throughout this whole process. But at the very least this situation should be resolved - one way or the other - by tomorrow. Of course, we've heard that before. Washington has been trying to find a new home for the 37-year-old center to get out from under his $4.875 million salary-cap hit. They would, of course, still have to pay him. The move would simply offer cap relief and allow the Caps room to make other deals.

Caps First Period Update

By: Brian McNally
11/11/09 7:57 PM

Islanders 3, Caps 2

That was some wild stuff. Caps scored in just eight seconds. Alex Semin tied a team record with that one. Hat tip to Brendan Morrisonn for creating the turnover that led to the goal. But goalie Jose Theodore struggled to hold that lead. He allowed three goals on just five shots. Yeah, not good. One was a true softie. Another he could have stopped, but would have been tough. The third? Well, that should be credited to Semin, who was knocked down in the offensive zone to start a gimme breakaway. But the Caps fought back with a strong final 10 minutes. Nick Backstrom and Tomas Fleischmann hooked up for a goal. Flash now has six goals in seven games so far this year. I'd say he's fully recovered from that blood clot. Backstrom, by the way, lost an edge as he drove the net so his "pass" to Fleischmann needs quotes around it. He saw the replay on the big scoreboard and just smiled.

Caps' best record in the East?

By: Brian McNally
11/11/09 2:02 PM

Blown third-period leads. Bad penalties. Four overtime losses. Occasional shaky goaltending. Sometimes after games it seems like we're talking to a team that just lost - even when it didn't. It's fair to say the bar has been set high for the Caps this year. Some fans believe they not only have to win, but also must put on a performance that would plausibly have beaten the Penguins in the playoffs. So it's almost gone unnoticed that if Washington wins tonight against the Islanders - or even loses again in overtime or a shootout - it will have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 11-3-4 with 26 points.

“That is positive. We get to talking as if we’re in the 12th spot and thinking about all our faults. But I think whatever it is we’re doing we’re getting a little bit of success out of it," said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. "And we want to grow with it. I thought Friday’s game [against Florida] – take away the first five minutes where we gave them a couple of good chances – and I don’t think we gave up a lot after that. And then Saturday’s game [against the Panthers] I thought both goalies were a little soft, or a little weak. But it shows that we’ve still got enough guys to score when we have to score."

The Caps are currently tied with the Penguins (12-6, 24 points), who have played one more game so fa...

Caps Game Night

By: Brian McNally
11/11/09 11:38 AM

Game #18

Caps (10-3-4, 24 points) vs. New York Islanders (6-6-5, 17 points)

Good to see you again! This is the third game in 19 days between these two teams. Needless to say, the Caps are kind of tired of the scrappy Islanders. New York probably won't make the playoffs this season. But it's definitely stockpiling a decent group of young players and likely will make life difficult for teams in the Atlantic Division.

Gee, you think this game will need overtime? The Caps have seen four of their last six games with New York go beyond regulation. They won, 3-2, on Oct. 24 on Long Island. That was thanks to a Brooks Laich goal. But they lost, 4-3, at Verizon Center on Oct. 30. Defenseman Mark Streit scored just 53 seconds into overtime to win that one. Washington also won twice in overtime against the Islanders last season. Only two of the last 10 games between these teams have been decided by more than one goal.

Expect Jose Theodore in goal for the Caps. Looks like Jeff Schultz and Tyler Sloan are the defensive scratches. Schultz, of course, is still dealing with a lower-body injury. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau says forward Boyd Gordon is possible for this weekend's game vs. Minnesota and New Jersey. He also hasn't ruled out forward Alex Ovechkin - although next week still looks like a better bet for him.