Caps Win Pre-Season Opener, 4-1

Oh what  feeling it is….Hockey is back, sort of!

The Washington Capitals have started out their 2008 pore-season winning on the road at division rival Carolina, 4-1.
Washington started the game out taking a 2-0 lead in the first first period.  At the 6:21 mark, Tomas Fleischman scored on the power play on a rebound off of Carolina goalie Cam Ward to take a 1-0 lead.  The goal was assisted by Victor Kozlov and 2008 first round pick D John Carlson.  A minute and four second later, Matt Bradley slapped in a shot to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead.  The goal was assisted by Quintin Laing.
Joni Pitkanen started off the scoring in the second period, in what would turn out to be Carolina’s only netter.  Rookie Mathieu Perreault scored later in the second period to lift the Caps to a 3-1 lead.  Goal was assisted by D Milan Jurcina and Alexandre Giroux.  Right after the 17 minute mark of the second period, Flieschmann would strike again for his second goal of the game, the final goal of the game.  That is precisely what HC Bruce Boudreau wanted to see from Fleischmann.  The Caps and ‘Cane skated to a scoreless third period.
Capitals out shot the Hurricanes 33-31, even though they were out shot int he first period 20-8.  Russian rookie and 2006 first rounder Simeon Varlamov got the start and stopped all 20 shots that came his way, surviving an onslaught of shots in the first period.  Daren Machesney finished out the final two periods, stopping 10 of 11 shots.