RED ALERT: Ovechkin made preseason debut tonight

The Washington Capitals are off to a 2-0preseason start, bot games won in overtime.  The Saturday win over the Chicago Blackhawks, looked more like a Hershey Bears win over the Blackhawks. 

The Caps, without Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Knuble, or Brendan Morrisonn, defeated the Blackhawks, who did play their stars, 3-2 on an overtime goal by Mathieu Perreault.  Also scoring for the Caps was Chris Clark and Kyle Wilson, who is having a nice preseason.  Both Clark and Wilson each had a goal and an assist.  Michal Neuvirth went the whole game to earn the win, stopping 24 of 26 shots.  Caps improve to 2-0.  You can read more about the 3-2 win here.  

Ovie returns tonight . . . Tonight the Capitals face off against Buffalo in Washington and the star lineup returns as Alex Ovechkin, and will make his first preseason appearances.    Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom return to the lineup as well and veteran Goalie Jose Theodore making his first preseason start.  Welcome back to hockey Alex!
 
Caps reduce roster  . . . The Caps made a huge roster reduction yesterday, cutting 14 players including 2008 first rounder Anton Gustafsson.  No real surprises here.  Gutsafsson was not expected to be in any mix for a roster slot this year.  Gus has some real work to do to sharpen his game and to prove he can be durable.

Other included in the cuts:  D Joe Finley, G Braden Holtby, D Josh Godfrey, F Boyd Kane, F Michael Dubuc, F Joel Broda,  Patrick Wellar,
Zach Miskovic, Trevor Bruess, Jake Hauswirth, Dylan Yeo, Vladimir
Denisov, Ryan Jasinsky and Todd Ford.

What is unclear at the moment is whether Gustafsson will suit up at the AHL affiliate Hershey or go back and play in Sweden.  Finley, Holtby, and Godfrey are other solid prospects expected to help the Hershey Bears this season. 
 

Taking aim at a roster spot . . . We all know the limits on the
roster.  Their just is not that many roster spots open.  Chris Bourque,
Quintin Laing, and Alexandre Giroux seem to be the three in the mix for
Donald Brashear’s roster spot.  Brashear left to the Rangers via free
agency after disinterest from the Caps in resigning the 38 year old
veteran. 

But what about Mathieu Perreault an Kyle Wilson? 
Have they worked themselves into the mix?  I doubt it.  But what they
have done was show they may deserve time for call ups during the
season.  Perreault has impressed Coach Bruce Boudreau. 

“His energy, every day, is infectious. Every day he comes and he pushes
everybody harder. He makes smart decisions with the puck. And he plays
beyond his size,” Boudreau said. “You keep wanting to give it the
detractors, ‘Oh, look how small he is.’ Then he keeps coming up big.”

Speaking of rumors.  Rumors continue
to swirl that Chris Bourque is interested in being traded if he fails
to make the Caps roster.  Bourque and the Capitals have denied those
rumors.

That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Bourque said. “I don’t know how
that came about. It’s kind of upsetting [because] it kind of makes it
look like I’m trying to start rumors.”

“Me and Chris have never talked about” being traded, Boudreau said.
“It’s always been about making this team. . . . If that doesn’t happen,
who knows what’s going to happen.”

Bourque, the son of hall of fame D Ray Bourque, was drafted in the 2nd
round of the 2004 draft and is 23 years old.  He is getting to the
point where he needs to make a move to make an NHL club.    Boruque
made it extremely difficult for the Capitals to cut him last year
having a fabulous preseason and training camp.  With the Brashear spot
open, Bourque is going full speed ahead to take that spot.  Another
spot will likely be open temporarily as Tomas Fleichmann is expected to
miss at least the first two weeks of the season.  More on Bourque from
the NE Hockey Journal.   

Perreault
has the same criticism of Bourque in that he stands just 5’9″, where
Bourque is 5’7″.  But Perreault has show the ability to score, handle
the puck well, and make good decisions on the ice.  He has caught the
Caps attention.  Perreault was a 6th round pick of the Caps in the 2006
draft and should be a force in the AHL this year and a call up for the
Caps. 

Hershey opening camp . . . The 2008/09 Calder Cup Champs are breaking training camp, which is another reason why the caps made 14 player cuts.  Mark French is ready to roll
in his first season as Bears coach.  Calder Cup Coach Bob Woods was
promoted to Washington on Bruce Boudreau’s staff.  French knows what he
wnats to do and who he is. 

“I’m just going to try to be who I am,”
French said. “I’m not Bob. I’m not Bruce
[Boudreau]. I’m Mark. I don’t know what those
changes translate into in terms of personality. I’m
just going to be authentic. I don’t see a big change.

“I think the chief difference in the difference
between head coach and assistant coach is the difference
between suggestion and decision. Instead of suggesting what
I thought would be a good idea, now it’s up to me to
make that decision. I don’t foresee that being any big
deal.”

More on the Bears training camp. Also bookmark and check out our link partner and friend at Hershey Bears Blogspot.   Here is Bears radio guy, John Walton, on the opening of Camp today at the Gaint Center.   

Good read on another 2009 Caps draft pick, Garrett Mitchell, who is gearing up for his season in the WHL with the Regina Pats.