Thursday, November 19, 2009

Caps Recall John Carlson from Hershey

D-men Shaone Morrison and Milan Jurcina are still nursing injuries and listed as day-to-day, so the Capitals have called up youngster John Carlson in case his services are needed tomorrow night against the struggling Montreal Canadiens.

From the team's press release:

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman John Carlson from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Carlson, 19, is a first-year pro who stands 6’3”, 208 pounds. The Natick, Mass., native has played 17 games for Hershey and has one goal, nine assists and zero penalty minutes. His 10 points lead all Hershey blueliners and rank third among AHL rookie defensemen and his +14 rating is tied for the team lead with Karl Alzner.

Carlson joined Hershey last year after the completion of the OHL’s London Knights season where he had 16 goals and 60 assists in 59 junior games. He played in 16 Calder Cup playoff games for Hershey and had two goals and one assist as the Bears won the Calder Cup.


Meanwhile Hockey Mom will join hundreds of fabulous female Caps fans this evening for a night of cameraderie, fun and plenty of hockey talk and on-ice demos from the pros as the Capitals host their annual Hockey N'Heels event at Kettler Capital Iceplex. Stay tuned....

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Great8 Returns: Caps 4 - Rangers 2

The bad blood between these two teams from last season's playoffs has certainly not been laid to rest as the Caps ventured into a hostile MSG to meet the rival Rangers. The Blueshirts got on the board first courtesy of sniper Marian Gaborik at 1:16 in the first period, as the boys seemed to be unable to get the puck out of their own zone. But we had Alex Ovechkin back on the ice and he quickly answered the Rangers tally with a slap shot from the blueline. Though there was no more scoring in the first period, it was all Capitals as the visitors held the Rangers to 5 shots to their 15. The first period also saw an ugly fight between Aaron Voros and Matt Bradley -Brads left the ice looking a bit like he had a run in with a meat grinder. Ovie had this to say about HM's favorite player dropping them for team:"He had big fight. And after his fight our team wake up and play our game."

The Capitals got on the board again in the second period with a Brooks Laich goal from right in front of King Henrik's crease. The chippiness continued as Ovie and Marc Staal were in an all-out battle for greatest number of hits (on each other). Marian Gaborik lit the lamp for the Blueshirts again in the final period, shortly after our much beloved grinder Quintin Laing sacrificed himself yet again to block a Rangers shot. This time Laing took a puck to the face and suffered a broken jaw (he'll be out for several weeks). That guy has had a tough go of it: a torn spleen, swine flu and now the jaw! There cannot be enough said about his dedication and work ethic as a team player....

Of course no Rangers contest would be complete without several doses of obnoxious doled out by none other than Sean Avery. Avery was up to his typical antics from the start of the game and made such dramatic dives trying to draw penalties that HM is going to vote him co-captain of the diving team behind our pal Sidney Crosby! He got away with yet another punch to the face of Semyon Varlamov (yeah #16, we saw you do it in the playoffs too) in direct view of the refs and John Erskine got the penalty when he came to Varly's defense.

But Matt Bradley was the night's big star, smoking both Wade Redden and then Henrik Lundqvist with a beautiful goal driven by sheer strength and will to give the Caps the lead late in the final period. Brian Pothier put a fork in it with his empty net goal as the Caps took down the Rags with a final score of
4-2.

A huge Hockey Mom high five to all the guys for an exciting win and especially to Coach Bruce Boudreau for becoming the fourth fastest coach in the NHL to reach the 100 win mark!

Next up for the Caps, the Montreal Canadiens visit Verizon on Friday after a shoot out win against the struggling Carolina Hurricanes. Let's hope for the sake of our eyesight that the Habs aren't sporting these lovely sweaters:



Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Caps/Rangers Preview

Tonight the Capitals take on the blue-shirted foes from last season's playoff run at Madison Square Garden and will most likely see the return of star Alex Ovechkin to the action. Meanwhile the team has called up some of Mathieu Perreault's buddies from the Hershey Bears with the summoning of center Jay Beagle and goaltender Michal Neuvirth. Sources say that Beagle will most likely only play if David Steckel can't and that goaltender Jose Theodore has returned to D.C. for "personal reasons." As of yesterday, Boyd Gordon and Milan Jurcina are still listed as day-to-day with injuries.

The 11-8-1 Rangers sit at fifth place in the East but are waging their own battle against the injury bug. Captain Chris Drury is still sidelined with concussion symptoms after receiving a brutal high hit from the Calgary Flames' Curtis Glencross (which drew Glencross a three-game suspension). And young Brandon Dubinsky is out with a broken hand. That said, these guys are still an offensive threat as the Caps saw up close the last time they visited the Phone Booth. Marian Gaborik is second in the league in scoring boasting 25 points and his pal, Vinny Prospal, is no slouch himself with 21 points to his credit.

And of course there's always drama when Sean Avery is in the lineup. The uber-pest of the League has two goals and four assists - plus his own new line of clothing. And I hate to give the guy any kind of credit, but he does have a pretty cool Web site. In any case, it's always refreshing to see someone put this guy in his place - who's going to do it tonight for the visitors?

Get ready for a feisty contest as the puck drops at 7 p.m. (VERSUS)...

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Battle of the Best in the East: Caps/Devils

After a win over the Minnesota Wild last night, the Caps headed to the Rock in New Jersey to take on the Devils, who sit one spot below Washington in the Eastern Conference standings. The Caps are 4-2-4 against the Devils under Bruce Boudreau and all but three of the games (all Washington wins) have been decided by one goal. The Devils have won all four games (one in overtime and three in a shootout) that have exceeded regulation.

Minus Ovechkin (who is on the mend and hopes to see action against the Rangers next week) and Mike Knuble (who will be out 3-4 weeks with broken finger, Hockey Mom sighs with sadness as he'll be sorely missed), the boys got off to a nice start against Martin Brodeur and friends. Flash got the boys on board early on in the first with a power play goal at the 4:15 marker while Mathieu Perreault continued his hot streak as well with his own goal at 5:02. For a great read about Perreault, check out today's post from my pals at On Frozen Blog. Mike Green had assists on both Caps' tallies. Colin White netted the only goal for the Devils and the Caps ended the first period with a 2-1 lead.

The Devils tied it up early in the second as Mike Green went to the sin bin for a tripping call and Jamie Langenbrunner whizzed a rocket of a slap shot right over Theodore's shoulder. Midway through the second, the Caps got called for a too many men penalty and the offensively dangerous Devils were once again with the man advantage. Jose Theodore made several nice saves and the boys had a successful penalty kill. But just when you thought we were in the clear, a bad turnover by Alex Semin resulted in a breakaway goal from sniper Zach Parise (don't let his boyish good looks fool you, this guy has consistently been one of the sharpshooters in the league and has 21 points to date). Then in yet another defensive breakdown, the Caps got caught in a 3 on 2 and Matt Halischuk scored his first career goal to give the Devs a 4-2 lead going into the dressing room at the end of the second.

Things continued downhill for the Capitals in the opening minutes of the third period as Corey Murphy scored right off the face off padding the Devils lead by 3. The Caps completely fell off the tracks from the momentum they had going on in the first period and the Devils extended their win streak with a a final score of 5-2. Maybe fatigue could be to blame with the back-to-back weekend, but whatever the case, the boys will have to get it together and regroup to face a tough Rangers team on Tuesday. Let's hope that the Great8 will return and re-energize these guys - we sure didn't see much energy tonight with the exception of the first 20 minutes!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Varly Saves the Day in a Battle of Goaltenders

The Caps got off to a hot start last night, as they hosted the Islanders for the third meeting between the two teams. On a rainy Veteran's Day, a packed Verizon Center went wild as Alex Semin (who's been the focus of much criticism for his inconsistent play lately) netted a zinger a mere eight seconds into the game! I had to drive the hockey carpool and was listening to the action on my trusty XM radio when things began to unravel for the Caps. Moulson, Bergenheim and Mark Streit scored quickly for the Isles for a 3-1 lead, stunning the home crowd and sending Jose Theodore to the bench for the evening. Flash continued his hot streak by pounding one in assisted by our solid playmaker, Nick Backstrom and one Mike Knuble, to cut the Islander's lead to within one.

Now if there's one thing we've learned in our past meetings with these boys from Long Island, it's that they've got one heck of a work ethic. These guys battle for every puck and every hit and they ensured that the Caps had their work cut out for them again last night!

Alex Semin tied the game 3-3 in the second, showing signs of the hot stick that's been missing in action the past few outings without his pal Alex Ovechkin. The Caps added another point on the board in the middle stanza, as Eric Fehr's backhand inked it's way past veteran Dwayne Roloson's grasp. So going into the final period, the boys held a 4-3 lead.

The Islanders (again, these guys never quit) tied it up at 17:52 in the third period as Trent Hunter's wicked slap shot buzzed right over Varlamov's shoulder. As has become the norm for these two teams, we were headed into OT. The Caps tried their darnedest to close this one out in OT and put the pressure on Roloson. But no score in the additional minutes, and this one was headed to a shoot out.

What a shoot out it was - going 11 rounds, as Commish Gary Bettman watched on from Ted Leonsis' box. Alex Semin scored the first shoot out goal for the Caps and captain Chris Clark netted the game-winner in an absolute nail-biter of an ending. Semyon Varlamov was spectacular with eight saves, giving him a 2-0 record in shoot outs. The 5-4 win propelled the Caps to the first place spot in the Eastern Conference - nice work boys!

In other news, no new word on any potential movement of Michael Nylander and Ovechkin has been practicing so let's keep our fingers crossed that we see him back in action very soon.

And for a gal's perspective on what it's like to report on the Washington Capitals, check out HM's interview with some of the savviest female hockey writers in the press box over at ScarletCaps.com!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Capitals Salute Our Veterans and Active Troops


Washington Capitals players pose with Microsoft and USO representatives in front of the Courage Caps at the Microsoft Corp.’s annual A Salute to Our Troops program. (left to right – Brian Pothier, Elaine Rogers, President of the USO of Metropolitan Washington, Teresa Carlson, Mike Knuble, Vice President, Microsoft US Federal, David Steckel and Chris Clark. Photo by Getty Image/Jemal Countess.

The Washington Capitals continued their commitment to honoring the country's brave men and women who serve in our military by participating with WTOP 103.5 FM, Federal News Radio 1500 AM and the USO of Metropolitan Washington in Microsoft Corp.’s annual A Salute to Our Troops program with Operation USO Care Package Day. Chris Clark, Mike Knuble, Brian Pothier and David Steckel joined forces with Ted Leonsis and more than a hundred volunteers to assemble 5,000 care packages that will be sent to our troops serving overseas.

The Capitals players recorded video messages for the troops, sending best wishes to them during the holiday season on the Pentagon Channel. “It’s always special when you can help out the people who keep us safe,” said captain Chris Clark.

“We all did video messages for the men and women serving oversees that hopefully can let them know how much we appreciate all that they do for us,” said Pothier.

As part of the program, the USO-Metro hospital services team brought the wounded warriors “Sled Dogs” team from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center to Kettler Iceplex where they scrimmaged on the ice after the Capitals’ practice. The Caps players met and took pictures with the wounded warriors before heading up to pack the care packages.

This event launched Courage Caps, presented by Microsoft, which is in its third season and has raised nearly $70,000 in the first two years. Courage Caps are team-issued and branded hats that will be sold through December at Capitals home games, at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and online at WashingtonCaps.com with 100% of the proceeds benefiting USO-Metro. Caps fans can purchase their Courage Caps at Verizon Center tomorrow when the boys take on the New York Islanders.

Tomorrow night the Capitals will mark Veteran's Day by hosting more than 50 Wounded Warriors and their families for tomorrow's game at Verizon Center, in conjunction with Microsoft and the USO of Metropolitan Washington. The Wounded Warriors will also be treated to a pre-game reception, where they will be honored and recognized for their service and courage.

Hockey Mom joins Caps fans united in thanking our troops for their service - keep them in your prayers as they stand in harm's way to preserve our freedom.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Caps/Panthers: Part Deux

After returning from last night's win over the Florida Panthers in the wee hours of the morning (2 a.m. to be precise), the Capitals suited up to face the Cats on their home turf at the Phone Booth. Last night's 4-1 victory came at a price, as Jeff Schultz and Mike Green (with lower and upper body injuries, respectively) joined the Great8 in the press box. Jose Theodore got the nod in net for the home team, while Scott Clemmensen held court in the Panthers' crease.

After his fabulous game last night (a goal, a +3 rating and three hits in 18:25 of ice time), young Tyler Sloan was being called "Deion Sanders" by his team mates. Brian Pothier (who had a heck of a game himself with a goal and two assists), referred to the youngster as "our swingman - our Deion Sanders." Way to go Sloaner!

Tonight's rematch got chippy early on as the aforementioned Sloan took a huge hit into the boards courtesy of Michal Repik. But as they've done in the last 13 of 16 games this year, the men in red got on the scoreboard first with a goal from Mike Knuble. Knuble got assistance on his tally from Brendan Morrison and Brooks Laich. Shortly after the goal, Chris Clark took a seat for holding and the boys went on the PK. On the kill, Caps fans saw the phenomenal Quintin Laing block yet another shot - is this guy amazing or what? Hey Quintin, can you rub off some of that "do whatever it takes to get it done for the team" mojo on Alex Semin? And speaking of Semin, he took the second Capitals penalty for - you guessed it - a trip. End of first period: Caps 1 - Panthers 0

Alex Semin's
penalty woes continued in the opening minutes of the middle period as he was called for a cross-check. Then Jose Theodore neglected to clamp down on a Panther rebound, resulting in a goal from Michael Frolik to get the cats on the board. The Panthers gave the Caps a power play opportunity at the 4:28 mark and Brooks Laich regained the home team's lead with a sharp-angled goal against Clemmensen. However, they didn't take the lead for long as 19-year old Dmitry Kulikov wound up and shot a rocket past Theo to earn his first NHL goal. Tyler Sloan appeared to be screening Theo on that one. The hard hits prevailed in the second period as Laing nailed Kulikov and John Erskine (back after a nine game absence) absolutely flattened a Panthers player.

The Cats lit the lamp for the third time courtesy of Michal Repik. End of the second period: Panthers 3 - Caps 2

The boys tied it up early in the third as Mathieu Perreault scored his first NHL goal - a huge Hockey Mom high five to him! They regained the lead at 3:01 into the final period from the hard-working line of Laing-Steckel-Bradley with Quintin getting credit for the goal. In what had become an action-packed, tit for tat contest, the Panthers' Corey Stillman blew one past Theo (a soft one I'm sure he'd so love to have back). But about two and a half minutes later, Flash was on the move and scored from a wrap around attempt from Backstrom. Then the Capitals lit the lamp again as Mike Knuble deflected the puck into the goal by doing what he does best, parking his large frame in front of the opposition's net. Knuble's goal made it a 6-4 contest. The boys netted yet another goal from Tomas Fleischmann at 13:38 in the third as the Panthers d-men stood around and watched like a bunch of Squirt house players!

Flash (two goals) and Knuble (two goals and two assists) both had an outstanding game (as did my favorite grinder Laing) to give the Caps a commanding win despite playing without Ovie and Green! Final score: Caps 7 - Panthers 4

Nice job all around - and be sure to join Mike Green for the second edition of Caps on the Fly this coming Monday. Green will chat with Mike Vogel in a live broadcast from the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown D.C. starting at 6 p.m. Fans can can watch the show live at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 815 14th Street in downtown Washington, D.C., or online at WashingtonCaps.com.

Next up for the Caps (hopefully we'll have all the guys back on the bench) is another meeting with the New York Islanders on Wednesday. And stay tuned for news of any possible movement of Michael Nylander as he is set to clear waivers on Monday and could be on his way to a new home somewhere.