Well, it wasn’t the best way to start a season that is for sure.  You would have thought these were the Caps of last year the way they came from 3 goals behind to tie the score, but suspect goaltending from both goalies and sloppy defense cost the Caps on opening night in a 7-4 loss to Atlanta.

I’m sure not ready to jump ship, heck it’s only one game.  It gives the Caps something to work on and if they thought things would come easy considering the way they ended last year, they are sorely mistaken.  Teams now get up to play the Caps, much like Toronto got up and beat the Red Wings on Thursday.

As much as the Caps dominated most of the game, it was those little lapses that cost them.  In Bruce Boudreau’s system, there will be odd man rushes, and it seemed nearly every one of those were in the back of our net.  Some of them you could not blame on the goalies, but there were plenty of soft goals given up by both Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson.  They need to step up their games big time.

I’m sure everyone is thinking there is a goalie controversy after one game, and there may have been with the way Johnson played after coming into the game.  But the goals he gave up late in the 3rd period were suspect and I would expect Theodore to be back in net Saturday night against Chicago. (By the way, Cristobal Huet-lovers.  He gave up 4 goals in a loss to the Rangers, so I don’t want to hear any of that garbage.)

Theodore was skaky at best.  He made some decent saves, but you could tell he was not comfortable from the start.  He deserves at least 10 games before we start to worry as this system is completely different than the one’s he has played in before.  He is getting to know his new teammates and that will take some time.  However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned a bit.

On the positive side, coming back from a 3-0 deficit was impressive and the Caps had so many chances during the game, they could have scored 10 goals.  I liked what I saw with the power play and the PK was impressive after an early goal.

I still have no concerns with this team, and it’s better that they be brought down to earth in game 1.  Boudreau will likely have lambasted his team after that effort and I would expect them to bounce back in front of the home crowd on Saturday.  We are raising a banner and there will be much to celebrate.  But when it’s all said and done, last year is history.  This team has to prove it is ready to take that next step and one bad game shouldn’t worry them or us… yet.

Remember, Redskins fans were ready to run Jason Campbell out of town after one game, and now he is the “next coming”.  Theodore and the goaltending will improve.  I hope.  Check back in a few weeks and we’ll see where we are!

Anyway, I’m never offended when I feel the ‘experts’ disrespect my teams, because they just see the highlights of certain teams and have not watched them play or know what they are all about.  That being said, it was very interesting to see where many websites/magazines picked the Caps.  Here is your list:

Sportsnet in Canada - 1st in Southeast, no finals.

ESPN - Consensus was 1st in Southeast, no finals.

Sports Illustrated - 2nd in Southeast behind Carolina, no finals.

CBS Sportsline - 3 of 5 ‘experts’ picked 1st in Southeast, no finals.

Fox Sports - 2nd in Southeast, 6th in conference, no finals.

The Canadien press stated the Caps were the league’s most overrated team.  Can’t really believe that since I’ve yet to see a prediction that the Caps would even sniff the Finals.  Everyone seems in love with Montreal and their up and down young goalie, yet every write-up on the Caps says their goaltending is suspect.  I watched every single game last season and while Cristobal Huet was great and definitely deserves credit for the run to the playoffs, this team was peaking even before the trade deadline.  This is a very good team that made what I think is a lateral move in net, in the least.  They have a goalie (Theodore) who is on a 2 year contract.  He’s not filthy rich and set for the next 4 seasons like Huet is in Chicago.  I’m curious to see how Huet plays this year compared to Theodore.

I’m not saying Theodore will be the second coming of Patrick Roy, but at least he has won a playoff series.  Multiple playoff series’.  Every series he’s won is one more than Huet has won.  If the Caps didn’t start the playoff series slow against Philly, the goaltending would not have mattered.  They were the better team in the final 3 games and it took a blind ref and an opportunistic and gritty Flyers club to beat them.

Now, this team may still be a year or two away as their defensive corps still is learning on the job, but it’s hard for me to say the Caps could be overrated.  They are listed as a ’sleeper’ team in many publications and what’s wrong with that?  The NHL is a funny league.  Nobody saw the Lightning or Canes winning the Cup, but they did it, so why not the Caps!

Alright, I’m off my soap box for now, what do you readers think the Caps will do this season?

Chris Bourque and Karl Alzner were sent to Hershey and Quintin Laing was placed on waivers with the intent of assigning him to Hershey should he not be claimed by another team.

For Bourque and Alzner, they will be the first players called up in case of injury or poor play.  Bourque can shine, getting tons of ice time with the Bears and Alzner gets to be the number one defenseman and begin to learn professional hockey.  Could Alzner play in the NHL today, yes, but with the Caps deep on the blueline, they can afford to have him start the season getting 25+ minutes a night in Hershey and he’s only a phone call away.

As for Laing, it’s a tough one.  He’s a hard worker and a fan and player favorite.  On most teams, he’s on the roster, but somebody needed to go and unfortunately he was the odd man out.  If one of the Caps checking forwards go down, he’ll be back in a heartbeat (as long as he does not get claimed by another team).

So the roster is set and we are ready to make our run at another division title.  I can’t wait until Friday to see the guys play a meaningful game once again and I’m jealous of all of you Caps fans in the D.C. area who are going to the game on Saturday night.  It should be a wild atmosphere and hopefully just the beginning of opening night celebrations.

Let’s go Caps.  Let’s start off strong and send a message to the league that we are here to stay!

Update - Laing cleared waivers and will start the season in Hershey.

The team made another round of cuts on Thursday leaving what looks to be the defensive corps all set.  Sami Lepisto, an up and coming young defenseman who saw time last year and proved he could play in the NHL, was cut leaving rookie Karl Alzner as the 7th defenseman.

Bruce Boudreau has not announced that Alzner has made the team, but if they are going to keep 7 blueliners, Alzner is in.  In an interesting turn of events, Sergei Fedorov practiced as a defenseman on Wednesday just in the event they decide to use him on D this season.  Fedorov’s ability to play defense allows the team the luxury of carrying only 6 blueliners if they choose.

I would think that holdovers Milan Jurcina and John Erskine will be on a short leash and if either of them struggle, you could see Alzner get into some games early on.  If all top 6 are playing well, it would not surprise me to see Alzner sent down to Hershey, since it’s better he get on the ice and play rather than sit in the press box watching the big club.

On the offensive side, there is still a logjam of forwards trying to make this team.  If I had to guess the opening day lines, I would go with:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov (Kozlov does have a groin injury, but is expected to be ready in a week)

Laich-Fedorov-Semin

Fleishmann-Nylander-Clark

Brashear-Steckel-Bradley (you can add Boyd Gordon to this line as well)

That leaves Eric Fehr, Chris Bourque and Quintin Laing as the outsiders at this point.  Fehr would have to pass through waivers in order to be sent to Hershey, so he’ll either be with the Caps all season or be traded.  Bourque has impressed so far this pre-season, so he’ll likely be one of the first guys called up in the event of an injury.  Laing is a tough, tough player that probably deserves to be on that 4th line and on the PK unit, but the team is so deep now that quality NHL players will not make this team.  Laing will likely be a healthy scratch for the first few weeks.

In goal, Semen Varlamov battled an injury for the latter part of camp and was sent down.  He’s expected to be the man in Hershey, and I’m sure, when healthy, he’ll get a spot start or two with the Caps at some point during the season.

Look for Jose Theodore to play the remainder of the pre-season schedule in net.  I think he’ll likely get off to a slow start just getting used to the Caps system and getting used to his teammates.  So, Caps fans, if Theodore struggles a bit early, don’t lose your minds.  Give him some time!

Anyone who thought the Caps could not keep up the hot streak they ended last season on… well, they were mistaken.

Yes it’s the preseason, but the Caps have picked up where they left off, improving to 4-0 in the preseason with a 3-2 win over New Jersey on Monday.  The season begins in just 10 days and nearly all the Caps stars are putting up big numbers this preseason.

Leading the way is Michael Nylander and Tomas Fleischmann, who have had impressive games.  Chris Bourque has made his presence known as well, though it will be very tough for him to make the regular season roster.  The reason?  The Caps are just too deep.  They just have too many good players or at least too many young players with a lot of promise.  What an amazing luxury to have.

Fleischmann looks to have cemented his spot on the 3^rd line with Nylander and Clark once the season starts, so an up and coming guy like Eric Fehr won’t  be given the chance to get the ice time needed to continue to develop.  There will be injuries, but for the most part, a lot of these young guys will just have to sit and wait for a chance or they might be traded.

Another positive from the preseason so far is the play of the defense.  That’s what’s been talked about as the Achilles heel of the team, but they have all stepped up in the preseason thus far and if they can keep it up, things will go much smoother for the goaltenders.

And that brings me to the most talked about issue of the team and that is the goalies.  Jose Theodore has played in two preseason games and has been fair.  I’m going off game stories and stats with that assessment, since I have not watched the games he’s played in, but Theodore is a streaky guy.  It remains to be seen how his signing is going to work out.  A lot of people say that he’ll be the difference this season, but I’m not convinced.

Theodore is good enough to help the Caps win the Southeast Division.  But it’s the playoffs that matter.  I have faith that Theodore will play well in the playoffs.  If he doesn’t though, the Caps will have other options.  Probably not Brent Johnson, but I have a feeling that Semen Varlamov is very close to being an NHL goaltender.  From everything I’ve heard, he’s been more than impressive and just needs some more seasoning in this country.  It’s likely he’ll get some opportunities during the regular season and we’ll see what he’s able to do.

Sure, the goaltending could blow up in our faces, but I’m confident in the skill and depth of the organization and with the offensive firepower along with skilled defenders, goaltending should not be an issue until playoff time, and by then we should have a good idea what to expect from whoever is between the pipes.

There was a lot to be happy about in the Caps first two preseason games in which they took on Southeast division rival Carolina in a home and home series.

First, on Wednesday night in Raleigh, the Caps came away with a very impressive 4-1 win.  The star of the game was clearly Tomas Fleischmann and Semen Varlamov.  This is a very important season for Fleischmann and he did his best to cement himself as the winger on the Caps third line chipping in two goals, one of which was a nifty goal in which he knocked the puck out of mid-air.  If Flash can find some consistency, he’ll have a spot next to Michael Nylander in two weeks.

Speaking of Nylander, he played in both games and did very well. He scored twice in Thursday night’s game and seems completely healed from the shoulder injury that ended his 2007-08 season.  Mark my words, getting Nylander back healthy will be like adding a big time free agent to a team that won their division.  He’s that good.  (And he’s the 3^rd line center!)

Anyway, back to Wednesday’s game.  According to those who were there, the Caps would have been down big in the first period if not for Varlamov.  He stopped 20 shots in the first and there have been nothing but great things said about the Caps future netminder through training camp and this first game.  It’s expected he’ll play in Hershey all season, then perhaps be ready to take Brent Johnson’s spot next year.

As for Thursday’s game at Verizon Center, the Caps fell behind 2-0 after one period, but the Caps took over from there behind the solid play of Nylander and Alex Ovechkin (who scored on a penalty shot).  If there were any questions about Ovechkin coming into this year a little tired from a busy offseason, how about 2 goals and an assist in his first preseason game.  He’s had slow starts in his first couple of seasons, but I expect Alex to be ready to go.  Chris Bourque scored a goal as well, while Chris Clark (who also looks 100%) added 2 assists in the Caps 5-2 win.

Now we all know you can’t take too much from the preseason (after all, the Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason this year!), but for an up and coming team, it’s important for all in the organization to retain the confidence gained from last season and come into this season roaring.  This franchise has had its share of slow starts.  They’ve had the entire league’s share of slow starts!  So getting off to a good one would take a lot of the pressure off as the season goes along.

One other thing I’ve seen in these first few games is just how deep this team really is.  Sure, there are questions on the back end, but as far as forwards go, there will be 3 or 4 legitimate NHL players that will be playing in Hershey or riding the pine.  It’s a luxury to have in today’s NHL and it should allow the Caps to be able to fight through any injuries that may come about during the season.  (As long as it’s not to Ovechkin!)

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited for the start of a hockey season.  I think we have to go back to 1990-91 after the Caps had finally reached the conference finals for the first time and had a good team coming back.  This year is different of course with the team having arguably the best player in the NHL as well as a great mix of veteran and young talent. 

So, the question for the next few weeks is what the team will be looking for during training camp.  Which players will be battling to make the team or get more ice time.  For the first time in years, there is so much talent on the roster that the team will likely be trading or cutting some quality players. 

In my opinion, they have perhaps two spots on the team that are question marks.  First, who will be the winger on the 2nd line. 

Your first line will likely be:    Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov

Your third line will likely be:   Laich-Nylander-Clark  (though Laich could move up to the 2nd line)

Assuming Laich is on the 3rd, your second line will look something like this:     Fehr/Fleischmann-Fedorov-Semin

I am a big fan of Fehr and think he deserves a chance on that line.  Fehr was a big scorer in the minors and had a knack for scoring clutch goals.  With Fedorov and Semin, Fehr could really take off.  Fleischmann has been a guy who you would think has had a lot of chances so far and has not been able to get it done.  He has scored some pretty goals, but has not been consistent.  Then again, I’m the same guy who said Brooks Laich wouldn’t make the team last year and he ended up having a breakout season.  I would not mind being wrong again!

On defense, there is some excitment.  With Brian Pothier still out for the forseeable future, rookie Karl Alzner has a great chance to step in and get major minutes if he is able to live up to all the hype.  He’s been described as a man among boys when skating with the other rookies, so I would expect Alzner to be given every shot to be in the top 6, perhaps top 4 this season.

The preseason games start on Wednesday, the 24th with a home and home against the Hurricanes.  Bad news for them this week as they lost forward Justin Williams for 4-6 months with a ruptured achilles tendon.   I just can’t wait for the drop of the puck!

In other Caps news this week, their rookies took on the Flyers rookies on Thursday and the Caps prevailed in a rout, 7-0.  Forwards Francois Bouchard, Mathieu Perreault and Steve Pinizzotto each scored a goal and Alzner and defenseman Josh Godfrey each had an assist.  Godfrey is an interesting player to watch.  He should spend the entire year in Hershey, but he’s got a rocket for a shot and was impressive in last year’s World Junior Championships for Canada.  Simeon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth combined on the shutout as the Caps continue to show the young depth they have for what is shaping up to be one heck of a future.

So, Caps fans, it’s time to Rock The Red again.  It’s time to put perhaps the most talented team on the ice this franchise has ever had and it’s time to see if they can keep rolling under Coach Boudreau and really make a run at the Eastern Conference title!

This is a bit of a surprise to me, but I think it is far overdue.  Gartner received some criticism during his Caps career by following up solid, if not spectacular, regular seasons with poor playoff performances.  However, you can’t take away the fact that Mike Gartner was the Capitals first major offensive weapon in their history.  Sure, they had some flashes in the pan.  Dennis Maruk had some big seasons, but no player in the 1980’s was more consistent than Gartner.

I have to say it was weird seeing Tim Bergland wear #11 just one year after Gartner was traded to Minnesota (with Larry Murphy) for Dino Ciccarelli (and Bob Rouse).  Gartner scored at least 35 goals in every full season with the Caps and that is a record that even Alexander Ovechkin may not break.  Hockey is a tough sport to go 9+ seasons without serious injury.  Gartner was a staple in the nation’s capital along with Rod Langway and Scott Stevens and was an integral part in turning the frachise from a laughing stock into a playoff team.

Gartner will join Yvon Labre, Langway, and Dale Hunter in the rafters of the Verizon Center and hopefully it will not be long before we see two more numbers up there.  Peter Bondra’s #12 and eventually Olie Kolzig’s #37.

I know that is a lot of numbers for a team that has never won a Stanley Cup, but for those who grew up Capitals fans, these players meant so much to a franchise that was close to leaving D.C. in the early 80’s, and in the cases of Bondra and Kolzig, they are the two players who led the team as close to the Cup as they have been to this point in time.

I can’t wait to see a classy guy like Gartner be honored by the Caps and I’ll continue to appreciate the memories that he gave us when Caps fans really needed a super star player.

TSN in Canada had a columnist ranking the Top 50 NHL players in terms of trade value.

Interesting enough, the Caps had 3 players in the Top 19 of that list. 

Nicklas Backstrom came in at #19 (hmm… coincidence?) A 20 year old with 100 point potential and is not a restricted free agent till 2010.

Mike Green was #17.    He’s not going to be a restricted free agent until 2012 and was described nicely as “possibly the most electrifying young offensive defenceman in the game.”  Nice.

Alex Ovechkin came in at #1.  Nice to get some respect for AO with all the Crosby/Malkin love going on out there.  The reason: “163 goals and 310 points in three seasons, combined with a contract that will keep him in D.C. through 2021, makes Ovechkin the premier asset in the game today. ”

Again, not to say the Caps would ever look to trade these guys as they are the cornerstones of a decade or more of Stanley Cup contention, but it’s nice to look at lists like these after years and years of being at the bottom of the league.  Add in Alex Semin, soon-to-be star Karl Alzner, and perhaps one of the young goalies in the system, you can bet you’ll see more and more Caps on these types of lists for years and years to come.

How long till training camp!!!???

First, the Caps will play their division foes only 6 times this season as opposed to the 8 times they have been playing them in the past few years.  Obviously I like this because we get to take on every Western Conference team at least once and two of them twice.

Those will be Columbus, Los Angeles and Nashville.  They should be good as far as wins are concerned. L.A. was pretty bad last year, though they just hired former Caps coach Terry Murray, and Columbus and Nashville are good, but not great. And more importantly, two of the three cities aren’t that far of a commute.

The Caps open up against Atlanta on the road on Friday, October 10th and then take on Chicago in the home opener on Saturday the 11th.  It will be a fine night to celebrate the raising of the division championship banner as well as booing the hell out of Cristobal Huet for taking the money and running!

Olaf the Goalaf returns on Monday, November 10th.  That should be some night as well.  I would hope there will be no booing and hopefully the Caps will put together a nice video to honor the best goalie we ever had.

The only thing that stands out is that the Caps have two west coast trips in October and in November which is nice because they get those out of the way early in the season.  The Caps also end the season with three straight road games, which stinks, but you can blame the circus and the Frozen Four for that.

So, folks, what do you all think of the schedule?