When: November 6, 2009 7:30 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 7-5-1-1
Caps Game 16 Record: 16-14-4-0
All-Time vs. FLA: 39-32-9-6
All-Time at FLA: 19-19-4-1
Last Season vs. FLA: 3-3-0
Last Meeting: 4/11/09, WAS 4 FLA 7

This Year:

WAS Record: 8-3-4
Standings Points: 20
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 2nd
Last Game: 11/4/09, WAS 2 NJ 3
Streak: Loss 3

FLA Record: 5-7-1
Standings Points: 11
Division Rank: 4th
Conference Rank: 13th
Last Game: 11/4/09, FLA 3 CAR 0
Streak: Win 3

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 9 MORRISON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 89 SLOAN, 85 PERREAULT, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 53 LAING, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV

Florida
Forward Line 1: 61 STILLMAN, 9 WEISS, 16 HORTON
Forward Line 2: 85 OLESZ, 27 REINPRECHT, 67 FROLIK
Forward Line 3: 11 CAMPBELL, 19 MOORE, 32 REPIK
Forward Line 4: 71 MCARDLE, 28 KREPS, 6 KOISTINEN
Defense Pair 1: 24 MCCABE, 2 BALLARD
Defense Pair 2: 4 SEIDENBERG, 5 ALLEN
Defense Pair 3: 43 KULIKOV, 44 LEOPOLD
Goalie: 29 VOKOUN
Back-up Goalie: 30 CLEMMENSEN

Injuries:
Washington - 8 OVECHKIN (upper body) WTW, 15 GORDON (back) DTD, 16 FEHR (upper body) DTD

Florida - 10 BOOTH (concussion) IR, 14 DVORAK (knee) IR, 74 TARNASKY (broken orbital bone) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 3 points to reach 300 in his career.
Brendan Morrison needs 6 shots on goal to reach 1,400 for his career.

Preview:
After a third period meltdown that cost the team the game against the Devils, the Caps look to make amends against the Florida Panthers. Three late penalties cost the Caps as a 1-1 tie turned into a 3-1 deficit. The Caps are learning the hard way that discipline matters and you can’t turn on and off intensity. It’s a message being drilled into their heads by Head Coach Bruce Boudreau but so far has failed to hit home. This game will is the second without Alex Ovechkin and Florida is surging with a 3-game winning streak. Look for the Capitals to play a simplified game with lots of hitting and grinding. The Caps need to take advantage of their size and speed. Watch Alexander Semin in this game, in the Jersey game he was about as bad as he could be and will look to bounce back. In his career Semin has 10 goals and 12 assists in 25 games against Florida. I’m thinking a 1-goal game into the third with the Caps pulling out the victory with a solid effort for 60 minutes.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 FLA 1

Official Preview

When: November 4, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 8-4-0-1
Caps Game 15 Record: 14-14-4-2
All-Time vs. NJ: 72-55-8-9
All-Time at NJ: 30-33-4-4
Last Season vs. NJ: 2-0-2
Last Meeting: 10/12/09, WAS 2 NJ 3 (OT-SO)

This Year:

WAS Record: 8-2-4
Standings Points: 20
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 2nd
Last Game: 11/1/09, WAS 4 CLB 5 (OT)
Streak: Loss 2

NJ Record: 8-4-0
Standings Points: 16
Division Rank: 2nd
Conference Rank: 5th
Last Game: 10/31/09, NJ 2 TAM 1 (OT-SO)
Streak: Win 2

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 9 MORRISON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 16 FEHR, 85 PERREAULT, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 53 LAING, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV

New Jersey
Forward Line 1: 9 PARISE, 8 ZUBRUS, 15 LANGENBRUNNER
Forward Line 2: 17 PIKKARAINEN, 19 ZAJAC, 12 ROLSTON
Forward Line 3: 18 BERGFORS, 21 NIEDERMAYER, 23 CLARKSON
Forward Line 4: 25 PETERS, 10 PELLEY, 16 HALISCHUK
Defense Pair 1: 5 WHITE, 27 MATTAU
Defense Pair 2: 29 ODUYA, 24 SALVADOR
Defense Pair 3: 6 GREENE, 2 FRASER
Goalie: 30 BRODEUR
Back-up Goalie: 35 DANIS

Injuries:
Washington - 8 OVECHKIN (upper body) WTW, 4 ERSKINE (upper body) DTD, 15 GORDON (back) DTD, 16 FEHR (upper body) DTD

New Jersey - 26 ELIAS (hip, groin) IR, 7 MARTIN (arm) IR, 20 PANDOLFO (shoulder) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 3 points to reach 300 in his career.
Brendan Morrison needs 8 shots on goal to reach 1,400 for his career.

Preview:
The Caps face the New Jersey Devils without their two-time MVP Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin injured his shoulder in Sunday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The rest of the team will need to pick up their game as Ovechkin provided 1.64 points per game to the Caps this season. Expect the Capitals to bear down on the forecheck and tighten up the defensive play. Not to say that this will be an easy task but they will need to shut down the opposition more than before. Watch the intensity level for the Caps. They have not been able to produce a consistent 60-minute effort this season. Consistency will be the key to playing without Ovechkin. Also look for one of the top six forwards to step up. Alexander Semin can be a game breaker and Brooks Laich scored two goals after #8 left the ice last game. The Caps will have to rally as a team and I think they will put together a solid effort and pull this one out in a gritty grinding game.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 NJ 2

Official Preview

When: October 22, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 3-4-0-0
Caps Game 9 Record: 14-16-3-1
All-Time vs. ATL: 28-18-5-5
All-Time at ATL: 11-11-2-4
Last Season vs. ATL: 4-2-0
Last Meeting: 4/7/09, WAS 4 ATL 2

This Year:

WAS Record: 4-2-2
Standings Points: 10
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 3rd
Last Game: 10/17/09, WAS 3 NAS 2 (OT-SO)
Streak: Win 2

ATL Record: 4-1-1
Standings Points: 9
Division Rank: 2nd
Conference Rank: 6th
Last Game: 10/20/09, ATL 1 MON 2 (OT-SO)
Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 9 MORRISON, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 16 FEHR, 20 AUCOIN, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 53 LAING, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV
Back-up Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Scratch: 92 NYLANDER, 89 SLOAN

Atlanta
Forward Line 1: 17 KOVALCHUK, 80 ANTROPOV, 10 LITTLE
Forward Line 2: 13 KOZLOV, 12 WHITE, 20 ARMSTRONG
Forward Line 3: 9 KANE, 47 PEVERLY, 61 AFINOGENOV
Forward Line 4: 36 BOULTON, 19 REASONER, 27 THORBURN
Defense Pair 1: 6 HAINSEY, 39 ENSTROM
Defense Pair 2: 4 BOGOSIAN, 77 KUBINA
Defense Pair 3: SCHUBERT, SALMELA
Goalie: 31 PAVELEC
Back-up Goalie: 1 HEDBERG

Injuries:
Washington - 14 FLEISCHMANN (blood clot) LTIR, 4 ERSKINE (upper body) DTD, 15 GORDON (back) DTD

Atlanta - 5 VALABIK (ankle) IR, 26 WELCH (knee) IR, 63 SIDDALL (undisclosed) IR, 32 LEHTONEN (back) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 4 points to reach 300 in his career.
Mike Green needs 5 assists to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Knuble needs 2 penalty minute to reach 500 in his career.

Preview:
After a short home stand where the Caps went 2-0-1, the team heads out on a two game road trip starting in Atlanta. The Thrashers have started off well with a 4-1-1 record and have been getting some outstanding goaltending from young Ondrej Pavelec. This game should be very interesting to watch as the Capitals are trying to develop a finisher’s mentality and this is a game the Caps should win hands down. Watch the play of the forwards coming back in this one. The defense has been stopping the initial rush quite well but the team has been burnt a couple times when the forwards fail to pick up the late guy coming into the zone. Look for Alex Ovechkin to have a big game. He has more goals (23), assists (26), and points (49) against Atlanta than any other team in the NHL. I think this game will be competitive match up with the Russian trying to show each other up but in the end the Caps will prevail with good defensive play.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 ATL 2

Official Preview

When: October 15, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 2-5-2-0
Caps Game 7 Record: 9-20-5-0
All-Time vs. SAN: 8-15-1-1
All-Time at home vs. SAN: 5-7-0-1
Last Season vs. SAN: 0-1-0
Last Meeting: 11/22/08, WAS 2 SAN 7

This Year:

WAS Record: 2-2-2
Standings Points: 6
Division Rank: 2nd
Conference Rank: 8th
Last Game: 10/12/09, WAS 2 NJ 3 (OT-SO)
Streak: Loss 4

SAN Record: 3-2-1
Standings Points: 7
Division Rank: 3rd
Conference Rank: 8th
Last Game: 10/12/09, SAN 0 PHO 1
Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 9 MORRISON, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 16 FEHR, 39 STECKEL, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 53 LAING, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV
Back-up Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Scratch: 92 NYLANDER, 89 SLOAN

San Jose
Forward Line 1: 15 HEATLEY, 19 THORNTON, 16 SETOGUCHI
Forward Line 2: 29 CLOWE, 12 MARLEAU, 41 ORTMEYER
Forward Line 3: 64 MCGINN, 27 MALHOTRA, 78 FERRIERO
Forward Line 4: 45 SHELLEY, 21 NICHOL, 59 STAUBITZ
Defense Pair 1: 22 BOYLE, 4 BLAKE
Defense Pair 2: 3 MURRAY, 44 VLASIC
Defense Pair 3: 40 HUSKINS, 60 DEMERS
Goalie: 20 NABOKOV
Back-up Goalie: 1 GREISS

Injuries:
Washington - 14 FLEISCHMANN (blood clot) IR, 4 ERSKINE (upper body) DTD

San Jose - 17 MITCHELL (knee) IR, 8 PAVELSKI (lower body) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 4 points to reach 300 in his career.
Mike Green needs 6 assists to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Knuble needs 2 penalty minute to reach 500 in his career.

Preview:
The Capitals take on the San Jose Sharks in a battle of underachieving division winners. Both teams have sputtered at the start of the season and are looking to get back on track. Washington has lost their last 4 outings and San Jose is coming off a whitewashing at the hands of the Phoenix Coyotes. I expect the two teams to be very well prepared for this game. The action should be fast paced as both teams like to get up and go. Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has changed up the top line by moving up Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble to play with Alex Ovechkin, we’ll watch and see what that does to the second line. Look for some contribution from the third and fourth lines. They have been noticeably absent in the first 6 games and need to chip in some offensive production. I think this will be a great game to watch as both teams are highly skilled but the Caps should pull it out with a third period push.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 SAN 3

Official Preview

When: October 12, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 3-9-0-1
Caps Game 6 Record: 10-18-4-2
All-Time vs. NJ: 72-55-8-8
All-Time at home vs. NJ: 42-22-4-4
Last Season vs. NJ: 2-0-2
Last Meeting: 2/3/09, WAS 5 NJ 2

This Year:

WAS Record: 2-2-1
Standings Points: 5
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 3rd
Last Game: 10/10/09, WAS 2 DET 3
Streak: Loss 3

NJ Record: 2-2-0
Standings Points: 4
Division Rank: 4th
Conference Rank: 9th
Last Game: 10/10/09, NJ 3 FLA 2
Streak: Win 2

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 9 MORRISON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 16 FEHR, 39 STECKEL, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 53 LAING, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 4 ERSKINE, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV
Back-up Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Scratch: 92 NYLANDER, 89 SLOAN, 55 SCHULTZ

New Jersey
Forward Line 1: 15 LANGENBRUNNER, 19 ZAJAK, 9 PARISE
Forward Line 2: 23 CLARKSON, 8 ZUBRUS, 12 ROLSTON
Forward Line 3: 18 BERGFORS, 21 NIEDERMAYER, 20 PANDOLFO
Forward Line 4: PIKKARAINEN, 10 PELLY, 25 PETERS
Defense Pair 1: 7 MARTIN, 29 ODUYA
Defense Pair 2: 5 WHITE, 24 SALVADOR
Defense Pair 3: 27 MOTTAU, 28 MURPHY
Goalie: 30 BRODEUR
Back-up Goalie: 35 DANIS

Injuries:
Washington - 14 FLEISCHMANN (blood clot) IR

New Jersey - 2 FRASER (upper body) IR, 26 ELIAS (groin) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 4 points to reach 300 in his career.
Mike Green needs 6 assists to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Knuble needs 4 penalty minute to reach 500 in his career.

Preview:
The Caps look to break their 3-game losing streak at home against the New Jersey Devils. One of the issues they are looking to address is taking too many dumb penalties. It hurt them last year and continues to hurt them this year. In this weekend’s loss to Detroit the Caps, 3 guys took 5 minor penalties with the last two being turned into goals, including the game winner, by the Red Wings. Watch for the team to be more attentive against the Devils and hopefully not at the expense of being aggressive. The Caps worked hard along the boards in Detroit and need that same effort tonight. It should be a grinding type game but look for a big game from the Caps top line. I’m thinking an early goal from the Caps will set the tempo and for goodness sake can someone on the back line please put the puck in the net.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 NJ 3

Official Preview

When: October 6, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 6-3-0-0
Caps Game 3 Record: 11-16-6-1
All-Time vs. PHI: 66-94-19-0
All-Time at PHI: 29-56-6-0
Last Season vs. PHI: 2-2-0
Last Meeting: 3/12/09, WAS 2 PHI 1

This Year:

WAS Record: 2-0-0
Standings Points: 4
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 1st
Last Game: 10/3/09, WAS 6 TOR 4
Streak: Win 2

PHI Record: 2-0-0
Standings Points: 4
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 1st
Last Game: 10/3/09, PHI 5 NJ 2
Streak: Win 2

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 9 MORRISON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 53 LAING, 39 STECKEL, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 34 KANE, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 4 ERSKINE, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV
Back-up Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Scratch: 92 NYLANDER, 89 SLOAN, 55 SCHULTZ

Philadelphia
Forward Line 1: 12 GAGNE, 18 RICHARDS, 27 PYORALA
Forward Line 2: 19 HARTNELL, 17 CARTER, 48 BRIERE
Forward Line 3: 21 VAN RIEMSDYK, 36 POWE , 28 GIROUX,
Forward Line 4: 13 CARCILLO, 11 BETTS, 14 LAPERRIERE
Defense Pair 1: 20 PRONGER, 44 TIMONEN
Defense Pair 2: 5 COBURN, 25 CARLE
Defense Pair 3: 77 PARENT, SYVRET
Goalie: 29 EMERY
Back-up Goalie: 79 TESLAK

Injuries:
Washington - 16 FEHR (shoulders) IR, 14 FLEISCHMANN (blood clot) IR

Philadelphia - 33 BOUCHER (lower body) DTD, 55 TOLLEFSEN (shoulder) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 5 points to reach 300 in his career.
Mike Green needs 7 assists to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Knuble needs 4 penalty minute to reach 500 in his career.

Preview:
The Capitals face a big test as they head up I-95 for a matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. Both teams are 2-0-0 and the “experts” have predicted both to be Cup contenders in the spring. I expect a very physical affair between the two squads as they both want to assert themselves as Eastern Conference Elites and they just do not like each other. The Caps top line has been firing on all cylinders with Alex Ovechkin (3 goals, 3assists), Nicklas Backstrom (0,5), and Alexander Semin (2g,3a) leading the league in points through 2 games. Brooks Laich is up there as well, chipping in with 3 goals and 2 assists. The Caps poured it on the Maple Leafs for the first two periods building a 6-1 lead but allowed the Leafs to make it respectable with 3 goals in the third. The Caps need to be less cute with the lead and stifle any attempts of life once they have the advantage. Most likely this will be a season long effort so we’ll watch for progress. Watch the Capitals power play as the Flyers like to rough up their opposition and the Caps will need to make them pay if they do. I thought John Erskine did an excellent job against the Leafs as he was baited into a fight but wouldn’t go and allow Toronto to get some momentum. Look for a very fast pace with lots of hitting and the Caps pulling it out in the third.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 4 PHI 3

Official Preview

When: October 3, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 1-0-0-0
Caps Game 2 Record: 11-20-3-0
All-Time vs. TOR: 53-48-10-3
All-Time at home vs. TOR: 33-21-4-1
Last Season vs. TOR: 2-1-1
Last Meeting: 3/24/09, WAS 2 TOR 3 (OT-SO)

This Year:

WAS Record: 1-0-0
Standings Points: 2
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 1st
Last Game: 10/1/09, WAS 4 BOS 1
Streak: Win 1

TOR Record: 0-0-1
Standings Points: 1
Division Rank: 2nd
Conference Rank: 4th
Last Game: 10/1/09, TOR 3 MON 4 (OT)
Streak: Lost 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 9 MORRISON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 53 LAING, 39 STECKEL, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 34 KANE, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV
Back-up Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Scratch: 92 NYLANDER

Toronto
Forward Line 1: 55 BLAKE, 84 GRABOVSKI, 23 PONIKAROVSKY
Forward Line 2: 9 HAGMAN, STAJAN, STALBERG
Forward Line 3: 12 STEMPNIAK, 39 MITCHELL, 51 WALLIN
Forward Line 4: 28 ORR, 18 PRIMEAU, 38 ROSEHILL
Defense Pair 1: 15 KABERLE, 22 BEAUCHEMIN
Defense Pair 2: 2 SCHENN, 8 KOMISAREK
Defense Pair 3: 3 EXELBY, 7 WHITE
Goalie: 35 TOSKALA
Back-up Goalie: 50 GUSTAVSSON

Injuries:
Washington - 16 FEHR (shoulders) IR, 14 FLEISCHMANN (blood clot) IR

Toronto - 37 BRENT (undisclosed) IR, 26 VAN RYN (knee) IR, 81 KESSEL (shoulder) IR

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 5 points to reach 300 in his career.
Mike Green needs 8 assists to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Knuble needs 4 penalty minute to reach 500 in his career.
Alex Ovechkin needs 4 shots on goal to reach 1,800 in his career.

Preview:
The Capitals return to the friendly confines of the Verizon Center after a decisive win over Boston on Thursday. The Caps will raise the Southeast Division banner to the rafters and then take on the revamped Maple Leafs. Toronto is coming off an opening night, overtime loss to Montreal. The Capitals played a complete game against the Bruins and want to repeat that performance. This should be a hard hitting affair as the Leafs have been built to be a bruising team this season. Watch the Caps forwards in this one as they did an excellent job coving for the pinching d-men in the offensive zone against the Bruins. This is one of the areas they need to be more consistent than they were a year ago. They tended to get cute against teams they should beat and allow them to hang around. I expect the Caps with start with an extraordinary pace in the first ten minutes. Look for the second line to come up big and if the Leafs want to rough up the Caps, the boys in red need to make them pay on the power play.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 4 TOR 2

Official Preview

When: October 1, 2009 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 1-0-0-0
Caps Game 1 Record: 16-16-2-0
All-Time vs. BOS: 38-61-21-7
All-Time at BOS: 17-34-9-4
Last Season vs. BOS: 3-0-1
Last Meeting: 2/28/09, WAS 4 BOS 3

This Year:

WAS Record: 0-0-0
Standings Points: 0
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 1st
Last Game: 5/13/09, WAS 2 PIT 6
Streak: na

BOS Record: 0-0-0
Standings Points: 0
Division Rank: 1st
Conference Rank: 1st
Last Game: 5/14/09, BOS 2 CAR 3 (2OT)
Streak: na

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 9 MORRISON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 53 LAING, 39 STECKEL, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 34 KANE, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 23 JURCINA, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 2 POTHIER
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 40 VARLAMOV
Scratch: 92 NYLANDER

Boston
Forward Line 1: 26 WHEELER, 91 SAVARD, 17 LUCIC
Forward Line 2: 12 KOBASEW, 37 BERGERON, 16 STURM
Forward Line 3: 73 RYDER, 46 KREJCI, 28 RECCHI
Forward Line 4: 22 THORNTON, 27 BEGIN, 61 BITZ
Defense Pair 1: 33 CHARA, 6 WIDEMAN
Defense Pair 2: 53 MORRIS, 45 STUART
Defense Pair 3: 21 FERENCE, 48 HUNWICK
Goalie: 30 THOMAS
Back-up Goalie: 40 RASK

Injuries:
Washington - 16 FEHR (shoulders) IR, 14 FLEISCHMANN (blood clot) IR

Boston - None

Caps Milestones:
Tom Poti needs 6 points to reach 300 in his career.
Mike Green needs 8 assists to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Knuble needs 6 penalty minute to reach 500 in his career.
Alex Ovechkin needs 9 shots on goal to reach 1,800 in his career.

Preview:
The Capitals open the season on the road against the Boston Bruins. Boston was first place in the Eastern Conference last season but the Caps had their number going 3-0-1 in their four meetings. Both teams were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs and are looking to be title contenders this season. The Capitals will want to come out of the gate strong so look for an extremely fast paced game. The key for the Caps is defensive responsibility, when they play as a team their defense is solid but when they start freelancing and extending their shift lengths they get themselves into trouble. Watch for the forward coverage in the offensive zone. If the forwards support the d-men then the Caps will be in for a very good night. I think there will be lots of hitting and lots of scoring chances and in the end the Caps will outgun the Bruins.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 BOS 3

Official Preview

The Capitals have just completed their allotment of 6 preseason games and have final cuts to make before heading into the new season. On Thursday the Caps begin the season with a tough road match up in Boston. The beginning of the season is always a time for excitement and anticipation but this season comes with the expectation of competing for hockey’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. Sporting their new motto t-shirts, the team unabashedly state this goal: “Get Ready. It’s Our Time.” As they prepare for the marathon that is the regular season the team seems to have a sense of destiny. Right now they are the darlings of Washington. No other professional team can match their appeal, enthusiasm, and most of all, their story. From the two time Hart Trophy winning Alex Ovechkin to the larger than life Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the Capitals grown before our eyes. From my seat at the then MCI Center, I watched the systematic dismantling of a perennial playoff contender in favor of raw unproven talent. While it was painful to watch, I understood that the team needed to be reborn. With a little draft luck and some shrewd moves the team now has a core of players that have endured the tough times and have captured the hearts and minds of the fans. Now it’s their time to shine.

The question is do they have what it takes to fulfill their goal? That is a question that will be answered in the months to come. The team lost four veteran players from last year’s squad in Sergei Fedorov, Viktor Kozlov, Brent Johnson and Donald Brashear. In free agency they picked up two veteran forwards signing Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison. In Knuble they gain a net presence that the team has not seen in some time. If he is on the top line with Ovechkin, his propensity to gobble up rebounds may give Ovie a shot at leading the league in assists. Morrison is penciled in as the second line center replacing Michael Nylander who has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. Nylander did not appear in any preseason games and his future is very unclear at this point. The loss of Brashear leaves the Caps without an enforcer but the team still has grit and will look to punish teams on the power play for their transgressions.

The Capitals offense was one of the best in the NHL last season. In 2008-09, the Caps ranked third with 268 goals scored. 85 of those goals came on the power play representing the most the Capitals have scored with the man advantage since 1992-1993. The Capitals gave up a total of 240 goals against tying them for 19th in the league. The Capitals have lots of depth at the defense and goalie position but are very inexperienced at the same time. The defense has 10 players returning who played with the Caps last season. The coaches will have some decisions to make here. Mike Green was second in the Norris Trophy balloting last season and will look to build on his 73 point output from a year ago. The return of Brian Pothier at the end of last season added more experience but rookies Karl Alzner and John Carlson are looking to break into the lineup. It will be interesting to see who is on the opening day roster. In goal the Caps will start the season with Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov between the pipes. Michal Neuvirth had an exceptional training camp but got injured in the final week. Other injury notes include Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann. Fehr is still recovering from surgery on both shoulders and Flash had a blood clot in his leg and will be out for few more weeks. Quintin Laing, Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux are battling to take these spots on the roster.

To move into the elite team conversation the Caps need to be a more consistent team. Last season they played their best hockey against the best competition but played their worst hockey against the bottom of the standings especially outside of the conference. The Caps lost to Phoenix, Edmonton, Columbus (twice), Colorado, and Los Angeles (twice). The Caps need to show up with the same effort against every team they face. Most of the rants we saw from Head Coach Bruce Boudreau last season were directly tied to this concern. With that being said, The Caps are still rather young and wear emotion on their sleeve but the experience gained last season should bring more maturity and consistency to the team. The schedule this year will be brutal with the Olympics not allowing as many days off but the last month of the last season was not good for the Caps as most of the teams they played were out of the playoffs and led to a slight let down going into the post season. This year’s schedule appears to be stiffer and the end and hopefully will prime the team going into the playoffs.

I expect the Caps to start the season very fast. Judging from the preseason, the team looks like they wanted the season to start yesterday. They had a couple of goal scoring explosions that may foretell an ability to put a lot of pucks in the net in a hurry. I would expect them to cool down going into November but pick it back up around Christmas time. Following the Olympic break it will be interesting to see what happens as quite a few of the Caps will be representing their home countries in the Vancouver games. They will probably be a little more run down than most teams but then pick it up again going into April and then its playoff time and sixteen wins gets you a cup. Thursday is the beginning of a long road but this team seems to have the components in place to make the run and I am ready boys make it our year.

The Caps couldn’t have picked a worse spot to have a bad game. The Game 7 dream match up between the Caps and the Pens never really materialized. The Caps Alex Ovechkin had a chance to put the home team up on an early breakaway but was stopped by a nice glove save from the Pittsburgh goalie. Then a bad penalty led to the first Pens goal and 8 seconds later it was 2-0. The second period wasn’t much better the Pens got two more goals and young Simeon Varlamov’s night was done. Jose Theodore came on and gave up one more and the lead was 5-0. Alex Ovechkin scooped up a misplayed puck and scored to make it 5-1 going into the third. The Caps came out with a bit of life early in the period but a 4 minute high stick penalty put them back on the ropes. Pressing to get offense even with a man down cost the Caps as the Pen scored a breakaway goal. Brooks Laich scored a net mouth goal to make it 6-2 but it was too late. Now the Capitals head to the off season and will try to get the formula right for next year. It was a great season for such a young team but it still stings to lose such a big game.

Official Recap, Game Summary, Event Summary