Let’s start it off with Great 8. Alexander Ovechkin was named one of the Top Three Stars of the week by the NHL. Ovie accumulated 6 points (5 Gs, 1 Asst) in a three game spurt that left the Capitals 3-0-0 for the week and a surge to a 10 point lead in the Southeast Division. Congratulations Alex!
US News and World Report is giving space and time to the Capitals of Washington, DC? Really? Yeah, really! Let’s face it, these miserable Nationals and Wizards, Dan Snyder running the Redskins, the Capitals are the class, they are the toast of DC. Thank foresight and vision. Thank George McPhee for the plan. That Ted Leonsis for the money and the patience. Cause they deserve it!
The difference — they are exciting. They are winning. They have personality. They have a real owner. We’ll give the Nationals a small break as the Lerner’s still insi9st they are rebuilding the franchise and are willing to spend. We gave Leonsis the benefit of the doubt, we’ll give Lerner’s as well (but not too long!) As for the Wizards, they get a free pass for now, they are as injured as injured gets. For the Redskins, the Capitals have something they simply don’t have —a REAL owner that knows how to OWN a franchise. Until Snyder learns to stay out of football operations or SELLS the team, expect mediocrity to reign at FEDEX. Not going further into it, we have a more in depth article on Snyder on the way today.
The Redskins are barely mediocre—the basketball Wizards and baseball Nationals among the worst in their leagues. Amid the local team owners, it’s the Caps’ scrappy and beloved Ted Leonsis alone who has put together a first-class organization and has managed to lure a bona fide superstar to play here.
These Caps play a game of hockey, based on raw talent, young legs, and crisp passes, that Washington fans have not known. You can take that from me, who fell for the team in its beginnings (remember Ace Bailey? Guy Charron?), and recognized far too many of those grizzled old-timers—starting with Yvon Labre—who showed up to honor hall-of-famer Mike Gartner, whose jersey was retired last night.
Pierre LeBrun reports Caps GM George McPhee is no longer interested in dealing Michael Nylander.
He still could very well be moved before the March 4 trade deadline, but the sense is that Caps GM George McPhee isn’t as sold on it as he was before. A big reason is that the Caps are playing so well, so why mess with a good thing?
Concur at this point. A 10 point lead, 4th best record in the NHL, 2nd best in the Eastern Conference, don’t tinker with what is working.
Moves up and down the system keep on happening. The Capitals sent down G Simeon Varlamov, a sign that Brent Johnson is healthy again, and called up F Chris Bourque. Donald Brashear may be a no-go tonight, the reason for the Bourque recall. Karl Alzner may also be out tonight after getting hit by a puck, twice, in the same spot on his hand.
Look for Jose Theodore to make his fifth straight start as he continues to lay claim to the starting goal tender slot, that he was expected to take back when he inked a two year deal. Theo has been astounding in goal the last two games and has put together a three game winning streak. better yet, the media is taking notice. As good as this team is, imagine how good they will be if Theo produces like he did in Colorado last season.
Since Boudreau reinserted Theodore for the start of the second period, the 32-year-old veteran has stopped 64 of 68 shots for a Capitals team that has won eight of nine games to open a 10-point lead in the Southeast Division. In each of the past two games, he has gotten off to a strong start, looked more composed on routine stops and produced a number of game-altering ones.
Further, Theo claims improvement comes from playing more and that argument may very well be pretty compelling, given the results.
“Since the beginning of the season, I’ve been feeling good for a couple of games, then I have one bad game, and I was anxious to get back in there, and I didn’t get the call right away,” Theodore said. “It’s kind of tough. Like any position, when you have a bad game, you need to play again and bounce back right away and get on a roll. When you have a bad game and you get [benched], that’s when you start to doubt yourself and start thinking more.”
The Caps hope the Theo streak continues alive and well in Buffalo tonight.
Corey Masisak writes on the Capitals All Star possibilities. Given the kind of season the Capitals are having, several deserve the recognition. I would think Ovechkin uis a guarantee lock, but I am hoping that Nicklas Backstrom gets the recognition he deserves. He started the season off slow, alongside Ovie, but along with Ovie, has heated up and now is 5th overall in the NHL with helpers and tied for 6th overall in total points. Backstrom is one of the fundamental reasons the Capitals are surging to a top 4 overall NHL team. Alexander Semin was well on his way to an All Star berth, but injuries have ran him out of the running. Same goes for Mike Green.
UPDATE: Caps recall D Tyler Sloan from Hershey.
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