Postgame Recap: Red Wings 4 Caps 2

Caps/Red Wing Highlights:

My Thoughts:

*First off the officiating was terrible on 2 calls. First, Braden Holtby simply fell and the Red Wings scored on it but they called a phantom interference penalty. Then late in the third period Darren Helm clearly dove but they called a trip on Joel Ward that lead to a goal and finished the Caps.

*The Caps fast start has now turned into just an average one after losing 3 of the last 4.

*For the first time in his career Alex Ovechkin has gone pointless for 5 straight games. Rumor on Twitter is that he was receiving some type of treatment after the game. Hurt or not he needs to work himself out of it.

*On a positive note Evgeny Kuznetsov finally got his first goal on a beautiful break away set up but Joel Ward and Braden Holtby.

*Andre Burakovsky had an assist but his turnover early in the 3rd changed the game, rookie moment because he has been pretty good.

*I said before this game the Caps had to watch their turnovers, well the reason they lost was because of turnovers.

*The Caps are hitting an early season rut, they have back to back games this weekend that I believe is critical. I know it's early but in the Metropolitan Division every game and point is important.


What's Next: Sat. Nov. 1 at. Tampa Bay 7 p.m on CSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. Detroit Red Wings

 The Caps return home to take on the Detroit Red Wings at the Verizon Center tonight. Both teams have started their seasons with 4-2-2 records. The Caps will switch their lines up a little bit tonight. Here is what the lineup will look like.


Forwards:

Ovechkin-Burakovsky-Ward
Johansson-Backstrom-Brouwer
Chimera-Kuznetsov-Beagle
O'Brien-Latta-Fehr/Wilson

Defense and Goalies:

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Holtby
Peters

What to Watch:

*It is unknown if Tom Wilson will make his debut tonight. According to Barry Trotz he will decide not Wilson on when he gets back in the lineup. So, on the 4th line it will either be Wilson or Fehr at RW.

*Mike Green looks to continue his great start. During the morning skate he was on the 1st powerplay unit, and John Carlson will be will Matt Niskanen on the 2nd unit now.

*I'm interested to see what Andre Burakovsky can do with Alex Ovechkin and Joel Ward. Ovechkin has been on a bit of a slump of late but has played well defensively.

*Jay Beagle has played well sense coming back from an injury. He will play with Kuznetsov and Chimera. That line has a lot of speed on it and they will need to use it against Detroit tonight.

*The Red Wings should be putting out Jimmy Howard tonight in net. The Wings are still a very tough team to play against. Caps have to have clean break outs and outlet passes. Another key is keeping the front of the net clean so Holtby can see pucks. So, Brooks Orpik will have to play a part in that.

*Braden Holtby had a strong game in Calgary Saturday, we will see if he can build off that and have another strong outing.

*Marcus Johansson is having a good start to the season because he is shooting the puck. Playing with Nick Backstrom he should get his chances tonight.

*Game is at 7:30 p.m on NBCSN, NHL Live comes on at 6:30.

Wilson called up from Hershey

Tom Wilson looks like he is close to making his season debut as he was called up from the Hershey Bears after a two game rehab assignment. Wilson hurt his leg in a fall this offseason. With that move the Caps had to send Chris Brown down to Hershey.

   Wilson is practicing this morning on the fourth line with Liam O'Brien and Michael Latta. Head Coach Barry Trotz is looks at some new line combos that we might see Wednesday againt the Detriot Red Wings.

Lines at Practce:

Ovechkin-Burakovsky-Ward

Johansson-Backstrom-Brouwer

Chimera-Kuznetzov-Fehr

O'Brien-Latta-Wilson

  We will see if the forward lines will be like that on Wednesday but it's clear Trotz is trying to switch things up after losing two of three on this past road trip. 

Postgame Recap: Canucks 4 Caps 2

 The Caps looked like a team on back to back games last night. However, they were able to take the lead after Andre Burakovsky found Marcus Johansson in the slot to make it 1-0. The Caps looked like they would have a chance till a weak Interference call on Karl Alzner changed the game. Henrik Sedin would get a lucky bounce past Peters. Then Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa would score two more goals making it 3 in a span of 1:47. Though Liam O'Brien would score his first career goal to make it 3-2 that 3 goals would end up being the reason the Caps lost, Radim Vrbata added an empty net goal. After, Kuznetsov was clearly hooked the refs let it go then John Carlson would get a delay of game penalty. So, the Caps didn't really get much of a chance to comeback.


Caps/Canucks Highlights:

My Thoughts:

*Though the officiating was one way, I still believe the Caps really didn't deserve to win last nights game. They just didn't generate enough offense. The Caps did not play their best game, with that said they still had a chance in the 3rd and it didn't happen. Making this 3 game road trip quite frustrating.

*Alex Ovechkin has been quiet of late. Now he did hit the post in Calgary but he is the captain and he needs to pick his game up. I am happy that his defense is clearly getting better but he needs to generate more in the other teams zone.

*Justin Peters kept the Caps in the game last night. The Caps were sloppy all night and turned the puck over way too much.

*Liam O'Brien played well and scored his first NHL goal. O'Brien has been a great story and I love what he brings to the team on a nightly basis.

*I also would like to see more from Evgeny Kuznetsov, he has too much talent to be playing the way he has been playing. Like Ovechkin he needs to generate more offense. I know he has played on the 4th line but he gets plenty of powerplay time. I know he is still learning but it is fair to ask more from him.

*Andre Burakovsky played pretty well, had an assist on the Johansson goal. For 19 years old he is putting his name in the Calder Trophy conversation.

*Marcus Johansson is finally shooting the puck more, and with that I feel he can start getting to his potential.

*With the loss the Caps record falls to 4-2-2 with 10 points, tied with New Jersey for 2nd in the Metro and 2 behind the surprising Islanders.


Whats Next: Wed. Oct. 29th vs. Detroit 7:30 on NBCSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals at. Vancouver Canucks

 The Caps will look to finish the Western Canada road trip with a winning record tonight as they take on the 4-3-0 Canucks in Vancouver tonight. Now the Caps did not have a morning skate today because of playing back to back games. However, I will take my best guess on what the lineup will look like.


Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
Chimera-Kuznetsov-Beagle
O'Brien-Latta-Ward

Defense and Goalies:

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Peters
Holtby


What to Watch:

*Jason Chimera will play career game number 800 tonight.

*No official word on who will be in net but Barry Trotz had said he wanted to give Justin Peters a game in Western Canada so I believe he will be the one to go head to head with Ryan Miller tonight.

*The Hershey Bears won their second in a row with a 3-0 win over Lehigh Valley. Bears got goals from Philippe Cornet, Chandler Stephenson, and Dustin Gazley. While Pheonix Copley continue his strong play with a shutout. Tom Wilson finished the game with a plus 1 rating.

*I would like to see the Caps continue to have a strong five on five game tonight. If they can play a solid first period I believe they will have a chance to win. Don't want to fall behind early tonight with having played last night.

*The game is at 9:30, I had posted earlier it was at 9:00 but that's when Capitals Central is on.

Postgame Recap: Caps 3 Flames 1

Video above is a recap:


Notes:

*Brooks Orpik made his presence felt last night with hit after hit on Flame forwards.

*Joel Ward was moved to the 4th line and it paid dividends as he scored 2 goals.

*Braden Holtby played a strong game, the one goal he gave up was not his fault it was through a screen that former Cap Dennis Wideman scored.

*Hershey won its home opener 4-2 over Wilkes Barrie-Scranton.

*Nick Backstrom had a strong game scoring in the 3rd and also had a breakaway shorthanded but was unable to beat Kari Ramo.

*Jay Beagle was strong on the puck all night and has looked good in his first two games this season.

*Eric Fehr was moved back to the top line and had one of his best games of the year so far in my opinion.

*Again the Caps 5 on 5 play has been much improved, last night they did a great job not giving the Flames too many chances.

Whats Next: Tonight at. Vancouver 9 p.m on CSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals at. Calgary Flames

Caps are in Calgary tonight for the first of back to back western Canada games. Here is what the lineup will look like tonight.

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr

Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer

Chimera-Kuznetzov-Beagle

O'Brien-Latta-Ward

Defense:

Orpik-Carlson

Alzner-Niskanen

Schmidt-Green

What to watch:

*Jay Beagle and Mike Green will be playing infront of family an friends tonight.

*No official word on who is in net yet but Bob Hartley is planning that the Caps will have Holtby in tonight.

*Barry Trotz is changing the lines up tonight. The Twins will be separated as Chimera will play with Beagle and Kuznetsov. While Ward will be demoted to the 4th line. 

*Will be interesting to see how the team responds to their first regulation loss. I expect them to play well.

*Hershey lost to the Lehigh Vally Phantoms 4-2 last night. Tom Wilson ended the game a -1. Wilson will probably sit tonight's game out and play on Sunday. 

*Gametime 10:00 p.m on CSN 

Postgame Recap: Oilers 3 Caps 2

 The Caps suffered their first regulation loss of the season last night in Edmonton. In the first Justin Schultz put the Oilers on top 1-0, John Carlson would answer on the Powerplay to tie it 1-1 after the first period. The Caps would take the lead after Andre Burakovksy made a nice pass to set up Mike Green who roofed it over Ben Scrivens to make it 2-1 Caps. However, about 20 seconds later Alex Ovechkin would fan on a shot in his own zone and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would beat Braden Holtby to tie the game. Nikita Nikitin would score on a Powerplay to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead. Though the Caps dominated the 3rd period and had chance after chance they were unable to score.


Caps vs. Oilers Highlights:

My Thoughts:

*Caps did have a strong effort 5 on 5 last night. They played much of the third period in the Oilers zone and felt like a tying goal was coming but it just didn't happen.

*Jay Beagle I thought played a very strong game last night. I like that he is will Burakovsky and Johansson and Beags can take faceoffs.

*I like the fact that Marcus Johansson is shooting the puck more often this season. Last night a couple times he would just shoot instead of forcing a pass which he did a lot last season.

*With his assist on the John Carlson PP goal Nick Backstrom scored career point #500 in his 501 game as a Washington Capital. Of course he said it would have been better with a win but he has had a great start to his career and has many more years to come.

*Mike Green continues his fast start. Andre Burakovsky won the puck and made a nice pass to Green who snuck in and made a beautiful shot.

*Jason Chimera's penalty lead to the lead PP goal. This is the second game in a row Chimmer has had a bad penalty. However, after taking those penalties he has comeback strong but will have to cut down on them.

*The loss is very frustrating but in the big picture the Caps did not play a bad game. Again it was a mistake here and there but feel they correctable. The team keeps giving good effort.

*Braden Holtby said he should have had the shot Nugent-Hopkins beat him with and I agree. That turned the game around. Even though Ovechkin fanned on the shot I thought Holtby had a good angle to make the stop and then move on. It happens though.



Whats Next: Sat. Oct. 25 at. Calgary 10 p.m

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals at. Edmonton Oilers

 The Caps will open their 3 game western Canada trip here in less then an hour. Here is was the lineup will look like tonight.

Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Brouwer
Johansson-Burakovsky-Beagle
Chimera-Fehr-Ward
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Latta

Defense and Goalies:

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Holtby
Peters


What to Watch:

*Jay Beagle will make his season debut tonight on the 2nd line with Andre Burakovsky and Marcus Johansson. Beagle is in for Brooks Laich who is in DC after getting banged up against Florida this past weekend.

*Braden Holtby will be back in net tonight. Though I do believe the goalies will split the back to back games this weekend in Calgary and Vancouver.

*John Erskine will be on IR as he had a neck surgery today to fix an injury that happened a while ago.

*The Caps are playing a team in Edmonton who is coming off their first win of the year, we will see if the Caps can get to a fast start.

*Michael Latta will be back in the lineup tonight as he has been switching back and forth with Chris Brown.

*Gametime 9:30 on CSN, Capitals Pregame Central on at 9:00

Caps Injury Updates

 The other night against the Panthers Shawn Thornton went shoulder to shoulder with Brooks Laich and Laich left the game. From what I read on Twitter Laich will be put on 7 day IR and Barry Trotz expects him to play when the Caps come home from the Western Canada trip.

 On the other hand it looks like Jay Beagle will be back in the lineup Wednesday again the Oilers. Beagle was skating with Marcus Johansson and Andre Burakovsky on he 2nd line in practice. With the Caps other lines playing well this makes sense to put Beagle with those two.

 Tom Wilson is also on his road back. The Caps announced that Wilson was assigned to the Hershey Bears and is expected to play in their two games this weekend. This too makes sense because Wilson was unable to play during the preseason as he is recovering from a leg injury that happened in the offseason.

NHL Standings through Oct. 19

NHL Standings:

Eastern Conference:

Metropolitan

1. New York Islanders 4-1-0   8 pts
2. Washington Capitals 3-0-2  8 pts
3. Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1-0   6 pts
4. Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2-0  6 pts
5. New Jersey Devils 3-2-0  6 pts
6. New York Rangers 3-3-0 6 pts
7. Philadelphia Flyers 1-2-2  4 pts
8. Carolina Hurricanes 0-2-2 2 pts

Atlantic

1. Montreal Canadians 5-1-0 10 pts
2. Ottawa Senators 4-1-0  8 pts
3. Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1-1 7 pts
4. Detroit Red Wings 3-1-1 7 pts
5. Boston Bruins 3-4-0 6 pts
6. Toronto Maple Leafs 2-3-1 5 pts
7. Florida Panthers 1-2-2 4 pts
8. Buffalo Sabres 1-5-0 2 pts


Western Conference:

Central

1. Nashville Predators 3-0-2 8 pts
2. Chicago Blackhawks 3-0-1 7 pts
3. Dallas Stars 2-1-2 6 pts
4. St. Louis Blues 2-2-1 5 pts
5. Minnesota Wild 2-2-0 4 pts
6. Colorado Avalanche 1-4-0 2 pts
7. Winnipeg Jets 1-4-0 2 pts

Pacific

1. Anaheim Ducks 5-1-0 10 pts
2. San Jose 4-1-1 9 pts
3. LA Kings 4-1-1 9 pts
4. Calgary Flames 4-3-0 8 pts
5. Vancouver Canucks 3-1-0 6 pts
6. Arizona Coyotes 2-2-0 4 pts
7. Edmonton Oilers 0-4-1 1 pt

Postgame Recap: Caps 2 Panthers 1 SO

 The Caps were able to win an ugly game last night as they got shootout goals from Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nick Backstrom, and Alex Ovechkin to help get the extra point and also to give Justin Peters his first win as a Washington Capital.


Jason Chimera Goal:

Full Shootout:

My Thoughts:

*Eric Fehr is fitting in well with the "twins" as he made a beautiful pass to hit Jason Chimera who scored the Caps only goal in regulation.

*Nick Backstrom played in his 500th career game, he did not accomplish 500 points in 500 games as he is at 499. Regardless he has been a great player for the Caps.

*The Caps have had a great start to the season as they are now 3-0-2.

*The Caps came out well but Florida played very well to keep the game close.

*Justin Peters played very well, the Brad Boyes goal would have been tough to stop.

*Defensive corp did well, only giving up that goal in the third period. The Caps however, need to watch the turnovers.

*Hershey Bears end the weekend with two wins. Saturday they beat the Springfield Falcons 4-1 with goals by Casey Wellman (2), Philille Cornet, and Dustin Gazley with Philip Grubauer earning the win. While today they beat the Hartford Wolf Pack 1-0 in Overtime as Casey Wellman won the game and Pheonix Copley got the shutout.



Whats Next: Wed. Oct. 22nd at. Edmonton 9:30 p.m on CSN

Caps Lineup vs. Panthers

Caps take on the Panthers tonight. Here is the lineup.

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Brouwer

Johansson-Burakovsky-Laich

Chimera-Fehr-Ward

O'Brien-Kuznetzov-Brown

Orpik-Carlson

Alzner-Niskanen

Schmidt-Green

Peters

Holtby

Postgame Recap: Caps 6 Devils 2

 The Caps improved to 2-0-2 with a 6-2 rout of Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey. Here are the highlights.

My Thoughts:

*Andre Burakovsky had started his NHL career with a 4 game point streak with his second goal of the season late in the 3rd.

*The Caps defense had a rough first period but finally got back on track in the 2nd and 3rd.

*Eric Fehr, Joel Ward, and Jason Chimera were very good together last night. At times last season they were the Caps best line. 

*Marcus Johansson had a strong game scoring on a nice wrist shot. If he shoots more he will have a bounce back season.

*Alex Ovechkin had been great so far this season and he again set the tone last night with his goal 36 seconds in. He continues to block shots, and his effort is going to rub off on the team.

*Braden Holtby was the reason why the Caps were still in the game after the first period. He was very good and both goals were not his fault.

*Mike Green again had a solid game. This is the best I have seen Mike Green in years, he seems to be very comfortable under Barry Trotz.

Whats Next: Sat. Oct. 18 vs. Florida 7 p.m. 

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils

The Caps are back home again tonight for the second of three straight at the Verizon Center as the unbeaten New Jersey Devils come to town. The Caps are off to a 1-0-2 start, after their 6-5 shootout loss to the Sharks head coach Barry Trotz is changing the lines up tonight. Here's tonights lineup.


Forwards:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Brouwer
Laich-Burakovsky-Johansson
Chimera-Fehr-Ward
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Brown

Defense and Goalie:

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Holtby
Peters



What to Watch:

*Eric Fehr will make his season debut as a center tonight. He played on the first line RW for the first 3 games but Trotz is putting him with the "twins" tonight.

*Troy Brouwer will get a chance on the first line tonight, Brouwer had a solid game against San Jose and scored to tie the game in the third Tuesday night.

*Braden Holtby is back in net tonight after a rough outing against the Sharks. His counterpart will be Corey Schneider who is off to a great start this season.

*Part of the reason for the Devils fast start this season is the play of Mike Cammalleri who will be on the Devils first line with Travis Zajak and Jamomir Jagr.

*The Caps will have to have a strong defensive effort to beat the Devils tonight, a key will be there outlet passes because that was one of the reasons they struggled against San Jose.

*Chris Brown is back in the lineup tonight after being a scratch the last two games. He will skate with Liam O'Brien and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

*Brooks Laich moves up a line tonight with Burakovsky and Johansson.

*Another key is the faceoff circle. The Caps are struggling in that category so far this season.

*We will see if Mike Green can build off his fast start to the season, he has 2 goals and a assist in his first two games after missing the opener.

*Gametime 7 p.m. on CSN, Capitals Pregame  Live on at 6:30

Postgame Recap: Sharks 6 Caps 5 SO

Well last night's game was a wild one. The Shark came out in the first 10 minutes and got a pair of goals by Matt Irwin, the second being the first goal the Caps have given up on the PK this season. Then John Scott who defiantly not known for his goal scoring ability beat Braden Holtby. That goal would end Holtby's night.



Caps/Sharks Game Highlights:

 The second period was completely different as the Caps would get a PP goal from Marcus Johansson to cut the lead to 3-1. Then a bad bounce as on a rush Joe Pavelski took a shot that Justin Peters stopped but the deflection went off Eric Fehr and right into the net. After all that the Caps still tried to comeback. The 4th line had a great shift and were buzzing in the Sharks zone when a Mike Green wrist shot sailed past Antti Niemi to make it 4-2. Liam O'Brien got an assist for his first NHL point. Less then a minutes after that a beautiful play from Fehr to Backstrom to Ovechkin and all of a sudden it was 4-3 going into the 3rd.
  Bad bounces continued as Tommy Wingels scored on a rebound that Peters normally swallows up and the Caps again were down by 2 at 5-3. With less than 6 minutes left the Caps earned a PP and made it count as Alex Ovechkin scored his 4th goal of the season to make it 5-4. A little over a minute later Troy Brouwer would put the crowd in a frenzy when he scored after a Sharks defensemen fell.
  However, the Sharks would prevail in the SO after Joe Pavelski scored right have Evgeny Kuznetsov hit the post on the second shot.


My Thoughts:

*Alex Ovechkin was the best player on the ice. He scored 2 goals had an assist and then blocked shot and threw his weight around. Play like that will put him in the MVP conversation.

*Liam O'Brien had his first career point with an assist on the Mike Green goal. O'Brien, Kuznetsov and Latta are playing very well together.

*Faceoffs are a negative the Caps came into the game 28th in the league while the Sharks were 3rd, and it showed tonight.

*While the defense overall wasn't great, Mike Green and Matt Niskanen played great. Mike Green has played very well in the two games he has played in this year.

*Caps had a bad start but showed character in their comeback. The effort is there but the they did play sloppy at times and it cost them a chance of winning this game outright.

*Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov are getting better with each game but again they need to work on faceoffs. However, they are working hard and they look like they will continue to get better as the season goes on.

*Braden Holtby had a rough night but that will happen from time to time. We will have to see if Barry Trotz puts him out there tomorrow night.



Whats Next: Thurs. Oct. 16th vs. New Jersey Devils 7 p.m. CSN

Hershey Bears Highlights from Oct. 11 Opener

Bears 5-4 Loss Oct. 11:

*Note the Bears bear the Admirals Monday 5-2

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. San Jose Sharks

 The Caps return home tonight to take on Western Conference foe San Jose. The Caps are coming off a solid 4-0 win in Boston on Saturday. While the Sharks are 2-0-0 and have shutout the Kings and the Jets. Here is what the lineup will look like for the Caps tonight.

Forwards: 

Ovechkin-Backtrom-Fehr
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
Chimera-Laich-Ward
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Latta

Defense and Goalies:

Orpik-Carslon
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Holtby
Peters


What to Watch:

*Braden Holtby will face off against Antti Niemi. The Sharks have yet to give up a goal this season and Braden Holtby has only given up 1 goal in the first two games this season.

*Michael Latta appears to be in again tonight, Chris Brown I believe is dealing with a upper body injury that's not serious but enough to keep Latta in the lineup again.

*The Caps penalty kill has been perfect so far, tonight they will face a challenge with the Sharks. Sharks have Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton as well as other talented forwards.

*Former Caps defensemen Scott Hannan is expected to play his 1,000 career game tonight.

*It will be interesting to see if the Caps new and improved defense will do against a team that I still consider a Western power.

*The Hershey Bears earned their first win under Troy Mann last night beating the Norfolk Admirals 5-2. The Bears got two goals from Kris Newbury, Stan Galiev, Chris Conner, and Joel Broda added goals as well. Pheonix Copley made his AHL debut and won his first game.

*Gametime 7 p.m. on CSN, Capitals Pregame live on at 6:30

Postgame Recap: Caps 4 Bruins 0

 The Caps played a all around solid game in earning their first win of the season. Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Mike Green and Joel Ward would add their first goals of the new season. However, the real story was the dominance of Braden Holtby who kept the Caps in the game when the Bruins came out hard in the first period. The Caps improved to 1-0-1 on the season.




Latta vs. Robins Fight:

Mike Green PP Goal:

Ovechkin PP Goal:

 My Thoughts:

*Alex Ovechkin had another strong game, scored on the Powerplay 7 seconds in. The scored a nice goal 5 on 5 when Nick Backstrom won a puck battle and found OV in the left faceoff circle, OV fired the puck past Tuukka Rask.

*Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov had strong games. Burakovsky had two assist, while Kuznetsov had one, though he would of had two but Joel Ward was able to deflect the John Carlson shot late in the 3rd period.

*Brooks Orpik and the entire Caps defense corp played a very solid game, blocking shots and playing physical. Matt Niskanen and Mike Green were able to put big hits on Milan Lucic. Lucic, would loss his cool and take a late penalty after the Mike Green hit.

*Penalty Kill is very much improved so far as the Caps are 9 for 9 on the new season.

*Powerplay improved with the Ovechkin goal in the 1st took all of 7 seconds and then a beautiful no look pass by Kuznetsov to set up Mike Green for a one timer in the 2nd.

*Braden Holtby was dominate, he played aggressive and played the puck pretty well. It looks like Holtby is much for confident this year as he is being allowed to play to his strengths.

*Michael Latta made his season debut and stood up for Matt Niskanen when he was kneed by Bobby Robins. The Caps continue to try to have a "Gang Mentality" which in my opinion is about time. Toughness has been a long time problem, Barry Trotz is trying to change that.

*The Hershey Bears opened their season with a 5-4 loss to the Norfolk Admirals. Bears got goals from Kris Newbury, Philippe Cornet, Dane Byers and Steve Olesky.


Whats Next: Tues. Oct. 14, vs. San Jose Sharks 7 p.m on CSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals at. Boston Bruins

  The Caps are in Boston for regular season game #2 and their first road game of the 2014-2015 season. The Caps will get Mike Green back tonight after he got banged up during the preseason. Barry Trotz was a little quiet on who would be in the lineup, I believe it will be the same expect we might see Michael Latta in for Chris Brown but we won't know for sure till the puck drops.

Lineup:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
Chimera-Laich-Ward
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Brown or Latta

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Holtby
Peters


Notes:

*We know Mike Green is making his debut tonight and will play will Nate Schmidt on the third defense pairing. Making Jack Hillen and John Erskine healthy scratches.

*Like I said up top their might be a change at the 4th line right wing as Latta might be in for Brown.

*Braden Holtby will be in net and it looks like the Bruins will counter will Tuukka Rask.

*Barry Trotz said he liked how Evgeny Kuznetsov played with limited ice time on Thursday, said if he keeps it up he might find more ice time as the season continues.

*Tom Wilson will still be a week away from coming back but believe he will end up having to play some games in Hershey before getting back into the Caps lineup.

*Hershey opens their season tonight in Norfolk.

*Gametime at 7 p.m CSN, no Capitals Central on tonight because of College Football

Postgame Recap: Canadians 2 Caps 1 SO

  The Caps opened their season with a tough 2-1 SO loss to the Canadians. The Caps started fast when Troy Brouwer caused a turnover and fed the puck to Andre Burakovsky who fired the puck past Dustin Tokarski to score is first NHL goal. After that though the Caps could not get one more past Tokarski and Tomas Plekanic would score his 3rd goal in 2 games to tie it. In the shootout Brendan Gallagher would put the game away.



Andre Burakovsky first goal:

  My Thoughts:

*In my opinion the Caps played a hard, tough brand of hockey that I haven't seen in a long time. I came out of this game with more positive thoughts then negative.

*Alex Ovechkin was held off the scoring sheet but he was forchecking and hitting Canadian players and gave great effort.

*Brooks Orpik made a difference, his toughness is something the Caps haven't had in quite some time. He was stepping up and just crushing Canadian players all night. He also stood up for John Carlson when Travis Moen just came in and started punching Carlson.

*Liam O'Brien stepped up for his teammate after Jack Hillen took a hit from Brandon Prust, O'Brien went right after him.

*The Powerplay struggled last night though, the Caps had plenty of chances but were unable to score. If they would have got just one the game would have been over.

*Andre Burakovksy scored his first career goal and played a good game for his first real NHL action.

*The Caps penalty kill was solid last night, they were able to block shots and not let the Canadians get too many quality chances on Braden Holtby.


What's Next: at. Boston Sat. Oct. 11 at 7 p.m on CSN

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadians

 Hello everyone its finally here! Opening night of the 2014-2015 Washington Capitals season. New head coach Barry Trotz makes his debut as the Caps kickoff their 40th anniversary season. The Montreal Canadians come into town playing back to back nights as they opened up in Toranto last night winning 4-3.

Tonight's Lineup:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr
Chimera-Laich-Ward
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Brown

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Hillen-Schmidt

Holtby
Peters


Scratches: Mike Green (DTD), Michael Latta (Healthy), John Erskine (Healthy), Tom Wilson (IR), Jay Beagle (IR), Aaron Volpatti (LTIR), Dmitri Orlov (LTIR).


What to Watch:

*Liam O'Brien will make is NHL debut tonight on the 4th line with fellow rookies Chris Brown and Evgeny Kuznetsov. These three played well together in the final preseason game against Carolina last Sunday.

*Andre Burakovsky is also making his NHL debut tonight centering a line with Marcus Johansson and Troy Brouwer. Burakovsky at times was the Caps best player during the preseason, we will see if that carries over tonight.

*Carey Price played last night so we are expected to see Dustin Tokarski tonight against the Caps. I read that on Twitter last night and haven't heard any different.

*Mike Green is still banged up so we found out not too long ago that Nate Schmidt will get the call in Green's spot tonight. Not a serious injury but its been nagging him since the preseason game at home against Boston.

*How will the new defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen impact the Caps tonight? It will be fun to see them make their debuts tonight as well.

*Penalty Kill will need to be solid tonight, the Canadians have P.K. Subban at the point, it will be important to keep him from getting too much space.

* Gametime 7 p.m on CSN, tune in at 6:30 for Capitals Pregame live

Pump up Video for 2014-2015 Season

Caps have their Roster for Opening Night

 Yesterday the Caps announced their final roster for the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. First thing is that 4 players are on IR. Jay Beagle and Tom Wilson are on IR, and Aaron Volpatti and Dmitri Orlov were placed on long term IR. So this is what the lineup might look like for the first month or so of the season till the other players get healthy.


Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
Chimera-Laich-Ward
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Brown

Extras:
Latta

Defense:

Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Extras:
Erskine, Hillen

Goalies:

Holtby-Peters

My Thought:

   I am happy with the opening night roster. I believe that Chris Brown, Michael Latta, Liam O'Brien, and Nate Schmidt we all guys who were surprises but they all earned their spots to start the season with the big club while some guys get healthy. I do believe that playing Kuznetsov on the 4th line will not last very long. I like the 3rd line I said before I'm very happy to have Brooks Laich as a center, he will fit very well with Ward and Chimera.
  So, it all starts tomorrow night as the Caps open up their 40th season in franchise history. The Montreal Canadians are coming into town to take the Caps on. I think it will be the start of a fun season for the Caps.

Caps Lineup Taking Shape

  With just a couple days till opening night the Caps must have their final roster of 23 players by 5 p.m today. Now there are some things that can happen. The Caps do not expect Tom Wilson and Dmitri Orlov to be back till November so that opening a couple of roster spots possibly for Liam O'Brien and Nate Schmidt to stay with the big club. Also, Aaron Volpatti and Jay Beagle are banged up and there is a can they may end up on the long term IR. So, we will have to wait a little bit longer to see for sure who will stay up and who will go down to Hershey. Here were the lines at practice:


Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
Chimera-Laich-Ward
O'Brien-Kuznetsov-Brown

Extra line:
Volpatti-Latta-Wilson


Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Schmidt-Green

Extra pairing:
Erskine-Hillen

Goalies:
Holtby-Peters

Liam O'Brien Signs Entry-Level Contract

 The Caps signed forward Liam O'Brien to a 3 year entry-level contract this afternoon. O'Brien, the 20 year old Halifax, Nova Scotia native was the surprise of the Caps training camp. He came in as an undrafted player who was invited to Development Camp back in July. He impressed enough to be invited to Rookie Camp a few weeks ago. Well again the underdog impressed to the coaching staff to the point were he was then invited to main camp.

 O'Brien had a great preseason, he got on the score sheet and was a great 4th line checker. O'Brien spearheaded the comeback against Boston, fought and won a fight with Zac Ronaldo, and on the final day of the preseason set up Evgeny Kuznetsov to get the Caps rolling yesterday. I don't know if this means he will start the season in Washington, Hershey, or if he will go back to juniors. One thing that is for sure is that this guy deserved this contract. I am very excited to see him develop as a player.

Postgame Recap: Caps 5 Hurricanes 2

 The Caps played their best overall game of the preseason and put the Hurricanes away pretty early in todays matinee. It started when Liam O'Brien fed Evgeny Kuznetsov on a 2 on 1 to make it 1-0 early in the game. Not too long after that Brooks Laich made a beautiful behind the back pass to Jason Chimera who streaked down the left wing and put the puck top shelf to make it 2-0 after 1.
  The second period the Hurricanes cut the Caps lead in half when Jiri Tlusty put a rebound past Braden Holtby to make it 2-1. However the Caps would put the game away with goals by Troy Brouwer, Alex Ovechkin, and a shorthanded goal by Brooks Laich. With that the Caps would finish the preseason off with a 5-3-0 record going into the opener Thursday at home against Montreal.


My Thought:

*Defense corps did a very good job all game with keeping Carolina pretty quiet.

*Liam O'Brien had another strong performance and I believe he deserves a pro contract. He may not make the Caps roster for this season but I think the Caps should give him a contract, he deserves it.

*Evgeny Kuznetsov had a good game, good to see him score and play with some energy.

*I loved the line of Chimera-Laich-Ward, I believe Laich is the perfect fit for those two. They had a very good game together and should be given more time together.

*Andre Burakovsky had a strong performance and will almost positively be the second line center to start the season.

*Barry Trotz was happy that Alex Ovechkin went after Eric Stall after he charged John Carlson. Trotz wants the Caps to protect one another and the captain stepped up.


Whats Next: Opening Night vs. Montreal Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

So we have one more preseason game and then we finally get the real games going. The Caps welcome the Hurricanes into town with one final chance for some to show Barry Trotz they are worth keeping.

No lineup posted so here are my things to watch for today's game:

*Last chance for Liam O'Brien who has been the suprise of the camp. Atleast he has earned a contract in my opinion.

*The only thing I know about today's lineup is Braden Holtby is suppose to start and play the entire game.

*Andre Burakovsky has earned a spot already but I would personally still like to see him end the preseason off with a solid game.

*I thought in the shoot out win against the Flyers that Evgeny Kuznetzov showed some energy and played his best game of the preseason. Time for him to crank it up a little now.

*Another thing is the Caps need a 6th defensemen with Orlov still recovering from the arm injury he sustained during the World Championships this past summer. It's between Jack Hillen, Johm Erskine, and Nate Schmidt. Jack Hillen leads that race but coaches have liked Nate Schmidt's game as well.

*Gametime 3 p.m. on CSN 

5 More players to report to Hershey

The Caps made a few more cuts today, the following players will ow go down to Hershey to play for the Bears.


F Chris Conner
G Philip Grubauer
F Kris Newbury
F Nathan Walker
D Patrick Wey

Postgame Recap: Caps 3 Flyers 2 SO

Caps/Flyers Highlights:

My Thoughts:

*After last night I think Andre Burakovsky is locked in at the second line center spot. His goal was beautiful and he beat an NHL goalie in Steve Mason. In my opinion he looks better and better with each game he plays in.

*For the first time in the preseason I saw Evgeny Kuznetsov play with some energy and jump. He had a few chances and got the winner in the shootout.

*Justin Peters played the whole game and I thought did very well. I don't really blame the two goals on him really.

*I did think that at times the Caps spent way too much in their own zone, but they showed character in the comeback.

*The penalty kill did very well last night, especially in overtime when they had to kill off a John Carlson interference penalty.

*Eric Fehr I thought had a great night, he played a solid two way game. Playing well on defense while getting some chances offensively and did well on the PK.

*He didn't play a lot but I still liked what I saw from Liam O'Brien, he is not under contract however I believe he should be rewarded with one. He has played well enough to at least play for the Bears. O'Brien had a couple nice hits and a great fight with Zac Ronaldo.


Next up: vs. Carolina Sunday Oct. 5, 3 p.m. CSN

A few more sent to Hershey

 Quick post as the Caps continue to cut there roster down as Garrett Mitchell, Casey Wellman, and Conner Carrick have been sent back down. However, just to note that Mitchell and Wellman will both have to clear waivers before they can report to the Hershey Bears.
  I'm not surprised with these moves considering that Conner Carrick had a rough night in Buffalo and we all can agree he was rushed into the lineup last year. I think he is better off this season to play for the Bears because I would have him penciled in as a top 2 defensemen there. Garrett Mitchell has improved  but there is still no room for him in Washington but I do believe he in a heart and sole guy for Hershey.
   Finally Casey Wellman saw some time in the NHL last year with the Caps too but he wasn't doing enough to keep him up either. I'm sure there will be more cuts tomorrow after the game tonight so stay tuned.

Pregame Notes: Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

 So we are almost there! Just two more preseason games and one week are between us and the Caps season opener against Montreal. First things first though the Flyers are in town for the teams second meeting in the preseason. Here is who is expected to play tonight.


Forwards:

8 Alex Ovechkin
16 Eric Fehr
19 Nicklas Backstrom
21 Brooks Laich
24 Kris Newbury
42 Joel Ward
65 Andre Burakovsky
67 Chris Brown
79 Nathan Walker
87 Liam O'Brein
90 Marcus Johansson
92 Evgeny Kuznetsov

Defense and Goalies:

2 Matt Niskanen
27 Karl Alzner
38 Jack Hillen
44 Brooks Orpik
61 Steve Olesky
74 John Carlson

35 Justin Peters
31 Philip Grubauer


Pregame Notes:

* Justin Peters is expected to start and play the entire game from what I read on Twitter a couple days ago. 

*I am interested to see Liam O'Brein again, I have been very impressed with his work ethic. Not sure still if he makes the team but he is making his case with every game he plays.

*Again we are no closer to a second line center as I have not been too impressed with Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov this preseason. I have been happy with what I've seen from Andre Burakovsky, I think he makes this team. However, expectations need to stay level because he is still very young and needs to develop some more.

*Hopefully a better lineup tonight will mean a better result after the Caps were embarrassed in Buffalo. In my opinion the Caps will have better defense pairings then last night as Orpik and Niskanen are in tonight.

*Eric Fehr should get another crack on the top line which I have wanted to see. I feel like he can be another Mike Knuble. Fehr, showed last season that he can be a valuable player up and down the lineup.

*The game will be televised on CSN at 7 p.m

Postgame Recap: Sabres 6 Caps 1

 Well last nights game was ugly, the Sabres scored early and often in a 6-1 rout of the Caps at First Niagara Center. The Sabres would get started when Matt Moulson put in a rebound to make it 1-0, then on a PP Cody Hodgson would shoot in the high slot and Drew Stafford would deflect it passed Braden Holtby to make it 2-0. Tyler Ennis would make it 3-0 and the Caps would be in a huge hole after the 1st period.
  In the second Matt Moulson and Marcus Foligno would score to up the lead to 5-0. In the third Jason Chimera would score on a 2 on 1 to get the Caps on the board. However, Sam Reinhart would score it right back and the night would be over really before it started on this night.



My Thought:

*The only player that stood out to me was Andre Burakovsky, he had a breakaway in the 1st period and beat Jonas Enroth but hit the post. As of now you have to feel that Burakovsky is the 2nd line center because he is playing the most consistent.

*Braden Holtby's shutout streak ended and he had a rough night. He is expected to play the entire game  on Sunday which is the preseason finale.

*Barry Trotz said that some players played their way out of the lineup, we will see in the next couple days who those guys are as after the game tonight I'm sure there will be another round of cuts.

*Evgeny Kuznetsov has still not looked very good in my opinion, is he adjusting I don't know but we will see come opening night.

*I still don't like the idea of Brooks Laich and Troy Brouwer playing on the same line together no matter who the center is. However, it does look like Brooks Laich is in better health as of now.


Whats Next: Tonight vs. Philadelphia 7 p.m CSN