Capitals Vs Flyers February 27, 2013 Game Review

Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals were overstretched in Philadelphia, PA on Feb. 27, 2013.
Photo © Tom Mihalek / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 1 Vs Philadelphia Flyers 4 = Road Game Loss

Things did not go well for the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night - February 27, 2013. While trying to build on their two game win streak, Washington's fortunes took a downward turn, and they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Twenty-three seconds into the game, Philadelphia right-winger Claude Giroux got first strike, when his wrist shot sent the puck by Capitals starting goaltender Braden Holtby. Holtby was looking sharp at this point in the game, but he wasn't getting the best efforts from some of his teammates, in front of him.

Washington's special teams didn't show up for this game. They failed to kill off two of their five penalties, with right wing Wayne Simmonds scoring on the man-advantage in the first period, and left wing Simon Gagné about four minutes into the second. The Capitals were also unable to find success on any of their five power-plays.

Braden Holtby had lost his effectiveness by the midpoint of the game, if not by the time Gagné scored the third Flyers goal. He would later be replaced by 21 year old AHL call-up goaltender Philipp Grubauer, right after Holtby let in a fourth goal. That one came from center Maxime Talbot, about five minutes before the end of period two.

Thankfully, Philadelphia got nothing through Grubauer in his just over twenty-five minutes between the pipes. He stopped fourteen shots, while playing solidly in his first NHL hockey game. However, Washington didn't mount much of a comeback.

The Capitals wrecked any chance of a shutout for Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, when they finally got one in on late in the third period. Centerman Joel Ward was the lone Caps goal scorer, on the night. Ward, whose line had more energy than any other Washington trio, was aided by defenseman Tom Poti and the always hard working forward Jay Beagle.

It sure would help the Capitals, if they could be a little more consistent. Perhaps, they were tired. They didn't seem to have very much edge or grit during this game. What happened to their checking? What happened to their power-play and penalty-killing? Washington has to bring these elements every game, to be consistent, and to win.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Philadelphia Flyers On Feb. 27, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/27/13: Caps players Alex Ovechkin, Philipp Grubauer, Joel Ward and Karl Alzner address the media after a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/27/13 Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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 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.

Capitals Vs Penguins February 7, 2013 Game Review

Capitals' Holtby stops this shot, but Penguins put game out of reach - Pittsburgh, PA February 7, 2013.
Photo © Keith Srakocic / AP Photo.

Washington Capitals 2 Vs Pittsburgh Penguins 5 = Road Game Loss

The Washington Capitals continued to struggle while visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday - February 7, 2013. They began the game looking very good, but ended up just as bad as ever.

Michal Neuvirth was the starting netminder for Washington, and made some excellent saves in the first period. His mates skated well, and did a lot of things right. The Caps closed off passing and shooting lanes, stayed focused, and defended well overall. They got on the scoreboard first, with a goal by center Mike Ribeiro (4), four minutes into the game. Assisting on the goal, were defenseman Tomas Kundratek (2) and forward Alex Ovechkin (4).

Pittsburgh wanted goaltender interference called, claiming that Wojtek Wolski (LW) knocked Marc-Andre Fleury down, but the fall was actually an over-embellished dive by the goaltender. It was his own man, Brooks Orpick, who knocked his helmet off with the toe end of his stick. Orpick did this by putting his stick between Wolski's legs, and forcibly jamming it so high up into Wojtek's nut-sack that it clipped Fleury's helmet. No call was made either way, and the goal counted.

The second period has not treated Washington very well this season, and it was no different Thursday night. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal about seven minutes in, with a snap shot. Neuvirth couldn't have been expected to stop that one. Six minutes later however, when Pascal Dupuis (RW) bounced one by him while he leaned the other way looking for a pass, he probably should've had that one.

Braden Holtby replaced Michal between the pipes, and made a couple nice saves. Holtby's apparent sharpness only lasted a few minutes. It took only 11 seconds for the Penguins to score goals number three and four. Sidney Crosby (C) added a fifth goal for Pittsburgh less than three minutes after that, a third Pens PPG.

Ovechkin added the only power-play goal for the Capitals toward the middle of the third period. Mike Ribeiro (C) and Mike Green (D) provided the helpers. Washington started playing better in the third, but just didn't have it in them to come back from being so far down.

The Capitals have got to play more disciplined, even if the timing and quantity of the penalties being called is suspect. The only way to do well is to stay focused, and do your best for the whole 60 minutes. Make the other team beat you. Don't beat yourself.

Game Highlights: Washington Capitals At Pittsburgh Penguins February 7, 2013

Caps Postgame Locker Room 02/07/13: Caps players Alex Ovechkin, Karl Alzner, Troy Brouwer, Mike Ribeiro and Michal Neuvirth address the media after a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Adam Oates Postgame 02/07/13: Caps head coach Adam Oates addresses the media after a 5-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Junior's Reading And Viewing List: January 17 - 19, 2010

Last Update - January 20, 2010 at 1:29 PM EST

A few more days crossed off the January 2010 calender. The following is the 'Reading And Viewing List' for January 17 through January 19, 2010.


January 19, 2010

CSN videos from after Capitals home win over Red Wings

Lisa Hillary speaks to winning goaltender Jose Theodore.
Right click on video to choose full screen option.



Bruce Boudreau post game press conference.
Right click on video to choose full screen option.

Caps 3, Red Wings 2
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

...This time last month, Jose Theodore was sitting on the bench pondering his future. Tonight, he was standing tall between the pipes, putting together one of the finest goaltending performances this building has seen all season...

Postgame video: Leonsis hugs Theodore
By Lindsay Applebaum at Capitals Insider

After the Caps' 3-2 win against Detroit tonight, owner Ted Leonsis entered the locker room and made a beeline for Jose Theodore. Here's a video of Leonsis congratulating the veteran goalie on a 44-save performance:...
*Note from Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes: Also includes Matt Bradley interview video.

Nevermore? Mystery Visitor Misses Poe's Birthday
By Andrea Fujii at WJZ.com

BALTIMORE (WJZ) - A mysterious guest never showed for Edgar Allan Poe's birthday. For the first time in 61 years, the cloak-shrouded visitor to Poe's grave didn't come...
*Note from Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes: Includes video, links and videos to related reports.

Cody Eakin: "I gotta keep pushing my game"
By Stephen Pepper at Japers' Rink

On the heels of this morning's prospect post, we have a prospect interview, with the Washington Capitals' third round (#85) selection in last summer's draft, center (and occasional winger) Cody Eakin...

Jeff Beck To Release 'Emotion & Commotion', First Studio Album In Seven Years, April 13
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

RollingStone.com is reporting that two months after Jeff Beck performs at Madison Square Garden along with Eric Clapton, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist will release...

January Prospects Update: Goalies and Defensemen
Posted by David M. Getz at Japers' Rink

Back in November we took a look at how the Capitals' prospects had started their respective seasons (defensemen and goalie post here and forwards post here), and with the season a little more than halfway done and potential trades being discussed more and more every day, we thought...

Ronnie Wood: Ready For Solo Action
By mdome at Classic Rock

It would appear that Ronnie Wood intends to go on the road for a series of solo gigs...

Iommi Pens Autobiography
By mdome at Classic Rock

Guitarist Tony Iommi is writing his memoirs.

The Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell legend is to title the book Iron Man. It’s due to be published later in the year...

Maiden’s Charity Auction
By mdome at Classic Rock

Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood is aiming to raise over £150,000 for the charities Childline and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy via a...

Team Camaraderie at an All-Time High for Capitals
By Justin Creech at CapCentre.net

Washington, DC—The Washington Capitals have become one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NHL the last several season’s for several reasons. They have the game’s best player in two-time reigning league MVP Alex Ovechkin...

D-Town in DC
Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

...Washington seeks to run the table on a three-game homestand when the Detroit Red Wings make their lone visit of the season to Verizon Center on Tuesday night.

The Caps took down Toronto on Friday and flattened the Flyers on Sunday in the first two games of the homestand. Washington is 16-3-3 on District ice this season and it has won four straight and nine of its last 10 at home in 2009-10...

January 18, 2010

Paul McCartney Turned Down For Slot In Them Crooked Vultures
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

Sir Paul McCartney wanted a place in Dave Grohl's supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, but was turned down in favor of...

Carlson sent down, Ovechkin named first star
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

Today's practice was optional and several players, including Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Tomas Fleischmann, exercised that option. Still, there was plenty going on...

Kenneth Branagh Offers 'Thor' Update: One Week Into Filming And 'So Far, So Good'
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

With all this talk about the "Spider-Man" reboot and "Green Lantern" casting, it's easy to forget that another big comic book movie, Kenneth Branagh's "Thor," just kicked off production.

We caught up with Branagh at the Golden Globe Awards red carpet to get an update on how the live-action adventures of Marvel's god of thunder are going thus far...

Scenes from a Practice
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

It's a holiday here in the States (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) and the Caps held a practice before a near-SRO crowd at Kettler this morning. All seemed to be in good spirits -- what happens on the day after a win one supposes. Here are some images...

Dynamic Branding
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

This weekend, the Caps played two hockey games – wins on Friday and Sunday over the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers. The events were duly reported in the Washington Post and in local television and radio outlets...

What’s In A Name: The Origins Of 10 Band Titles
By mdome at Classic Rock

Inspired by the thought that Iranian band Ahoora – a recent Track Of The Day – might have gotten their name from the character played by Nichelle Nichols in the original Star Trek series...

Uriah Heep Confirm First U.S. Live Dates Since 2002
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

British hard rock legends Uriah Heep have confirmed their first North American live dates since 2002...

January 17, 2010

Caps 5 - Flyers 3; A Two Point Afternoon At Verizon Center
By Usually Frustrated Caps Fan at Mark's Musings

This afternoon's Caps-Flyers regular season finale at Verizon Center was an exciting game to watch for sure. The Caps played a full sixty minutes of hockey and it's a good thing...

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 5, Flyers 3
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

...April in January – From the opening face-off, today’s Caps-Flyers tilt had the feel of a playoff contest. The pace was quick, the intensity was high and the fans were engaged. Washington was better at going to the net and making things happen, and it prevailed 5-3 in an exciting contest...

A Defense Pair’s Conflict of Colors
By pucksandbooks, and posted by The OFB Team at On Frozen Blog

The best-laid plans . . .

At the start of this week I had ahead of me the prospect of one of the more appealing visits to Hershey, Pennsylvania, I believed I’d ever make. It was the return home to Hershey weekend for American hockey hero John Carlson. But as Joe Murphy’s law would have it, the Capitals on Friday recalled Carlson, and so as my Jeep was making its way North...
*Note from Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes: Includes video interview of Karl Alzner.

Don't Look Now ....
By Usually Frustrated Caps Fan at Mark's Musings

Don't Look Now .... But Guess Who Has The Best Record In the NHL East Through The Last 10 Games...

Backstrom: I will be a specialist on team Russia
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin

Slava Malamud of Sport-Express interviews Nicklas Backstrom (Jan. 15, 2009):

Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin share a whole lot of history, as they say in America. It started at NHL draft of 2006, when the owner of Washington Capitals Ted Leonsis, the jolly PR genius, brought to this event his new megastar. Ovechkin was given the responsibility to...

Hockey makes for some of the most interesting stories
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...and sometimes, they even happen in Pittsburgh. Well, Vancouver, but...oh, you get the point (courtesy of Shelly Anderson at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)...

The Scene for Saturday Night Rivalry Hockey in Hershey
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

I got red carpet treatment at Giant Center Saturday night for the Hershey Bears’ in-state showdown with Wilkes Barre-Scranton. The Bears placed me in the television broadcast booth and seated me next to the team’s communications associate, Jess Mikula. Jess keeps track of...

Caps Face Flyers for Final Time in '09-10
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

...Washington started a three-game homestand in style on Friday night, putting a 6-1 pasting on the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Sunday afternoon the Philadelphia Flyers hit town to close out the regular season series between...

Panthers Vs Capitals 02/07/2009 Review

Capitals celebrate on home ice February 7, 2009.
Photo by Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

Panthers 1 - Capitals 3

The Washington Capitals increased their Southeast Division lead to 14 points by beating the second place Florida Panthers in Washington, DC last night. After one of their worst performances this season on Thursday night versus the Los Angeles Kings, the Capitals rebounded with a very respectable hard fought win.

Just 33 seconds into the game, Eric Fehr scored his sixth goal of the season, giving him five points in the last five games. David Steckel got the play started, gaining control of the puck deep in the Caps' end and sending it to Fehr. Eric sent an outlet pass to Tomas Fleischmann, who drew the two Panthers defenseman toward him going into the offensive zone before sending the puck back to Fehr. Fehr's snap shot sailed past netminder Tomas Vokoun high glove side. It took eight minutes for Florida's Keith Ballard to tie the game with a long range slap shot that got by Washington goalie Jose Theodore.

Neither team scored in the second period. For the Capitals, it was the first time in 15 periods that they failed to score at least one goal in a period. The third period started much like the first, though. Washington defenseman Mike Green got his 18th goal of the season 43 seconds into the final frame, matching his previous career high total from last season. As with most of Green's goals, this one came while on a power play. The goal increased his goal scoring streak to six straight games, with five being the former record for Caps defenseman. The league record for defenseman is seven consecutive games.

Unfortunately, the Capitals got into some serious penalty trouble toward the end of the game, starting with a Sergei Fedorov holding penalty at 14:04 into the third. With a very upset Fedorov still in the penalty box, Washington found themselves on the short side of a 5 on 3 for 1:05, when Shaone Morrisonn was dealt a five minute major plus a game misconduct after boarding Florida's Cory Stillman. Of course Stillman was hurt so bad he was back on the ice for the very next shift. The Caps' held the Panthers without a shot before Fedorov was released from the penalty box. Even while they were armed with three forwards and only one defenseman, Washington's penalty killing worked very well. There was a nervous moment when defenseman Tom Poti made a rare mistake, turning over the puck with a clearing pass that was picked off. But it was a very brief moment, as Karl Alzner (Just recalled from the AHL's Hershey Bears), David Steckel and Tom Poti cleared the front of the net.

The Panthers elected to have Vokoun out of the net in exchange for an extra skater for the last 1:48 of the game, including the final 1:47 of their power play. That didn't stop the Capitals from scoring a short handed goal at 18:47. Mike Green cleared the puck from deep in Washington's end, and it ended up in Florida's empty net for the Caps' third goal of the game. It was Green's second of the third period and 19th on the season, keeping him atop all defenseman in the league.

It seems ironic that it was Washington's D man Green putting the game away for the Capitals against the Panthers, who have the highest scoring group of defenseman in the NHL, with 36 goals amongst them. The Caps got some good goaltending from Theodore along with some honest to goodness forechecking, unlike in their defeat at the hands of the Kings on Thursday. Coach Bruce Boudreau also kept rolling the lines quickly while killing penalties, possibly putting the checking lines on the ice more often than he usually does. The Capitals will now hit the road for three games, starting with a visit to MSG in New York, NY to face the Rangers on Wednesday.

Capitals Vs Maple Leafs 12/06/2008 Review

Boyd Gordon hits Jason Blake in third period on December 6, 2008.
Photo by Chris Young / Associated Press / Canadian Press

Capitals 2 - Maple Leafs 1

In contrast to many previous games between the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs, this was a low scoring win for the Capitals in their first match against the Leafs this season. It was the Caps first road win, after having lost four straight.

Both Washington and Toronto have given up a lot of first period goals this season, but neither team scored anything more than a few penalty minutes to start this game. The Caps, who are also good at scoring in the first, did outshoot the Leafs 14-6. However, that technically only brought them two good scoring chances.

Most of the entertaining play of this game happened in the second period. About a minute and a half into the period, Sean Collins (AHL callup replacing injured defenseman Tyler Sloan) sent the puck into the offensive zone for the Caps. Soon after, Karl Alzner intercepted a clearing attempt. Alzner then sent a hard slapshot past netminder Vesa Toskala, for his first NHL goal. Though the scoresheet shows the goal unassisted, Alex Ovechkin helped out by screening the goalie as Alzner released his shot. At the end of the period, Ovechkin provided the most exciting play of the game, though once again without putting a point on the scoresheet. While driving the net and being hooked down (with no call by the refs), Alex somehow got off a hard shot while on his belly. Toskala's glove save wasn't the easiest to make. As in the first, Washington's goalie Brent Johnson only had to make six stops. Unlike in the first, the shots came from a little closer in and weren't so easy either.

To start off the third period, Referee Tim Peel seemed to be picking on Ovechkin with two consecutive penalty calls. The second one (holding) was a legitimate one though. With Ovie in the penalty box, the Leafs got their one goal by Nik Antropov, after a nice overlap drop pass move by Matt Stajan. The Capitals answered back exactly one minute later when, set up by a pass from Michael Nylander at the side wall, Milan Jurcina slapped a bomb through traffic and into the net. Alzner also picked up an assist on the play.

Along with Brent Johnson's 19 saves, it was the defense providing secondary scoring and protecting the Caps' net that won this game for Washington. One of those D men, Karl Alzner provided his first NHL career multi-point game. Tonight's game in Raleigh, NC against the Hurricanes will probably be a little tougher to win with only two goals.

Karl Alzner Interviewed On NHL Live 12/03/2008

Hey Washington Capitals NHL Hockey Fans. WashingtonCaps.com has had a link on the home page for a couple days now. In case you haven't heard the December 3rd NHL Live Interview of Karl Alzner by Don LaGreca and Jim Dowd yet, check it out now. Washington's young rookie defenseman discusses many different things in this short interview about his hockey past and present, including on and off the ice experiences.

Interview (Audio) Link: Karl Alzner On NHL Live 12/03/2008

Islanders Vs Capitals 12/04/2008 Review

Donald Brashear celebrates winning goal with David Steckel nearby.

Islanders 2 - Capitals 5

Last night's win versus the New York Islanders was a first for both Washington Capitals' goaltender Brent Johnson and head coach Bruce Boudreau. This game also marked the debut of the AHL's current leading scorer Keith Aucoin as a Capital. Right winger Graham Mink was sent back down to the Hershey Bears, making room for center Aucoin to be called up to the NHL.

There have been players coming and going between the Caps and the Bears while several regular players remain on the injured list. Meanwhile, the Islanders have been facing similar health issues. With Rick DePietro injured after only three games this season, Joey MacDonald (39th NHL game) was between the pipes for New York, with Yann Danis as the backup. With the loss in his first game facing Washington, MacDonald's record fell to 10-10-2. He was named the NHL's Third Star for November 2008 though, going 8-5-1 with a 2.64 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. MacDonald looked sharp for most of this game, even though four shots (fifth was empty net) got by him.

Brent Johnson blocks Andy Hilbert's shot attempt.

Although he would later on miss some of the first period after a collision, it was Alex Ovechkin (NHL's First Star for November) who scored the first goal of the game at 11:31, during a power play. The Isles left him all alone, and he snapped one in from the left face off dot. Less than two minutes later, Viktor Kozlov deflected in a Bryan Helmer slapshot for another PPG. Sami Lepisto set up Helmer for his shot, earning Lepisto his fourth assist in five games played. At 19:24, New York cut the lead back to one with a power play goal of their own, when Mark Streit scored with Brent Johnson heavily screened.

About a third of the way through the second period, a couple weird events occured. First a Chris Campoli slapshot from the neutral zone deflected into the Caps' net off of a linesman, so it didn't count as a goal. Shortly after, the puck deflected off of Kozlov's skate in Washington's end, sending it all the way to the far end of the ice. The puck barely missed the empty net, while the Isles had an extra attacker on the ice. At 13:38, a very open Trent Hunter scored the first non PP goal of the game for New York, knotting the game at 2-2.

Eric Fehr and Brooks Laich celebrate Fehr's goal.

Rookie defenseman Karl Alzner recorded his first NHL point in the third period, with a very intelligent play that earned him an assist. Milan Jurcina sent the puck across the offensive zone ice to Alzner. With no passing or shooting lanes open, he elected to intentionally bank the puck off the end boards. Donald Brashear gained control of the puck and sent a soft backhand shot in for what later turned out to be the game winning goal. It was Brashear's first regular season goal since March 3, 2008. The Caps weren't done scoring yet. Eric Fehr backhanded the puck past MacDonald from a sharp angle during a power play at 16:14, while following up on Brooks Laich's attempt to bang in a rebound from Ovechkin's long range blast. As with Jurcina, Laich's third period assist was his second of the game. Laich and Jurcina had also assisted on Ovie's first period goal. Alex gained his second assist of the evening on the games' fifth and final goal. He grabbed the rebound from a shot on Washington's goal and skated the puck all the way into the offensive zone. Ovechkin passed the puck to Nicklas Backstrom, who had joined him in a two on one drive. Backstrom recorded his seventh goal of the season, when he sent the puck into the empty net with 49.8 seconds left on the clock.

Unlike a lot of games so far this season, the Caps power play worked well in this one, as they potted three. Like in a lot of games though, Ovechkin had another multi-point effort, with one goal and two assists. Viktor Kozlov was hard worker, creating scoring chances throughout the game. Washington shouldn't be proud of their nine penalties. But their penalty killing, secondary scoring and Brent Johnson's massive 47 saves, helped them overcome their mistakes to defeat the New York Islanders for the first time in a long while. The Caps needed a win, and they got it with an aggressive and relentless team effort.

December 4, 2008 Photos by Nick Wass / Associated Press

Thrashers Vs Capitals 11/26/2008 Review

Superman Alex Ovechkin flies over Thrasher goal crease.

Thrashers 3 - Capitals 5

The Washington Capitals improved their home ice record to 8-0-1 with a win over the Atlanta Thrashers Wednesday evening, on the NHL's 91st Birthday. As of November 27, 2008, the only other team in the league to have no loses within regulation at this point in the season being the San Jose Sharks.

The Capitals managed this convincing win even though they now have eight players, seven regulars and Brian Pothier (out since last season), on the injured list. Four of those players lost after their last game, which prompted a four man call up from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Washington also just returned from a long, rough Western road trip. Netminder Jose Theodore and the Caps played like they were well rested while the Thrashers, who just played a game Tuesday night, looked a little sluggish at first.

Viktor Kozlov (center) celebrates goal with Alex Ovechkin (left)
and Nicklas Backstrom (right).

Alex Ovechkin got the party started with a long range blast from the top of an umbrella formation at 3:29 into the first period, while on the first power play of the game. About four minutes later, winger Eric Fehr scored Washington's second goal at even strength, while on a 3 on 1 breakaway with Tomas Fleischmann and Michael Nylander. Atlanta's Bryan Little answered back with a PP goal at 12:08, off an Ilya Kovalchuk rebound. Down by two goals, the Thrash wouldn't get any closer than that the rest of the evening. At 14:01, Ovechkin scored another Capitals' PPG. As with his first, one of the assists came from Viktor Kozlov.

Just 54 seconds into the second period, Ovechkin snapped in his twelfth goal of the season for his sixth NHL career hat trick. That's three goals in three shots on goal, all within a 17:25 game time span. Atlanta's second PP goal of the game came on Slava Kozlov's 12th goal of the season, which he scored off one of a couple rebounds. The period ended with the Caps ahead by two.

Karl Alzner skates with Milan Jurcina in his first NHL game.

The third period started like the first two, with an early period goal by the Capitals. This time it was Kozlov, assisted by Ovechkin. Ovie served up an outlet pass to Kozzy, who skated smoothly up the middle of the ice and easily deposited the biscuit past Ondrej Pavelec, just under the crossbar of the goal. Atlanta's Nathan Oystrick scored the final goal of the game at 12:28 into the third, when his slapshot deflected off of defenseman Tyler Sloan.

All the Caps played well in this game, including the four call ups from Hershey. It was Karl Alzner's very first career NHL game, and he did very well. Alex Ovechkin now has 12 goals and 17 assists this season, putting him (29 points) ahead of former scoring leader for the team, Alexander Semin (27 points). Ovechkin achieved his hat trick in a total on ice time of 8:20, and he almost had a fourth goal a few times. Obviously, it was good to see Washington score on a couple of power plays. The PP is starting to work well for the Caps. The win is sure to have lifted the spirits of future AHL Hall Of Famer and current Capitals' Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the players and the fans, after having lost three straight on the road.

All November 26, 2008 Photos by Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP

Karl Alzner Gets Respect From The East

Fan's of Washinton Capitals' prospect Karl Alzner should check this out.

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Per Hitmenhockey.com:

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Several Hitmen named in WHL's "Best of the East" poll .

Hitmen defenceman Karl Alzner tops three categories in a WHL poll conducted by General Managers, Head Coaches and Players.

2008 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

The Men's Elite U-20 Quarter Finals were played Wednesday Jan. 2, 2008 in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Canada beat Finland 4-2 to advance to play in the Semi Finals against undefeated Junior Ice Hockey Team USA. Brad Marchand scored the game winning goal and Steve Mason was the goaltender for Canada in their victory over Finland. Meanwhile, Team Russia out did the Czech Republic 4-1. Russia's Viktor Tikhonov got the game winner for Russia, and their winning goalie was Sergei Bobrovsky with 12 saves on a mere 13 shots. Washington Capitals' goaltending prospect Michal Neuvirth picked up the loss in this game, but tended net in Czech Republic's 5-1 win over Finland the next day to take Fifth Place. Russia would go on to face undefeated Sweden in a Semi Final game.

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It took Overtime for Sweden to get the Semi Final win against Russia on Friday Jan. 4, 2008. Russia had the only goal through the first two periods. Mikael Backlund put in the game winner at 66:18. It had been a pretty defensive game, with few shots on goal. And so Russia would face the loser of the other Semi Final in a quest for the Bronze Medal.

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USA and Canada went scoreless in their first period, just as the other Semi Finalists had. Canada would get the scoring going in the second period. Shawn Matthias got the first goal early in the middle period. Then, Capitals' prospect Karl Alzner put the puck past USA's goaltender Jeremy Smith for what turned out to be the game winner. Canada went on to win with some great defensive play and game MVP netminding by Steve Mason. Final score was USA 1 - Canada 4.

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Tomorrow's games will also be played at the CEZ Arena in Pardubice, Czech Republic. USA will play against Russia for third place Bronze. The Gold Medal game will be a rematch of Canada vs Sweden. A win by Canada tomorrow would earn them their fourth straight Gold Medal in the U-20 Championship.

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2008 World Junior Quarter & Semi Finals Schedule

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The Preliminary Round is over for the U-20 Pool A teams. Now the Quarter and Semi Final Rounds are about to be played. Team Sweden of Group A has won all four of it's games so far, sending them to the Semi Finals. Team USA of Group B has also won all four of their games, putting them into the Semi Finals as well. The Quarter Final game between Group B's Russia (3W, 1L) and the Czech Republic (2W, 2L) of Group A will decide who plays Sweden, while USA will face the winner of Group A's Canada (3W, 1L) vs Group B's Finland (1W, 1OTW, 2L). Both Quarter Final games will be played at the Cez Arena in Pardubice, Czech Republic on Wednesday Jan. 2, 2008.

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The teams that didn't do as well in the Preliminary Round will have to play in the Relegation games at Tipsport Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic on Wednesday Jan. 2 and Thursday Jan. 3, 2008. Yes, Relegation can be as bad as it sounds, as the teams with the worst records drop down from Pool A to the lesser Division I for the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship games. The worst teams of the lesser Divisions also drop one level. Of course, the teams who have won the Finals of the Divisions I, II and III this year, move up one level for next year. .

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