Washington Capitals
Bruins Will Have to Face Alex Ovechkin on This Visit to Washington As Boston Tries to Snap Out of Slump
The Bruins have lost back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two months. On Sunday, they’ll try to prevent suffering three straight defeats for the first time since October. They’ll have to get through a Capitals team with star Alex Ovechkin back in the lineup to do that. Ovechkin returned Saturday but did not factor in any of Washington’s goals in a 3-0 win at Montreal. Ovechkin had sat out the previous three games after being suspended for a hit to the head. The first game of that ban was against the Bruins, but Washington still managed to post…
Game 51 Preview: Bruins at Washington — Time to right the ship
The Bruins have lost back-to-back games and have lost three of their last four games. It’s the first back-to-back losses since early-December. Last time the Bruins lost three in a row was the end of October, just before the Bruins insane November.Today they visit the Washington Capitals for an early 12:30 game. They lost to the Caps last time and that was with out Oviechicken. Who knows what him in the line-up will actually mean.Here’s the current Easten Conference standings. Bruins still sitting at second place but they need to play better:Thankfully the Bruins are on before the Super Bowl.
bWo t-shirtsYes we still have some available. Yes you want one (or fourteen)
Projected LinesMilan Lucic – David Krejci – Rich PeverleyBrad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Tyler SeguinBeniot Pouliot – Chris Kelly – Dorothy HamillDan Paille – Greg Campbell – Shawn ThorntonZdeno Chara – Johnny BoychukDennis Seidenberg – Joe “Did he really get a point” CorvoAdam McQuaid – A…
Grant Nets Two, Whale Win Second Straight
Connecticut Whale 4, Hershey Bears 1
By Brian Ring
Hershey, PA, February 4, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Hershey Bears, 4-1, Saturday night at the Giant Center to win their second straight game. Tommy Grant scored twice for the Whale and goaltender Chad Johnson made 39 saves in the victory.
The win, coupled with Bridgeport’s loss to Manchester, moved the Whale back into a share of first place in the Northeast Division with 51 points.
“Johnson had a good game in net, we got a power-play goal, we got some secondary scoring with Tommy Grant getting two, there were a lot of things in our favor tonight,” said Whale head coach Gernander.
The two teams played exactly 16 minutes of scoreless hockey before Grant gave the Whale a 1-0 lead in the opening period. Grant carried the puck down the left wing boards, snapping a shot that squeaked under the left arm of Bears’ goaltender Dany Sabourin (17 saves). Grant’s goal, his fourth of the season, was assisted by Scott Tanski and Jar…
Washington Capitals Keep Their Head Above Water
The Washington Capitals managed to win the last of their three road games played after the All Star break by beating the Montreal Canadiens this afternoon by a score of 3-0. While that sounds like a lopsided victory, it was actually anything but — in fact, in most statistics other than the score, the Canadiens played a better game.
The Caps scored their first goal on a fluke slap shot by Dennis Wideman that barely made it to the net. It was described by the TV announcers as a “knuckleball”, and during the break between the first and second period, Wideman said he was a “little embarrassed” by the goal. The second goal was a solid score by Matt Hendricks, who hammered home a juicy rebound into an almost empty net. Alexander Semin scored the final tally for the visiting Capitals, scoring on a penalty shot after being hooked by Montreal’s defense on a breakaway.
While there is clearly no doubt that the only statistic that really matters is the number of times each team lit th…
Listen to Harry on Habs360 Radio
On Saturday, Harry joined the Habs360 radio show and podcast in Montreal to talk about the Capitals game with the Canadiens that day, Alexander Semin, and the trading deadline. Have a listen by clicking here. The segment starts at the 15 minute mark.
Harry Hawkings is s college student who covers the Caps for RtR. Follow him on Twitter here.
Capitals blank Canadiens; Ovechkin returns from suspension
Tomas Vokoun turned aside all 30 shots he faced and Alexander Semin
converted his team’s second penalty shot attempt as the Washington
Capitals continued their mastery of the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell
Centre with a 3-0 victory on Saturday afternoon. All-Star
defenseman Dennis Wideman and Matt Hendricks also scored and Brooks
Laich notched a pair of assists for Washington, which has shut out the
Canadiens in Montreal on three straight occasions – including a 3-0
victory on Jan. 18. The Capitals improved to 5-0-1 in their last six
visits to Montreal and won for the first time since prior to the
All-Star break. Captain Alex Ovechkin returned after serving a
three-game suspension. He had one shot on goal and blocked two shots in
19 1/2 minutes of ice time. Vokoun secured his third shutout of the season and 47th career after stopping 10 shots in each period. Although
goaltender Peter Budaj escaped unharmed after Troy Brouwer was unable
to convert his pe…
Rapid Rewind: No Habs No. Capitals 3, Canadiens 0
The Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 on Saturday afternoon, backed by a 30-save shutout by Tomas Vokoun. Dennis Wideman, Matt Hendricks, and Alexander Semin scored for the Capitals, who won their first road game in more than two weeks, their previous win coming inside the Bell Centre as well, also by way of a 3-0 shutout. With their win, the Capitals are now one point back of the Panthers for the Southeast Division lead, but the Cats hold a game in hand.
The Capitals got off to a good start, forechecking well and getting some chances on Peter Budaj. Slowly, however, the home team began to gain some momentum, getting their electric crowd engaged. But it was the Capitals who broke on top after less than ten minutes when a Dennis Wideman point drive floated its way through the Canadien defense and over Budaj’s shoulder. After Wideman’s tally, the Caps continued to carry the pace of play, and earned a power play with four minutes left in the period.
…
Capitals 3, Canadiens 0
Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves for his third shutout of the season and Alexander Semin scored on the second of Washington’s two penalty shots in the Capitals’ 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Alex Ovechkin returned to the Capitals’ lineup after serving a three-game suspension for his hit on Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek.
Dennis Wideman and Matt Hendricks also scored for Washington, which won for just the second time in its last six (2-2-2).
Vokoun recorded his 47th NHL shutout, his first in 21 games against Montreal. He debuted with the Canadiens in 1996-97.
Peter Budaj stopped 20 shots for the Canadiens, who lost their third in a row.
Wideman scored his 10th goal on a floater from the point after Brooks Laick won a faceoff in the Canadiens’ zone 8:10 into the game. Hendricks made it a two-goal lead 6:11 into the third.
Semin fired a slap shot past Budaj on his penalty shot 11:57 into the third after he was hooked by Tomas Kaberle on a breakaway.
Budaj stopped Troy Brouwer on Washington’s first penalty shot 9:16 into the second. Brouwer was awarded the penalty shot by referee Rob Martell after Budaj threw his stick at the puck.
Montreal’s Scott Gomez failed to score a goal for his 51st straight game, ensuring that he will go a full calendar year between goals. The veteran center, in the fifth year of a seven-year, $51.5-million contract he signed with the New York Rangers, last scored on Feb. 5, 2011.
NOTES: Vokoun, who has also played for Nashville and Florida, allowed four goals in his one and only appearance for the Canadiens on Feb. 6, 1997. He was pulled after the first period of Montreal’s 9-5 loss in Philadelphia. … Capitals head coach Dale Hunter used his timeout 3:54 into the third with Washington set for a faceoff in its zone after an icing call. … Gomez has seven assists in 22 games this season.
Flyers send D Marshall to Capitals for RW Ford
The Philadelphia Flyers acquired right wing Matt Ford from the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Kevin Marshall.
Ford was assisgned to Adirondack, the AHL affiliate of Philadelphia. He had 10 goals and 18 assists in 39 games for Washington’s AHL affiliate at Hersey.
Marshall did not have a point in 10 games with the Flyers this season.
Flyers, Capitals exchange minor leaguers
The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired right wing Matt Ford from the Washington Capitals for defenseman Kevin Marshall in a trade of minor leaguers.
Ford had 10 goals and 28 points in 39 games for Washington’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He will be assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms. Ford has 50 goals and 100 points in 190 career AHL games with Hershey, Lake Erie and Hartford.
Marshall appeared in 10 games for the Flyers this season. He had two goals and three assists in 32 games for Adirondack this season.
The deal was announced Thursday.
Flyers Trade Kevin Marshall for Matt Ford; Trade is More Than Meets the Eye
Today the Philadelphia Flyers traded defenseman Kevin Marshall for Washington Capitals prospect Matt Ford. This is being touted as an AHL move, but this trade goes deeper than that.
I am hearing a lot of people complain that the Flyers are trading away a defenseman when that is what they are lacking. Clearly why would GM Paul Holmgren make such a stupid, boneheaded move? The answer is simple…he isn’t done.
You have to think with this trade that Philadelphia is clearing some room to bring in another d-man. Look for Homer to make a move here in the next week or two. Look for the Flyers to be heavily scouting some other blueliners to bring in at the deadline.
Follow Johnny on Twitter @RealMacHatter.
Are the Capitals in trouble?
Washington’s perfect start through seven games seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it? When Dale Hunter took over for Bruce Boudreau, it was thought that he would give the Capitals a spark. But as one writer points out, the pre-season Cup contenders are actually going in reverse, and are in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.Following back-to-back losses coming out of the All-Star break, Hunter’s squad finds themselves in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. It’s the lowest they’ve been in the standings this late in the season since the 2007-08 campaign. Who would have predicted in September that the Caps would be looking up at Senators and Panthers (albeit improved)? Yet, that’s the exact position they still in here on February 2nd.There are many reasons for the Capitals’ inconsistency, downfall – whatever you want you to call it.Nicklas Backstrom being out of the lineup for a month now obviously isn’t helping matters. Though he doesn’t have the same fanfare as Alex …
Does Joel Rechlicz Really Have A Place In The NHL?
On Monday morning the Washington Capitals signed the leader of penalty minutes in the AHL, Joel Rechlicz, to a one-year NHL contract and called him up to play in the Capitals first game since the All Star break. In that game, he played a total of 1:49 in two shifts, which both came in the first period of the Capitals 4-3 OT loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. So that brings up the question, does Joel Rechlicz really have a place in the NHL, especially on the Capitals roster?
By now, everyone knows the style of play that Capitals head coach Dale Hunter played back when he still laced the skates up on a nightly basis. He was a tough guy, grinder, fighter, but he was also capable of making plays and putting the puck in the back of the net. He was just under a .75 ppg player throughout his career of 1,407 games. He is the ONLY player in NHL history to rack up over 1,000 points and over 3,000 penalty minutes in his career.
Not many were, or will ever be like him, because the NHL is trending…
Alexander Ovechkin’s new $4.2 million mansion
Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin has some new digs. Ovechkin dropped $4.2 million on a home in McLean, Virginia earlier this month.
The pad was listed for $4,395,000, so Ovechkin did a little wheeling and dealing for his new lair. Unfortunately, we’re not terribly impressed. Yeah, the place is big, but it doesn’t really have any of the stupid amenities most athlete homes have.
Like, where’s the built-in hockey rink or the gigantic pool? You read that right. This joint doesn’t even seem to have a pool. How the hell are you supposed to wow the Russian ladies into orgies without a pool, Ovi!? Think a little, bro!
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Ovechkin’s ho-hum Virginia joint details:
11,000 square feet
3 levels
5 bedrooms
7.5 baths
Den&#…
Washington Capitals in the Wayback Machine?
Watching tonight’s Washington Capitals game, and their recent victory over Boston, felt eerily familiar. The Caps’ roster was relatively devoid of superstars; they fought hard, beat a better team (vs. Boston) and lost a close one to a divisional rival (Tampa).
Without Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green, this Capitals team is surprisingly similar to the Capitals of almost a decade ago… a hard-charging team that both delighted and frustrated its fans.
How so, you ask? Read on… and while these comparisons are far from perfect, consider them food for thought:
2002-03
2011-12
Why?
Steve Konowalchuk
Brooks Laich
Tough, lays it all on the line every shift, scores the dirty goals, everyone loves him
Olaf Kolzig
Tomas Vokoun
Savvy vet netminder — not a shutdown goalie but certainly solid
Jeff Halpern
Jeff Halpern
Well, duh…
Glen Metropolit
Matthieu Perreault
Little guy, constantly underestimated, great s…
