The Washington Capitals bounced back from a somewhat dreary affair Monday night against Buffalo to sparkle in a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks.  The Caps are now 3-1-0 in the pre-season.

Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble each had two goals, with Nicklas Backstrom and Tyler Sloan picking up the other markers.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots in net. The Caps out shot the Hawks 30-28 and went 3-for-6 on the power play.

Knuble was cited by coach Bruce Boudreau for his good play.  His first goal bounced off his leg, and the second one he skated around a defenseman and beat goalie Corey Crawford from the high slot.

"He's a meat-and-potatoes guy," Boudreau said. "Coaches love guys like that. It's an element we haven't seen around Washington in a while."

The team travels to New York tonight to face the Rangers at MSG at 7:00 pm.  The travel squad information was not available at the time of this post.

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THREE DAY SCHEUDLE

Thursday, Sept. 24

10:00 a.m.: Morning skate/Practice, Kettler Capitals Iceplex

7:00 p.m.: at New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

TV: MSG.  Radio: WashingtonCaps.com

Friday, Sept. 25

Day Off

Saturday, Sept. 26

10:00 a.m.: Practice, Kettler Capitals Iceplex

9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Capitals Convention, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center

The Washington Capitals host the Chicago Black Hawks tonight at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center.

According to Capitals Insider, this morning's skate at Kettler was optional, so the line pairings weren't announced, but the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble line is expected to play.

Other forwards on tonight's roster:  Semin, Laich, B. Gordon, Clark, Laing, Osala, A. Gordon, Perreault, Wilson and Sugden

Defense:  Green, Morrisonn, Pothier, Poti, Jurcina, Sloan

Semyon Varlamov is slated to start with Michael Neuvirth backing him up.

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Olaf Kolzig, the long-time face and heart of the Washington Capitals, announced his retirement today after 14 NHL seasons.  He finishes with 719 career games (711 with Washington).  His 303 career wins are 21st all-time, and he posted a 2.71 GAA and .906 save percentage with 35 career shutouts.

"Olie was the face of the Capitals franchise for years, on the ice, in the locker room and around Washington, D.C. He was a great Capital and the organization and our fans will always have fond memories of 'Olie the Goalie.' We wish him and his wonderful family all the best in his retirement." -- Capitals Chairman/Owner Ted Leonsis

It's a matter of short order before Kolzig's No. 37 hangs in the rafters with Yvan Labre's No. 7, Rod Langway's No. 5, Dale Hunter's No. 32 and Mike Gartner's No. 12.  Kolzig and Peter Bondra will complete a formidable "first line" of retired numbers when they are honored soon.

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Goaltender Jason Bacashihua, defensemen John Carlson and Patrick McNeill and forwards Francois Bouchard, Andrew Joudrey and Steve Pinizzotto have been reassigned to AHL Hershey, which opened its training camp Monday.

The only mild surprise in the first wave of cuts was Carlson, the 19-year old defenseman.  Coach Bruce Boudreau said Carlson needed more seasoning in the AHL. 

"I just think he needed more time," Boudreau said. "I told him yesterday, 'You're going to be a great NHL player.' Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, all of our young D have spent considerable time in the minors and the formula has worked. There's no need to rush him with the amount of solid NHL defensemen that we have here."

The training camp roster is at 36, with three preseason games in eight days to set the opening night lineup, Oct. 1 in Boston.

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THREE DAY SCHEDULE

Wednesday, Sept. 23

10 a.m.: Morning skate
10:30 a.m.: Practice (non-game players)
7:00 p.m.: vs. Chicago, Verizon Center
Radio: WashingtonCaps.com

Thursday, Sept. 24
10 a.m.: Morning skate
11:15 a.m.: Practice (non-game players)
7 p.m.: at New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Radio: WashingtonCaps.com

Friday, Sept. 25
Day Off

After the Caps minor leaguers and players returning from injury beat the regular Chicago Black Hawks Saturday night, the home crowd tonight will get to see the pre-season debut of Washington's top line.

According to Capitals Insider, Alex Ovechkin will team with Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble on the No. 1 line tonight as the Caps host the Buffalo Sabres, a team they beat last week in both squad's pre-season openers.

Missing from the lineup for the third straight game will be center Michael Nylander, the subject of trade rumors since last season's all-star break. Nylander is in the last year of an inflated contract, and neither he nor the team is happy carrying him on the bench, as he was most of the playoffs last season.

Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischman both will watch as well, still recovering from injuries.

Jose Theodore will start in goal, his first pre-season game action. "We'll see how Theo plays tonight," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He's practiced really well. I'm hoping he has a great game."

In the win over the Hawks, Chris Clark and Kyle Wilson both had a goal and an assist, and Mathieu Perrault scored at 4:48 of overtime to send the Caps home with a 2-0-0 pre-season record.

Washington out shot Chicago's regulars 30-26.

Michael Neuvirth went the distance in goal, registering 24 saves.

 

THREE DAY SCHEDULE (courtesy capitals.nhl.com)

 

Monday, Sept. 21

10 a.m.: Morning skate

11:15 a.m.: Practice (non-game players)

7 p.m.: vs. Buffalo, Verizon Center

Radio: Caps Radio 1500 and 820 AM, WashingtonCaps.com

Tuesday, Sept. 22

10:30 a.m.: Practice, Kettler Capitals Iceplex

Wednesday, Sept. 23

10 a.m.: Morning skate

11:15 a.m.: Practice (non-game players)

7 p.m.: vs. Chicago, Verizon Center

Radio: WashingtonCaps.com