Hurricanes Vs Capitals February 26, 2013 Game Review

Nicklas Backstrom scores game winning goal against Cam Ward in Washington, DC on Feb. 26, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo.

Carolina Hurricanes 0 Vs Washington Capitals 3 = Home Game Win

The Washington Capitals picked up a much needed two points on Tuesday - February 26, 2013, when they shutout the Carolina Hurricanes. The win was Washington's second in a row, and made only the second winning streak so far in the -2012--2013 NHL season, for the Capitals.

Nicklas Backstrom (C), who averages more than a point per game playing against the Hurricanes, scored first. Backstrom was the one who had brought the puck into the offensive zone to begin with. No assist for the guy that starts the play, if he's also the guy that finishes it. Mike Ribeiro (C) took a pass from Alex Ovechkin (LW / RW), and sent the puck to Nick who was on the front doorstep, waiting to bang it in. The goal, which came on a first period power-play, made it the eighth straight game where the Caps have scored first. It also ended the 'Canes penalty-kill streak at fourteen.

Backstrom also had a hand in the play that produced the second goal, relaying the puck from defenseman John Carlson into the mighty slap shot of newly re-signed John Erskine (D). Goaltender Braden Holtby (also newly re-signed) didn't have to work too terribly hard, with Washington taking most of the shots on Cam Ward, at the other end of the ice. Defensively, this turned out to be one of the Caps' better second periods.

Eleven and a half minutes through the third period, John Carlson scored the third goal for the Capitals, with the help of Mathieu Perreault and Joel Ward. Carolina was able to keep Washington's shots and scoring chances down the rest of the way, but they couldn't manage any sort of comeback.

Amongst other offensively talented Carolina forwards, Holtby and Washington were able to keep former teammate Alexander Semin off the scoreboard. That's a good thing. All the jerks in the stands that booed him every time he had the puck? That's a very, very bad, classless and totally embarrassing thing.

In the end, Braden Holtby was perfect in his seventh straight start, in net. The offense was there to back him up, including another power-play for the Capitals, who started the game ranked second (46%) in the league. Overall, they outshot their opponent again, and again beat their opponent. They still need to string together several wins, if they are going to climb out of the basement.

Game Highlights: Carolina Hurricanes At Washington Capitals On Feb. 26, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/26/13: Caps players John Carlson, John Erskine and Joel Ward address the media after a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/26/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Today's Tune: "Napoleon Bona-Part One" And "Napoleon Bona-Part Two" By Budgie

Cover of Budgie's 1975 albun 'Bandolier'

Napoléon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769 – May 5, 1821) was Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815. However, as the title of this 'Today's Tune' post might suggest, his reign wasn't one long and smooth run.

The French military and political leader ruled over his people through a lot of successful battles and war. Bonaparte is considered a military genius and great strategist by many, as he was during his time as a military leader. He would sometimes tend to go a bit to far in his relentlessness though, which eventually got him into trouble, and people began to turn against him.

One such time came during the War of the Sixth Coalition. Napoléon and his forces had won some battles, but they were losing ground overall. After Coalition forces had captured the capital city of Paris and the French were in a bad position, Bonaparte demanded his men march on the city to take it back. This command led to a mutiny, and eventually as punishment, Napoléon Bonaparte was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba, Italy as part of the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

His people ended up under the control of King Louis XVIII, and the rules of the treaty were blatantly disregarded. On February 26, 1815, Napoléon Bonaparte escaped from Elba, and made his way back to France within a couple days. Louis XVIII found out most of his soldiers, including the ones sent to intercept Bonaparte, were happy to welcome back Napoléon. King Louis XVIII fled the country, and by March 20, Napoléon Bonaparte was back in power. This stint would not last long though, and is known as the Hundred Days.

Bonaparte and his army were defeated by the armies of field marshals Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the Battle of Waterloo. Louis XVIII would then be restored to the throne of France.

Today is February 26th, the same date as the day Napoléon Bonaparte escaped from Elba and headed back to France for another run on the throne, leading me to choose the aptly named two-parter from the (mostly) Welsh rockers Budgie. This 'Today's Tune' is a double feature of "Napoleon Bona-Part One" and "Napoleon Bona-Part Two".

Budgie - "Napoleon Bona-Part One" and "Napoleon Bona-Part Two" (1975)



Budgie - "Napoleon Bona-Part One" and "Napoleon Bona-Part Two" Live (2009)

Devils Vs Capitals February 23, 2013 Game Review

Capitals players celebrate Alex Ovechkin hat trick against Devils in Washington, DC on February 23, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 5 Vs New Jersey Devils 1 = Home Game Win

The Washington Capitals bounced back into winning form, in a big way, on Saturday afternoon - February 23, 2013. Facing the New Jersey Devils at home, for the second consecutive time, the Capitals' offense came alive.

The offense of superstar winger Alex Ovechkin definitively came alive. Though he had been starting to create scoring chances more often in recent games, he had "only" five goals in the first 16 games of the -2012--2013 NHL season.

Ovechkin scored his sixth goal, the first of this game, five minutes into the second period. He would then go on to score another at the beginning of the third, and then yet another goal about five minutes before the end of the game. The hat trick, the eleventh of Alex's NHL career, is his first since January 22, 2011. It's also the first time he has scored a hat trick on home ice in over three years.

Capitals center Mike Ribeiro and forward Jason Chimera assisted on the first goal of the game, while forward Matt Hendricks and defenseman Jeff Schultz helped out on the next one. Ovechkin's eighth goal of the season came about with the assistance of Ribeiro again, along with fellow centerman Nicklas Backstrom.

Ovie's three goals (on seven shots) would have been enough to beat New Jersey's lone goal, which came from the Devils' own superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk, but Washington also got a nifty wrap-around short-handed goal from Eric Fehr (RW), early in period three. About three minutes before the end of the game, Alex Ovechkin and young Caps defenseman Tomas Kundratek combined to help Troy Brouwer (F) score the fifth and final goal for the Capitals.

Special-teams came up big for the Caps, at both ends of the ice. Not only did they get a shorty from Eric Fehr (RW), while killing off a penalty, but the last two goals came while on power-plays. In the end, Washington killed off four penalties in all, while scoring on two of their three power-play chances.

While the Capitals were blasting Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg, they kept the Devils to only one tally, and minimized their opponents scoring chances overall. Washington outshot New Jersey 26 to 22. The Caps had been outshot in 11 of their first 16 games. They had also lost 11 of those games. Maybe there's a connection, well with most of those games, anyway.

Braden Holtby was excellent in net, for the Capitals. He only failed to stop one shot, out of 22, including a penalty shot by Steve Bernier (RW). After a shaky season start, much like last season, he seems to be well settled in now.

Mike Ribeiro may be the current scoring leader in Washington, with (6 G, 15 A) 21 points, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Alex Ovechkin (8 G + 6 A = 14 points) catch up with him real soon. Meanwhile, offensive defenseman Mike Green, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury, would surely like to just get back in play.

This was the last time the Capitals and the Devils were scheduled to meet, for this regular season, anyway. That's really too bad, since this win marks the only time Washington has beaten a top eight, playoff contending team this season.

Game Highlights: New Jersey Devils At Washington Capitals On February 23, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/23/13: Caps players Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward address the media after a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Alex Ovechkin Postgame 02/23/13: Caps captain Alex Ovechkin addresses the media after scoring a hat trick in the Caps 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/23/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Devils Vs Capitals February 21, 2013 Game Review

Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk scores GWG on Capitals' Braden Holtby in Washington, DC February 21, 2013.
Photo © Alex Brandon / AP Photo.

New Jersey Devils 3 Vs Washington Capitals 2 = Home Game Loss

The Washington Capitals hit the one-third mark of the short 48 game -2012--2013 NHL season with another tough loss. It was the sixth straight game that they had scored the first goal, but as usual for the Capitals, that was not a good indicator of how the game would go.

This was also the sixth straight start for Caps' goaltender Braden Holtby, as they faced Martin Brodeur (G) and the New Jersey Devils. Washington had won three of their last four games, while New Jersey had lost three of their last four.

The Capitals have done well on the power-play, recently. Over the last seven games, they had scored eight goals on their last nineteen chances, making them fourth in the league. About nine-and-a-half minutes into period two, the Caps got the first goal again, and it came on the power-play. Troy Brouwer (F) had his shot blocked, but Mathieu Perreault (C) was right behind him, and Perreault's wrister got through Brodeur.

Unfortunately, the Devils' Patrik Elias (LW) scored a short-handed goal about a minute-and-a-half later. So much for New Jersey not doing well on the penalty kill. Shortly after that, with Washington on the PP again, center Mike Ribeiro scored his sixth goal of the season. Again, Troy Brouwer with the primary assist, while Caps' centerman Nicklas Backstrom provided the other helper.

The third period was just plain ugly. Washington has had penalty trouble in a lot of their games, this season. Like in a few of those games, the referees were more than a bit "helpful" in adding minutes to the Cap's penalty stats. The Capitals suffered seven of the eight penalties called, including the last six straight.

Andrei Loktionov (C) scored an even-strength goal for New Jersey in between a couple of those penalties, about nine minutes through the period. With Washington trying to kill yet another penalty a couple minutes later, Ilya Kovalchuk (RW) scored the game-winning PPG for the New Jersey.

There is both good news and bad news for the Capitals. The bad news is that one-third of the season is gone, they are still committing far too many penalties, and they have to face the Devils again on Saturday. The good news is they still have two-thirds of the season to go, and they face the Devils again on Saturday.

Game Highlights: New Jersey Devils At Washington Capitals February 21, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/21/13: Caps players Jay Beagle, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby and Karl Alzner address the media after a 3-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/21/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 3-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils.

Capitals Vs Rangers February 17, 2013 Game Review

Rangers block Capitals path to fourth consecutive win in New York, NY on February 17, 2013.
Photo © Kathy Willens / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 1 Vs New York Rangers 2 = Road Game Loss

On Sunday - February 17, 2013, the Washington Capitals ended a three game winning streak, when they lost their game versus the New York Rangers. In what some may describe as a flat performance by both hockey teams, the goaltenders for both teams might be the only players deserving any praise.

Just over a minute into the game, Washington defenseman John Carlson scored the lone Capitals goal. New York had trouble clearing the puck from their end of the ice. Eventually, it ended up on the stick of winger Eric Fehr, who sent a pass out to Mike Rebeiro (C) from below the goal line. Rebeiro slid the puck over to Carlson at the point, who collected it, and then fired a slap shot into the back of the net. When your team scores that early in a game, it sometimes gives you false hope.

The Rangers scored one goal in each of the other two periods. Carl Hagelin (LW) just barely eluded defenseman Tom Poti, and deflected a shot in during the second period. Then, in the third, John Carlson totally missed his defensive assignment during a penalty kill. Center Derek Stepan was left sitting by the goal cage during the Rangers power-play, all by himself. The puck eventually came to him, while Braden Holtby (G) was protecting the opposite end of the goal mouth, and he easily deposited the puck.

Holtby might have been a tiny bit slow to react, but he was nearly perfect the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist (G) wasn't making life easy for Washington at the other end of the ice. The Capitals, on the other hand, didn't make things as difficult for Lundqvist as the the Rangers were doing to Holtby.

Washington managed a few good scoring chances after their one goal, but couldn't finish, and were outshot 40 to 28. At the same time, their recently mildly powerful power-play was powerless. Meanwhile, some of the guys who have been producing offense for the Caps, spent some time in the penalty box instead. When you're a man down, it's hard to gain zone time and make shots.

Washington had better get back into another winning streak, and make that a real habit, real soon. They have the least amount of points in their conference, and the second least in the entire league. Other teams that had started off poorly, like the Capitals, are now staying ahead in the standings.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At New York Rangers February 17, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/17/13: Caps players Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom and Wojtek Wolski address the media after a 2-1 loss against the New York Rangers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/17/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 2-1 loss against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

2013 WRC Rally Sweden Review

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia drive through forest in 2013 Rally Sweden February 2013.
Photo © DPPI - From Bilsport.se .

The second rally of the 2013 World Rally Championship season was Rally Sweden. Official host city of Karlstad, Sweden served as the start and finish point of the ice and snow covered gravel event, which was done February 7 through February 10. The service park was in Hagfors, and the course ran through that region on Friday. They headed East on Saturday, with much of Sunday spent over the border in Norway.

The weather was perfect for what you would hope for in a Swedish rally. Plenty of fresh snow fell just before the start of the event, leaving everything snow covered and beautiful. Even with studded tires, giving the cars 384 studs per corner, there was a good bit of sliding around. This only seems to encourage the competitors to drive more aggressively, spending a lot of time driving sideways through the winding forest roads.

Quite a few cars ended up sliding, and in a few instances, rolling off the road. When you go off, you hope to land in a soft snow bank, rather than one of the harder ones. If your car is still driveable, any spectators nearby are glad to help get the car turned right-side up.

No matter what the weather, this is a breathtakingly beautiful part of the world. Lots of fans who make their way to see the Norway stages like to hangout around the house of rally driver Petter Solberg (2003 Champion), as one stage takes the cars on a road right next to it. Many car jump fans also make their way to the area by Colin's Crest (Named in honor of Colin McRae).

The top three drivers to complete the rally were: Winning driver was Sébastien Ogier (France) from Volkswagen Motorsport; Sébastien Loeb (France) of Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team came in second place; Finishing with third best time was Mads Østberg (Norway) for Qatar M-Sport WRT.

Links (in chronological order) to WRC.com 2013 Rally Sweden recap posts, as well as highlights videos, are to be found below.


WRC wrap: Ogier triumphs on snow
Posted at WRC.com on February 10, 2013

Sebastien Ogier has claimed the first World Championship rally victory for Volkswagen Motorsport following a faultless performance on Rally Sweden, which ended in Karlstad this afternoon...


Capito: “Ogier in a class of his own”
Posted at WRC.com on February 11, 2013

Volkswagen Motorsport boss Jost Capito has paid tribute to Sebastien Ogier for taking his squad's maiden victory in the World Rally Championship on only its second event...


Neuville the high-flyer at Colin's Crest
Posted at WRC.com on February 12, 2013

Thierry Neuville won this year's Colin's Crest Award for recording the longest jump over the famous blind crest on Rally Sweden...

2013 Rally Sweden - Friday Highlights



2013 Rally Sweden - Saturday Highlights



2013 Rally Sweden - Sunday Highlights

Capitals Vs Lightning February 14, 2013 Game Review

Capitals celebrate second period goal by Eric Fehr against Lightning in Tampa, FL February 14, 2013.
Photo © Mike Carlson / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 4 Vs Tampa Bay Lightning 3 = Road Game Win

The Washington Capitals hockey team that played in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 14, 2013 was a very different group of guys than the bunch that played there in the -2012--2013 NHL season opening game last month. Technically, it was pretty much the same roster, but they were a good bit more disciplined, physically fit, generally focused and tighter unit this time around. Well, for about fifty minutes, anyway. Well, maybe for 45 minutes. Well ... most of them.

Washington were penalized eight times in that first game, but only three times in this game. Now, Tampa Bay also dropped their penalty count from five down to two, but the Capitals scored the only power-play goal. That PPG came two minutes and fourty seconds into the game.

It was the seventh goal of the season for Troy Brouwer (F), making him the goal scoring leader of the team, for now. Centers Mathieu Perreault and Nicklas Backstrom notched the assists on the play. Just under six minutes later, Martin StLouis (RW) answered back, with a goal for the Lightning.

Eric Fehr got his second goal of the season about five minutes into the second period, after some solid forechecking. Mathieu Perreault had the primary assist on this goal too, while the secondary came from Joel Ward (F).

When Eric Fehr (RW) scored his second of the game for Washington at the beginning of the third period, it was Mathieu Perreault again, who got the puck to him, earning Matty a three point night. This time, defenseman John Carlson was credited with the other assist.

What would turn out to be the game winning goal, would come from a wrist shot by forward Jay Beagle, that found it's way past Lightning netminder Mathieu Garon. Defensemen Jeff Schultz and Tomas Kundratek teamed up to help Beagle get his first goal of the season.

Up until this point, most of Washington had played a very good game, but Tampa Bay wasn't giving in. In the last eight minutes of period three, the Bolts backhanded the puck by Caps goaltender Braden Holtby twice. This brought on an uh-oh moment for Caps fans. We were probably all thinking, "I thought we were done with this kind of -shit- (I mean) breakdown". Thankfully, the boys were able to clamp it down, the rest of the way.

Things had looked so bad a couple weeks ago, but now Caps fans are once again hopeful. Still at the bottom of their conference, they've got a bit of a ways to go. Recently though, Washington's offense has really started to pick up.

In eight games played, Perreault has two multi-point games. Within all fourteen games played, the Capitals have four players with at least five goals each, and also four players with points in double digits. They are only four standing points away from the final playoff spot. Washington have just won three straight, and thoughts of an entry draft lottery spot are starting to fade.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Tampa Bay Lightning February 14, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/14/13: Caps players Eric Fehr, Mathieu Perreault and Braden Holtby address the media after a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/14/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a the Caps 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Capitals Vs Panthers February 12, 2013 Game Review

Capitals' Troy Brouwer (F) scores game winning goal against Panthers in Sunrise, FL February 12, 2013.
Photo © Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 6 Vs Florida Panthers 5 = Road Game OT Win

The Washington Capitals jumped to a quick lead in this game, but the Florida Panthers showed they weren't going to be a push-over at home in Florida on Tuesday - February 12, 2013.

With a sparkling shutout performance against the Panthers in the Capitals' previous game, goaltender Braden Holtby earned himself the start versus Florida. The Panthers however, were out to make up for their lackluster effort in that one. Like the Capitals, the Cats have had the better record in their own house, and they were determined to keep it that way.

Washington's best offensive player so far this season, center Mike Ribeiro scored first, four-and-a-half minutes into period one. The Capitals were in the offensive zone, during the first power-play of the game. Ribeiro seemed to show up in front of the net out of nowhere to send the puck, which came to him on an errant cross-ice pass from defenseman Tomas Kundratek, into the goal cage.

Washington had been relatively mistake free until halfway through the first period. Then, a couple breakdowns led to goals by Florida's forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Shawn Matthias. The Fleischmann goal was a deflected shot, and Matthias' shot may have been slightly screened, but could possibly have been stopped by Holtby.

Defenseman Karl Alzner scored his first goal of the season, off a face-off win early into the second period, on a scorching slap shot. Assists by forwards Eric Fehr and Joel Ward helped Alzner tie up the game at two apiece. Jonathan Huberdeau (C) and his line took advantage of missed defensive assignments by the Caps, scoring two fairly easy goals. Luckily, Washington's Matt Hendricks got another goal in between those, on a nice play involving fellow forwards Alex Ovechkin and Mike Ribeiro, keeping the Caps within one goal of the Panthers.

Huberdeau's line was at it again, a third of the way through the third period, when his linemate Drew Shore tipped in (reviewed for stick height on shot) his first of the season. It took eight-and-a-half minutes before Eric Fehr (F) matched that tip-in at the other end of the ice. Mike Green (D) and Joel Ward (F) both earned their fifth assists, for the season, on that one.

Another power-play strike by the Capitals came less than three minutes before the end of regulation. Alex Ovechkin (F) tied up the game with a slap shot goal, right after a face-off win, from the left-wing point. Ribeiro gained his third point of the game (1 G, 2 A), with his assist, while the other helper came from fellow centerman Nicklas Backstrom.

It took just 32 seconds of overtime for Washington to take the win. The play started with a bad Panthers' pass in the Capitals' end. Nicklas Backstrom (C) grabbed the puck and sent a beautiful breakaway pass to Troy Brouwer (F). Florida netminder Scott Clemmensen stopped his first try, but Brouwer tipped in his rebound for the game winner.

Finally, the Washington Capitals get a win on the road, even if it was ugly. They, also finally, now have a genuine winning streak. Hey, two in a row is a streak, and we'll take it. It's always good to beat a divisional rival, and to take two in a row from them is so sweet. Hopefully, the Caps are finally turning things around.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Florida Panthers February 12, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/12/13: Caps players Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby and Eric Fehr address the media after the Caps 6-5 overtime win against the Panthers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/12/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after the Caps 6-5 overtime win against the Panthers.

February 2013 Concerts In Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania And Washington, DC

The following is a current list of some of the real music concerts, funny stand-up comedy performances and other celebrity appearances scheduled to take place during February 2013, at venues in the Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC areas.


February 13, 2013

Uli Jon Roth - Sky Academy Guitar Workshop / Seminar at Sellersville Theater
in Sellersville, PA - 1:00 PM EST Tickets -- Sold Out

Uli Jon Roth - Concert at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA - 8:00 PM EST Tickets


February 14, 2013

Cal Ripken, Jr., “Iron Man” at Weinberg Center For The Arts in Frederick, MD - Tickets


February 15, 2013

The Smithereens at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, MD - 6:30 PM EST Tickets
and 9:30 PM EST Tickets

Nick Offerman at Warner Theatre in Washington, DC - 8:00 PM EST Tickets
and 10:30 PM EST Tickets

BSO - All Wagner at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, MD - Tickets


February 16, 2013

BSO - All Wagner at The Music Center At Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD - Tickets


February 17, 2013

BSO - All Wagner at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, MD - Tickets


February 20, 2013

Ina Garten, "The Barefoot Contessa" at Strand Theatre of Strand-Capitol
Performing Arts Center in York, PA - Tickets


February 21, 2013

NSO with Renaud Capuçon at John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
in Washington, DC - Tickets


February 22, 2013

NSO with Renaud Capuçon at John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
in Washington, DC - Tickets


February 23, 2013

NSO with Renaud Capuçon at John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
in Washington, DC - Tickets


February 28, 2013

BSO - Mozart: Requiem at The Music Center At Strathmore
in North Bethesda, MD - Tickets

Bebel Gilberto at 9:30 Club in Washington, DC - Tickets

NSO with Pekka Kuusisto at John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
in Washington, DC - Tickets

*All details are subject to change!

Panthers Vs Capitals February 9, 2013 Game Review

Braden Holtby (G) and teammates celebrate win over Panthers - Washington, DC February 9, 2013.
Photo © Nick Wass / AP Photo.

Florida Panthers 0 Vs Washington Capitals 5 = Home Game Shutout Win!

It was like someone flicked a switch, turning on the real Washington Capitals. They did pretty much everything right, shutting out the Florida Panthers on February 9, 2013. Washington has had a history of beating Florida at home in Washington, DC, and they continued with a similar result on Saturday night. Everything was working well for them.

Goaltender Braden Holtby played his best game of the -2012--2013 season. That's not saying much with those outings being mediocre to poor, but it is when you can also say it was Holtby's best performance since last season's playoffs, when he did amazingly well. Braden held the Panthers scorless, with 27 saves.

The Capitals did a better job defensively, keeping the cats from developing a lot of quality scoring chances, than they had been doing against most other teams so far this season. Any shots that did get through to the cage, weren't penetrating the backstop.

At the other end of the ice, Florida netminder Jose Theodore wasn't getting much help from his teammates. Though Washington didn't score until a couple minutes before the end of period one, the goal by forward Troy Brouwer was just the beginning, for him personally and the team as well. Brouwer deflected in a slap shot from defenseman John Carlson. Shortly after, George Parros (RW) tried to get his team going by engaging in a punch-up with Caps big guy, John Erskine (D). This did not work.

Troy was back at the well again three-and-a-half minutes into the second period, for his fifth goal of the season. This time his long and quick feed pass actually came from an alert Braden Holtby (G), on a Caps power-play. A couple minutes after the midpoint of the game, Joel Ward (F) got his fifth of the season, with the help of forwards Mathieu Perreault and Eric Fehr. Ward's goal put Washington ahead by three, for the first time in any game this season.

About a third of the way through the third period, Alex Ovechkin scored goal number four in the game. It was also goal number four of the season for Ovechkin. Assisting this time were winger Jason Chimera (6) and center Mike Ribeiro (10). Finally, halfway through the third period, Perreault scored his first goal. Credited with the helpers were Jeff Schultz (D) and Joel Ward (F). Florida were obviously feeling pretty down and out, and were pretty lackadaisical the rest of the way.

In the end, four Washington Capitals earned their first points of the season. Three Caps had a multiple-point game. It was the first time the team had scored more than three goals in a game this season. It appears that the Capitals' offense has finally been awakened.

This is no time to get too excited though. The Florida Panthers are not a very good team so far this season. This wasn't a really big test of improvement. Still, this commanding win can only boost the Capitals players' confidence, and that can't hurt. It will be far more meaningful if the Caps beat the Panthers again, when they visit their house for a game on Tuesday.

Game Highlights: Florida Panthers At Washington Capitals February 9, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/09/13: Caps players Jason Chimera, Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer addresses the media after a 5-0 win over the Florida Panthers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/09/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 5-0 win over the Florida Panthers.