Ending their involvement in the strange saga surrounding goaltender Semyon Varlamov, the Washington Capitals traded his rights to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Colorado's first round pick in the 2012 entry draft, plus a second round pick in either the 2012 or 2013 draft.  TSN reports the Capitals have their choice of the second round picks.

Colorado's first round pick could very well be a lottery pick in next year's draft, as they were the third worst team in the NHL last season and expect to be in a serious re-building mode.

Apparently, Colorado feels Varlamov's injury history and the drama surrounding the possibility of him playing in the KHL next season are non-factors to surrender such a bounty for the 23-year old netminder.

Varlamov was 11-6-5 last season for the Caps -- including a win New Year's Day in the Winter Classic -- with a .912 save percentage, but injuries to his groin and knee held him to just 27 games.  Terrifically talented but somewhat enigmatic, Varlamov just couldn't stay on the ice enough for the Caps to dedicate themselves to his being their No. 1 goalie.

The deal leaves the Capitals with three goalies with NHL experience: Michael Neuvirth, Braden Holtby and Dany Sabourin.  It will be interesting to follow the Caps during the free agent signing period to see if they bring in a veteran backup, or roll with Neuvirth and Holtby, both young goalies with success in the NHL already.

ROOKIE GOALIE PLAYED EVERY MINUTE IN FIRST ROUND

Plenty has been written -- at least in the D.C. market -- about Washington Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth after his fairly spectacular performance in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals win over the New York Rangers.  But the young goaltender himself isn't paying attention to any of that right now. 

"It's pretty nice, you know, but I'm just focusing on my game and trying to play my best for this team," Neuvirth said after Tuesday morning's spirited practice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.  "I'm not trying to look back.  [I'm] just looking forward and just want to be focused and play my best for this team right now."

Neuvirth leads all NHL goalies that have played the majority of minutes for their team in goals against average and save percentage in the first round, allowing just eight goals in five games, and is one of a handful of goalies to play every minute for his team in the cage in the first round.

For example, the Philadelphia Flyers are starting their third different goalie in Game Seven tonight against the Buffalo Sabres.

Neuvirth is now 15-0 in playoff series in North America, including his stints with OHL Plymouth and AHL Hershey, backing the Bears to consecutive Calder Cups in 2008-09 and 2009-10.  And while those minor leagues don't compare talent-wise to the NHL, it's still excelling at the highest competition level for those leagues.

Neuvirth, for one, believes that experience is helping him focus now that he's competing in the playoffs with the big club. 

"Oh yeah, for sure.  Every playoffs is still playoffs so there is a lot of pressure," Neuvirth remarked. "Those weren't easy [games] when we were in Hershey. It was a tough circumstance.  It gave me a lot of experience. [Round two is] not going to be easy but I think I can handle it and I can't wait for next game."

Since the Caps were able to close things out against the Rangers in five games, and with all the other Eastern Conference matchups going past that, Washington has a few days to rest, practice, and get ready for the next opponent.  Neuvirth isn't concerning himself with the games still going on, though he is anxious to get back in the net and get going again.

"We had a tough practice today and had a fun practice yesterday, but obviously we're pretty excited about our next round and it's gonna be another great opportunity for our team.  We're pretty excited to play and I think a lot of the guys can't wait until the games start [again]."

With the extra time, does the clear No. 1 goalie dwell on who the next opponent might be?  Does he care?

"Not thinking about it right now," Neuvy said.  "Just gonna wait to see what happens and we'll find out tonight or tomorrow night who we're gonna face and obviously we're gonna get ready.  It's not gonna be easy, all the teams are very good and it's not going to be easy."

GREEN PRACTICES, WANTS TO TALK ABOUT HOCKEY

Defenseman Mike Green, who was felled by a Matt Gilroy slap shot in the first period of Game Five against the Rangers, participated fully in this morning's practice and afterward reported no ill effects. "I'm fine, other than a bruise,” said Green.

When asked if he was worried about another concussion, after he missed 26 games at the end of the season, he replied, "No, not at all. The first one was a lot different than this one. Right away I knew with the first one; this one I got up right away. Other than it stinging a little bit, I was fine.”

“They make good helmets, and this time it hit me in the helmet. I’m okay, so that’s all that matters,” Green said. “I think that time, it happened so quick that it’s pretty tender and sore when it did happen. But like I said, thank god for those helmets and I’m very fortunate.”

 

He then requested that the reporters change the subject to talk about hockey.  "I feel great," Green said. "I had a good skate today. We worked hard. I feel good."

 

KNUBLE AND WIDEMAN SKATE (POTI TOO)

 

All three injured Capitals skated before the team came out for practice in full pads, but only Knuble stayed out for the regular practice, and even then did not participate fully in line rushes.  Wideman left practice after before most of his teammates were out of the dressing room, suffering from some light-headedness.

 

“His legs are feeling fine,” coach Bruce Boudreau said of his Wideman, recovering from a hematoma to his leg and compartment syndrome. “He was a little dizzy today so we [said] get off -- or lightheaded, not dizzy -- and so just to make sure he’s fine.”

 

Wideman looked to be skating pretty free and easy, but did not do any full out sprints or hard stops during the time he was skating.

 

Knuble said he's feeling good, but does not have a timetable for return.  “I’ve been skating every day, just trying to keep my legs up and stuff,” Knuble said. “I’m encouraged by the way things are going and you just do your best to stay with the group and keep up with the pace of play so when you do come back it’s not a huge adjustment."

 

The veteran forward reitereated that he would indeed play in the second round, though that has not been confirmed -- or refuted -- by the team.

 

SEMIN MISSES PRACTICE WITH FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS

 

Boudreau said winger Alexander Semin was feeling a little under the weather and told him to stay home from practice today, considering the team has several more practice days available this week. 

 

“He’s fine. He had a little bit of the flu so we just said ‘listen, stay at home,’” Boudreau said. “We still got Wednesday, Thursday, minimum -- practices probably Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We don’t know when we’re starting yet.”

 

Semin had three goals and an assist in the first round against New York.

There were a lot of factors that contributed to the Washington Capitals losing to the New York Rangers, 3-2, on Sunday before a packed house at Madison Square Garden.

If you're into conspiracy theories, this one was a doozy.  The Capitals were whistled for eight infractions to the Rangers four, including a couple of "Where was the penalty there?" calls.  The game winning goal was scored while the teams skated four-on-four.  Still, a couple of the penalties were earned, including the cross-check by John Carlson that led to New York's only power play goal.

If you're a goalie controversy lover, you could argue that the first goal by the Rangers -- a power play goal -- that snuck past Michal Neuvirth's short side from a ridiculously sharp angle into an even more ridiculously small space STILL should never have happened, and if you look closely enough it might even appear that Neuvirth ducked away from the shot just a bit.  But you'd be reaching.

If you're a Rangers fan, well, you're certainly entitled to simply cite the stats that show the Blueshirts completely dominated their visitors.   The Rangers out-shot the Caps 35 to 25, out-hit them 41 to 29 and dominated in the face-off circle, winning 56 percent of the draws.  That's not just outplaying your opponent, that's a complete statistical shutdown.

But the biggest difference between the first two games of this series and the Game Three loss is that the Capitals allowed the Rangers to get to them.  The Rangers were the hungrier team, and on their ice, they played agitator, drawing the Caps out of their game plan and putting themselves out there for the taking.

The Rangers played "downhill" all game, forcing the Caps to play reactionary instead of pro-actionary.  New York was in Neuvirth's crease all day, instigating contact with the rookie and not only did that result in a ton of reactionary penalties called against, but also drew the Caps defensemen into the physical game instead of playing their positions.

Both penalties against Carlson, the second period cross-check and the double-roughing at 16:45 of the third -- when the game-winner was scored -- were prime examples of the Rangers getting under the skin of the young d-man and taking advantage of his exuberance.

Then, on the play the final tally came on, veteran defenseman Scott Hannan allowed Erik Christiansen to goad him into a shoving contest in the corner instead of tracking the play, allowing Brandon Dubinsky to carry the puck out of the corner and sneak back through the crease to backhand the tie-breaker past Neuvirth (32 saves).

It wasn't all bad for the Caps, as they showed tremendous resiliency, equalizing both time the Rangers took a one goal lead.  Alex Ovechkin redirected a Jason Arnott pass on the backhand past Henrik Lundqvist (23 saves) with exactly one minute left in the second period, and Mike Knuble cashed in a Nicklas Backstrom rebound for a power play goal with 5:12 left in the game.

The Caps even had a bit of fortune on their side, as an apparent New York goal was disallowed at the end of the second period after review when it was evident the puck did not fully cross the goal line before the clock read 0:00.

But that's all the fortune the Caps received during Game Three.  The rest was up to the Rangers making their own fortune.  There's plenty to complain about with the officials, but the bottom line is that the Caps allowed their opponent to dictate the play Sunday afternoon instead of being the aggressors that they were in the first two games of this series.

Which Caps team comes out for Game Four Wednesday night could very well define the rest of this series.

CAPS NOTES:  Referee Chris Rooney broke his leg when he got tangled up on the goal trying to get back into a play up-ice.  The game was delayed about 10 minutes while the injured ref made his way off the ice.  He will miss the rest of the playoffs.

Alexander Semin led the Capitals with six shot on goal.

Caps celebrate Jason Arnott's power play goal. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

Forgive an old hand for feeling good about a win.

The Washington Capitals got goals from Jason Chimera and Jason Arnott, and Michal Neuvirth turned away all 22 New York Rangers shots en route to a 2-0 win in Game Two, propelling the Caps to a 2-0 First Round series lead.

The affair resumes Sunday at 3:00 pm at Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in the world.

The Capitals fairly dominated Game Two, using speed, forechecking, physicality and game plan to keep the road-weary Rangers at bey.  Through the Rangers outshot the Caps for the evening, they only challenged the Caps goal on a few occasions, and when they did, Neuvirth was up to the task.

It's not really fair to call Neuvirth a rookie anymore, though the 2010-11 season was his first full in the NHL.  But he played like a veteran last night, cool and calm in the face of whatever pressure the Rangers could muster.  He benefited once again from a defensive squad that blocked only one less shot than New York got through.

Neuvirth was exceptionally sharp in the first period, when the Rangers seemed to have a bit on momentum.  “They had shots early in the game," Neuvirth said.  "After [the] first period, I think they had like 13 shots. I feel pretty good about my game right now. After, I think we didn’t give up any big scoring chances, I think it was a solid team effort tonight.”

As is the case in series like this, the road team seemed to weary first, and after jumping out for 13 first period shots, New York managed just nine more and never really challenged in the latter stanzas, despite controlling most of the play in the third period.

It was then when the Caps defense really came to the aid of their netminder.  It seemed like every time Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury or Sean Avery tried to ignite something, Karl Alzner, John Carlson or John Erskine was in the middle of the action, or laying down in front of a shot, or generally pushing Rangers forwards to the boards to harmlessly dump a puck they had no intentions of retrieving.

The Capitals received all their scoring in the second period and they made it stand up until the end.

Brooks Laich made a tremendous physical play behind New York's goal, brushing off Matt Gilroy one-handed and directing the puck out to Marcus Johansson, sitting at the top of the left wing circle.  MoJo hit Jason Chimera, alone in the slot, for a one-timer to give the Caps a one-goal lead a little over two minutes into the second period.

Less than two minutes later, with Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh off for roughing, Mike Green stepped in from the point and wound up to take a big slap shot.  The puck was deflected right to Arnott, who sent a shot past the outstretched Henrik Lundqvist (16 saves) for the insurance goal.

The rest was up to the defense, and they took care of business.

Erskine blocked three shots.  Alzner blocked three.  Green got in front of two, including laying out prone for one.  Carlson was credited for one block and four hits.  It was just a stifling, dominating performance by a group that has bought in wholesale to a new philosophy, proudly displaying the new-found dedication in the second season.

Rangers defenseman Marc Staal was complementary on the Caps defensive game plan.  "They’re not giving us too much offensively. We’re not getting too many clear looks or clear chances."

Lundqvist agreed. "It’s a tough game when you get behind – especially the way they’re playing right now. They’re very tight in their own end. It’s tough for us to get the big chance."

“They’ve been buying in since the middle of December," coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game.  "They just want to win. The important thing is that they get success. We’ve got a lot of guys who’ve won a lot of awards and that doesn’t mean anything to them now.”

Game Three in New York Sunday will be an opportunity to really put a stamp on this series.  A win and New York is all but toast.  Lose, and you give new life to a hard-working crew.

Let's see if these defensive-minded Capitals have the killer instinct that has escaped so many of their predecessors.

Arnott give them his war face. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

Jason Chimera starts the scoring for Washington in 2-0 win. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

No one said this would be easy.

The Washington Capitals finished first in the Eastern Conference.  The New York Rangers barely qualified for the eighth seed. But as is common in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you can throw the records out the door.

Most prognosticators, including national media, expect this first round series to be a tooth and nail affair, with the winner escaping by the narrowist of margins.  Wednesday night, the Caps took first advantage, securing a 2-1 overtime win and taking a 1-0 series lead over a stunned Rangers squad.

Jason Arnott colllected a lazy clearing attempt with 1:36 left in overtime by Rangers defenseman Marc Staal and hit Alexander Semin, standing alone in the slot.  Semin one-timed the puck past Henrik Lundqvist for the game winner, sending a capacity crowd out into the streets of Chinatown happy.

Semin, through a translator, was introspective on the game-winner: “I just saw the puck get intercepted. It’s just a situational play. I tried to get open and shoot as soon [as] possible because the defenseman was right there.”  There are very few in this game that can get off a shot as hard and as quick as Semin, and his goal last night was evidence of how much he can mean to this offense.

The game was a fierce battle, with both teams playing things close to the vest.  It was the perfect appetizer for the banquet that this series should turn out to be.

Neither team exerted their will over their opponent last night.  Most of the game was counter-punching and recovery.  The Rangers scored first when unheralded forward Matt Gilroy chipped a puck past Michal Neuvirth not even two minutes into the third period. It was a fluky, ugly goal, but it stood until 13:44, when Alex Ovechkin would not be denied, pounding and pounding until he stuffed a shot under Lundqvist to tie the game up.

The play went to review, but it was clear that the puck got underneath the Rangers goalie and the goal stood.

The teams traded opportunities for the rest of the third and into the overtime frame.  And everything indicated the game would need a second extra period.

But with just over 18 minutes gone in overtime, the Caps got a good forecheck against the Rangers defense, and Staal tried to clear the puck up the right wing boards.  Arnott stepped in front of the loose puck and for a moment looked like he would shoot himself.  But Semin streaked into the slot, and Arnott gave him a perfect pass.  Semin blasted the shot past Lundqvist and jumped into the waiting arms of his teammates to celebrate the Game One victory.

Ovechkin was happy for his countryman after the game.  "We are all happy for Sasha [Semin] because last year he was little bit upset he didn’t score a goal and right now it’s very important for him to score a goal, step-up and show his leadership. It doesn’t matter who score right now, it’s all about winning and character and see how good this group is right now.”

The game-winner capped a productive night for the enigmatic winger.  Semin finished a plus-two on the evening with the game winning tally and an assist on Ovechkin's goal.

Michal Neuvirth was solid in net for the Caps.  He made a couple of nifty saves, but for the most part saw only outside shots from the Rangers.  The rookie made 24 saves in his first playoff win.  Lundqvist, the Rangers veteran keeper, saved 31 shots, including several terrific glove saves in the third period.

Game One was exactly what we expected: tight checking, low shot total, good defense, and counter-punching offense.  Both teams played pretty much the way they wanted to.  Sometimes, games this close are decided by a lucky bounce.  Sometimes, in overtime, a good player just doesn't complete their play.

This time, the Captials benefitted from a veteran play on a soft clearing attempt.  They might not be so lucky next time.  But it will be fun finding out.

CAPS NOTES: Mike Green played in his first game since suffering a concussion Feb. 25.  He played 26-plus minutes, finishing with four shots, one hit and four blocked shots.  He looked rusty at times, but was not limited in what coach Bruce Boudreau asked him to do.

“I thought his first period might have been as good as he has played in a playoff game," Boudreau said.  "I thought it was outstanding for a guy that hasn’t played in six weeks to come back in a game like that.”

The Capitals won 54% of their faceoffs tonight. Brooks Laich won a game-high 13 of his 18 faceoffs (72%)

So over on Twitter today there's been raging debate on who folks think Bruce Boudreau should go with in goal for the Washington Capitals for Game One in the playoffs.  Essentially, who is this team's playoff goalie?

Japers' Rink asked the question today too, and provided the stats for an analytical approach to evaluating the decision.

Does Boudreau go with Michal Neuvirth, who the Caps have ridden to 27 of their 48 wins this season and won two Calder Cups?  Or should he go with the goalie with better statistics this season (in many fewer games) and that he's trusted more in the playoffs the last two seasons, Semyon Varlamov?

It's an interesting debate, because both goalies are immensely talented.  And as 50 Mission Caps points out, because of the motivational factor and psyche of the team, you can really only switch goalies once in a series, because as they put it:

"...the whole point of changing your starter in the playoffs is that it gives your team an excuse for games they've already lost. It's not actually about goaltending, it's about giving your team amnesia, or some sort of get-out-of-adverse-momentum free card. Under no circumstances is this to become a rotation by whimsy, or gut feel, or coin flip. Give your 'tender and your team a fighting chance. The minute you start to flip-flop back and forth, it stops being about a fresh start and starts being about your lousy goaltending. And no one wins in the playoffs with lousy goaltending."

Should this decision be made on statistics?  Should it be made on tenure?  Should it be made on gut instinct?

Or is it a matter of style preference?

Neuvirth is a technical goaltender, cut from the cloth of classic goalies like Ken Dryden, Bernie Parent and Olaf Kolzig.  Varlamov is an extremely gifted athletic goalie a la Dominic Hasek.  Heck, the Caps even have their crazy psycho goalie in Braden Holtby along the lines of Billy Smith and Ron Hextall ::shudder::.

Personally, I prefer the technical goalie.  I think they are more dependable and night after night give a more balanced performance.  Athletic goalies are spectacular to watch when they are on, but hold on to your hats if they aren't "feeling right" that night.  Again, it's a matter of preference.

All three goalies are ridiculously talented at such a young age and gives the Caps a stable of goalies that every team in the league should be envious of.  But we're not debating the long-term solution of Caps goalie for the next ten years.  We're talking about the next ten weeks or so.

So, who you got?

There are five elements of goaltending: 

1. Agility.

2. Glove.

3. Technique.

4. Head.

5. Health.

Michal Neuvirth used all of these elements to his advantage Friday night, shutting out the red-hot New Jersey Devils 3-0, giving them their second consecutive loss and just about killing any remaining hope for the team from the swamps to complete their dramatic comeback attempt for a playoff spot.

Neuvirth, who turned away all 33 shots faced last night, did most of the heavy lifting on defense himself, as the Devils were constantly in scoring position.  But it seemed like for every shot New Jersey got on net, they had an equal number that went wide, were deflected harmlessly away, simply misfired, or flat swung on and missed.

On the other end, the Capitals made good on three of 12 shooting; not great numbers if you're a three-point shooter in the NCAA tournament or a Washington National down at spring training, but tremendous for a hockey team.

Though I'm sure coach Bruce Boudreau would have preferred his team made things more difficult on Martin Brodeur (nine saves on 12 shots) overall,  it's hard to argue with the result.

Neuvirth, who looked a little rusty in Wednesday night's loss to Detroit, was anything but tonight.  From the very first shift of the game the Devils peppered him with shots, and he rose to each occasion. 

He made several remarkable catches with his glove hand, including Russian sniper Ilya Kovachuk on a breakaway with just under three minutes remaining, prompting the Devils most prolific scorer to slam his stick into the boards after the whistle in frustration.

As he's generally been all season long for the Caps, Neuvirth was their best player on the ice.

The young Czech netminder is solidifying his case to be the workhorse for Boudreau once the playoffs start in a matter of weeks.  I'm sure Semyon Varlamov is going to have a chance to play down the stretch, but Neuvirth has done everything asked of him and more.  His four shutouts are most for an individual for the Caps since the days of Godzilla and set a team rookie record.

As for the four elements above, Varly may have Neuvy beat on the first element when healthy, but Neuvirth tops all three of the Caps goalies on the depth chart on points two, three and four.  Someday Braden Holtby might enter the argument, but until he's channeled his quirkiness and led an AHL team to a championship, he'll have to be satisfied with being the third man in this trio of young, talented goaltenders.

It's time for Boudreau to hitch his wagon to his horse.

CAPS NOTES:  Mike Knuble had two goals and an assist, finishing a great fake-shot-slap-pass from John Carlson and making a beautiful wrist shot through an impressive clear and screen by Marcus Johansson. 

After the play, lip-readers were treated to Knuble patting the 20-year old rookie in the chest and saying "Good work kid."  The cross-ice pass from Ovechkin to Knuble was lovely, as was the defensive play Carlson (plus-2) made in his own end to shut the Devils' winger down, gather the puck, and spring Ovechkin up the boards.

Johansson was pointless, but finished the night plus-3, and really appears to be stepping up his game each night out.  Though he was only 3-of-11 in the dot.  I think we know what his point of emphasis is going to be over the off-season.

Jeff Schultz (plus-2) opened the scoring with a shot from the point through a screen that avoided Brodeur's glove.  It was his first goal of the season and first overall since Feb 11, 2010, a span of 81 games.

The penalty kill was again outstanding, going 3-for-3.  Particularly noteworthy was the four minute kill of a Matt Hendricks high stick that ended the second period and started the third in a 2-0 game.

Nicklas Backstrom returned from the hand injury that's sidelined him since March 7.  He centered Alexander Semin and Marco Sturm on the second line and went 13-for17 in the faceoff circle.

The Caps drew even with the Philadelphia Flyers, their next opponent next Tuesday, in points for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 94, though the Flyers have three games in hand, including Saturday's game in Dallas against the Stars.

"It's extremely disappointing to lose it in the last 47 seconds.  We battled so hard for 59 minutes.  To come away with just one point in unacceptable."  --New York Islanders goalie Nathan Lawson, who came into the game with a save percentage under 89 percent.

The Washington Capitals got out of the gate early and dominated the first ten minutes of the game with a lineup infused with three significant additions brought in by General Manager George McPhee at the trade deadline.  At one point they led in shots 10-1.

They looked like a different team than the one we've seen slogging their way through the schedule since Dec. 1.

But when they couldn't find the back of the net after the early onslaught, the Caps fell back into the same bad habits that have them looking up at four teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference:  bad passing, sloppy turnovers, avoidance of the opposing crease, and the nauseating habit of being satisfied with pelting the other team's goalie with 30 foot slap shots without any traffic to speak of.

For that 49 minute stretch, the Caps played as bad as they have all season against a young, underwhelming Islanders team and rookie goalie that, despite his quote of bravado above, is not even in the same league talent-wise as his opponent.

But then, with 48 seconds remaining, it all changed.

Newly acquired center Jason Arnott collected a puck behind the Islanders' goal and fed Brooks Laich where he makes his money, and with a simple flick reversed the Caps fortunes, sending the game to overtime.

"He [Jason Arnott] just threw it in front and found the guy [Brooks Laich]," Lawson said. "I don't know if he was tied up or not but he just put it over my pad."

"I saw Brooksy going to the net and just tried to slide it to him," Arnott said.  "It went to him and he made a great play and put it in."

It really was that simple.

At that point, all that was left was for Alex Ovechkin to do what only he can do, racing the length of the ice, twisting Franz Neilsen inside out twice, and backhanding a shot past Nathan Lawson to send the Verizon crowd into hysterics.

It was Ovechkin's ninth game-winning goal this season.

So coach Bruce Boudreau, was this game important for your team's morale?  "I thought it was very important.  We scored one goal in 11 periods at home [the last four games].  It's important to get the idea that teams can't come into this building and win so easily."

Maybe Lawson was thinking about how easy his first 38 saves were to concentrate on the last few.

The Caps leaned heavily on Arnott, their new second line center.  Just in his first game tonight, you can see he's a leader, in the words that he uses and the way he plays.  And though Boudreau said there was no extra significance that Arnott and Laich took the first shift in overtime, dismissing the question by saying, "I'm not that deep," it certainly meant something to Arnott.

"It was great, with our firepower, to go out there first," Arnott explained.  "It showed a lot of confidence in us and we had a chance to score, so it was good."

"We found a way tonight.  We had way too many turnovers.  We allowed them to come in and if it wasn't for our goaltending it would have been a different story."

He's right there.  All too often, Michal Neuvirth was left to fend for himself. "Every turnover, they had an odd-man rush.  That's the game I don't like to play, but that's what it is sometimes."

"I'm just focusing on my game and trying to stop every shot and hoping that the guys are going to get one  or two in and that's what we did tonight," Neuvirth said.  "It's a huge win for us.  It's good to win for our fans."

Those demanding fans that booed as loud as they have all season at the floundering power play erupted twice in a period of a few minutes as Laich tied the game and Ovechkin sealed the deal.

But the Capitals this season are a game-to-game process, and we'll all just have to wait until Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues to see which Caps team shows up.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Alex Ovechkin.  His own coach thought he "looked lethargic", but the last goal was "vintage Alex" and that he "rose to the right moment."  Scored the game winner and assisted on the tying goal.

2.  Jason Arnott.  In the right place at the right time all night long. He's a huge addition to this club.

1. Michal Neuvirth.  The Caps simply would not have been in this game were it not for their No. 1 goaltender.  There, I said it.

PHOTOS

Marco Sturm in his Caps debut. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

Jason Arnott in his Caps debut. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

Jason Arnott taks a draw against the Islanders. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

Dennis Wideman in his Caps debut. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

"He was pretty good." Coach Bruce Boudreau stating the obvious about his goalie.

The Washington Capitals are starting to serve notice.

In front of another national television audience, the team that was the highest scoring squad in the league last season showed their new commitment to playing a more defensively sound game. 

For the third time on a now-concluded five-game road trip, the Caps secured a victory in a one-goal game by shutting out their arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins (or what's left of them), 1-0, before a large, but not capacity crowd at Consol Energy Center.

Washington improves to 10-0-2 in the last 12 regular season games against Pittsburgh, winners of their last seven games in the Steel City.

The win gives the Caps 74 points, good for a five point lead over Montreal for fifth in the Eastern Conference, and trail Tampa Bay by just one point for the Southeast Division lead, though the Lightning have two games in hand over the Caps.

These six points -- on a very difficult road trip -- were crucial for the Caps, as Tampa Bay's 12-game homestand draws to a close.  If the Caps have any chance of defending their division crown, they needed to produce on the road while Tampa struggles, losers of four of their last seven and three in a row -- all at home.

Michal Neuvirth, who was maligned by Penguins coach Dan Bylsma on the HBO program 24/7, showed once again the promise this 22-year old goaltender has when he's confident.  Neuvirth let up very few rebounds, especially on long shots where Pittsburgh was looking to storm the net looking for change.  He made a total of 39 saves, 14 in the tense third period.

It was Neuvirth's second consecutive shut out over the Penguins, his third this season overall.

Coach Bruce Boudreau was asked when he felt confident with Neuvirth in net last night.  "Early in the game, when they were coming at us really hard, and [Neuvirth] wasn't allowing any rebounds -- when he can corral them and smothers them like he's got velcro on him -- that's when I know Michal's on top of his game."

As is usually the case, Washington was led offensively by Alex Ovechkin, who notched his 24th goal of the season.  But perhaps more importantly, the Caps leader in "heart" last night was Matt Bradley, who played his best game of the season.

Bradley's mission, from his first shift, was to punish Penguins winger Matt Cooke, and he did his job in no uncertain terms.  In the teams' last meeting, Super Bowl Sunday, Cooke took a run at Ovechkin, landing a dangerous knee-on-knee hit, which stunned the Russian Machine, leading to both Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom getting shots in at Cooke.

After serving his penalty, Cooke was challenged by Bradley and Cooke declined, as is his nature.

But last night, Bradley would not take "no" for an answer.  In the first period, the scrappy winger delivered a cross-check to Cooke's lower back, knocking the pest to the ice.  In the second period, of an increasingly gritty game, Bradley delivered a big blow to Cooke, who had his head down in the corner after digging out a puck.

Bradley was called for a charge on a play both Versus Network studio commentators, Keith Jones and Mike Milbury, called clean.

Bradley later threw hands with Penguins rookie Ryan Craig, as Craig felt the need to defend Cooke's honor, as Cooke wasn't man enough to do the job himself.

Boudreau praised Bradley's performance.  "I thought he had a tremendous game.  He did things that energy guys on the fourth line are supposed to do."

"He did great things out there."

The fight came a few minutes after Bruce Boudreau called time out early in the second, with his team looking a little haggard in their own end to start the frame.  It was perfect timing from a coach that has received much criticism this season as he implements a more defensively responsible system.

There have been a lot of growing pains, and it's certainly debatable whether the system change was really necessary in the first place.  For all the talk about "playoff hockey", three of the final four teams in last season's playoffs were in the Top 8 in the league in scoring last season.

But Boudreau and GM George McPhee obviously think that the changes are required to succeed this season, and the Caps players are starting to look like they've adjusted to the system.  Twice in the third period, milking a 1-0 lead, Capitals forwards were in their own crease blocking and covering pucks, including Ovechkin and Backstrom.

The Capitals management is staking their reputation -- and perhaps their playoff chances -- on the change in philosophy.  Whether they can generate enough offense while maintaining their defensive presence is still up for debate. 

If McPhee can pull a second-line center out of his hat at the trade deadline, it would go a long way in taking the pressure off the first line and allow Marcus Johansson -- who made a terrific pass on Ovechkin's goal, but also was pushed off the puck too many times to mention in tight quarters -- to center the third line where he can be more effective on defense without having the added pressure of centering a scoring line right now.

Regardless, get used to these one-goal games.  It's "playoff hockey" from here on out.

NEXT GAME:  The Caps are off until Friday, when they host the struggling New York Rangers (2-7-1 in their last 10 games) at 7:00 pm from Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Alex Ovechkin.  His goal was an absolute BOMB from the high slot, and a power play marker to boot!

2. Matt Bradley.  Did the hero's work.

1. Michal Neuvirth.  Didn't need to be spectacular last night, but that's part of his game -- always being in the right spot.  Held onto all the long shots, controlled what few rebounds there were, and made a couple nifty grabs with the glove.

***Post-game quotes courtesy Caps365 on capitals.nhl.com.

The Washington Capitals have recalled Braden Holtby from Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL).  Mike Vogel reported that Michal Neuvirth was returned to DC for further evaluation.

Photo 2010 © Cheryl Nichols Photography/
Capitals News Network. All Rights Reserved.

"I just said, quite frankly, I hope they realized how important this period is to our season." Coach Bruce Boudreau, on what he told his team at the second intermission.

Nick Backstrom and Marcus Johansson help John Carlson celebrate his power play goal. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

THE RESULTS: The Washington Capitals, struggling for six weeks now scoring goals, found themselves trailing 1-0 to the travelling Ottawa Senators after two slow, plodding -- dare we say boring --periods of hockey. 

But last night, before another capacity crowd at the Verizon Center, the Caps finally found enough energy in the third period, scoring three goals in 6:16 span to secure their 25th win of the season and once again pull into a tie for first in the Southeast Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The goal that started things was not a flash of brilliance, rather the effort of hard work. 

Mike Green dumped the puck around the boards, and Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson went to retrieve.  A hustling Alex Ovechkin slammed Karlsson into the boards as the Swedish defender tried to play the puck back behind his own net.  His partner, Chris Phillips, was rushed by forechecking Marcus Johansson and made a bad pass, trying to spring Senators' captain Daniel Alfredsson up the middle.

But Phillips didn't have time to settle the puck and it bounced on Alfredsson, right to Brooks Laich who was streaking into the slot.  Laich, alone, calmly flipped the puck over Brian Elliott's right shoulder, and tied the game at one.

Laich described the play from his locker stall after the game.  "Ovi was the first hit then Marcus went into the other corner -- my job is just to track through the middle. A lucky break, I guess.  A puck bounces over their stick right on to mine and I was able to make a good shot. You say "It's a lucky break' but it comes from hard work, it comes from your linemates doing the right job and just being in the right position.  Sometimes good things happen."

"Forechecking.  That's what it was," Boudreau said in his press conference. "We just looked at [the replay] again and Ovi goes in and takes the guy and then all of the sudden Phillips is trying to hit Alfredsson in the middle of the ice and he rushes the puck a little bit, bounces over his stick and Brooks is in perfect position and that's why he got the goal."

Just 45 seconds later, following a cross-checking call against Milan Michalek for slamming Karl Alzner awkwardly into the boards, Nick Backstrom won an offensive zone draw straight back to John Carlson at the point, who buried the one-timer past Elliott, and the roof came off the Verizon Center.

Then a few minutes later, Jason Chimera banked a shot off Elliott's back from behind the goal line that sent the Senators back to Ottawa with their hats in their hands.

Jason Chimera used a move on Brian Elliott that he said he practiced on Stretch Leonhardt during Caps practices. (C.Nichols/Caps News Network)

It was the first time in a long time the Caps looked like The Caps.  Ovechkin skated past defenseman to the outside to put pressure on Elliott.  The forecheck came to life and really started to smell the blood in the water.  The defense, shaky on the Sens lone goal, tightened up and gave Michal Neuvirth (25 saves) plenty of room to see the puck and the rookie goalie was calm and focused.

It was a big win, as the Caps set off on a three-game roadie, starting Tuesday night in Philadelphia, with stops on Long Island and in Toronto.  Taking a four-game winless streak into Philly was not what anyone with the organization wanted to see. 

The players took matters into their own hands in the third, shaking off a dreary start to show that they still have it in them.  Now, they need to bottle it up and take it with them on the road.

THE GOOD:  The Caps were 69 percent in the faceoff dot last night as a team.  Boyd Gordon won all eight of his draws, Backstrom won 13-of-19, Steckel 6-of-9 and Mathieu Perreault 7-of-11.  Only Johansson (4-of-9) was under 50 percent.

THE BAD:  I hate to beat a dead horse, but Jeff Schultz is now minus-8 in his last six games.  He was caught under his own goal line, badly behind the play, on the Senators only goal of the night, just 1:15 into the game.  He was minus-1 for the night.

THE STATS: Brooks Laich (9) unassisted at 7:15 of 3rd.  John Carlson (5) from Nicklas Backstrom (30) at 8:00 of 3rd (PP).  Jason Chimera (6) from David Steckel (5) and Karl Alzner (5) at 13:31 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME: Tuesday at 7:00 pm at Philadelphia Flyers.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Michal Neuvirth.  After being hung out to dry by his defense 1:12 into the game, Neuvy was perfect.

2. Alex Ovechkin.  Didn't score, but his big hit on the forecheck started sequence that led to the first goal.  He insinuated himself into the play tonight, especially in the second half of the game.

1. John Carlson.  Real.  American.  Hero.

THE RESULTS: The Washington Capitals took too many penalties, went 0-for-5 on the power play, and was indifferent on defense too many times, as they fell behind early, rallied furiously, but fell in overtime to the Florida Panthers 4-3 before a sparse crowd in Sunrise, FL.

"If we're going to look this lethargic on the power play, that's where we are losing games," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It's not 5-on-5, it's not the penalty killing, it's the power play. I keep putting the same guys out thinking eventually it's going to turn around, but it's not. We're going to have to do something to shake the power play up."

The overtime goal was a microcosm for the entire game.  A lazy clearing attempt by Matt Hendricks led to Mike Green taking a penalty, then the Caps surrendering their third power play goal of the night to a team that entered play as the worst power play unit in the league.

The Capitals surrendered a five-on-three goal in both of the first two periods.

A bright spot for the Caps was the play of rookie center Marcus Johansson, who had two goals - and almost a third -- in what might have been his best game of the season.

The Caps were atrocious in the first period, being outshot 20-7 and dominated in just about every facet of the game and were down 2-0 after the frame.  They allowed a third goal 6:48 into the second, and looked every bit defeated.

But just like that the Caps turned it on and took over play, reeling off three straight goals to force overtime and take a point they had no really had no business earning after 30 minutes of play.

THE GOOD: Coming back from three goals showed a lot of heart and effort on the road.  Salvaging a point in a game they could have easily stopped skating is a big deal as we enter the second half of the season.

THE BAD: Six minor penalties.  Two five-on-threes.  Folks can complain all they want, but I didn't see a call I would have strenuously argued with.

THE UGLY: The freaking power play.  How can a team with this much offensive firepower be so, what's the right word?  Pathetic?  Is that too strong? 

THE STATS: Marcus Johansson (4) from Brooks Laich (17) and Brian Willsie (1) at 10:10 of 2nd.  Mike Knuble (10) from Alex Ovechkin (30) and Nick Backstrom (28) at 13:30 of 2nd.  Marcus Johansson (5) from Matt Hendricks (8) and Mike Green (13) at 7:12 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday in a battle for first place against Tampa Bay at 7:00 pm.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS:

3. Brian Willsie.  Picked up an assist in his first game since 2005.  Good for him.

2. Michael Neuvirth.  Three goals allowed, yes.  But it could have been much, much worse.

1. Marcus Johansson.  Two goals.  A nice little breakout game.

THE RESULT:  With less than ten seconds remaining, Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson scored what appeared to be the game tying goal against the Dallas Stars, pushing a tight game into overtime.

Unfortunately, the referees ruled that Alex Ovechkin committed goaltender interference by checking a player into his own goalie, and the goal was waived off.  An unreviewable play, despite all of coach Bruce Boudreau's protestations, sent the Caps to a bitter 2-1 loss in the Lone Star State.

Problem was, Ovechkin did not check the player that collided with Stars goalie Andrew Raycroft, defenseman Karlis Skrastins.  Rather, the Washington captain was tied up with Dallas' other defenseman, Stephane Robidas.  Regardless, all three players ended up in the Dallas crease, and referee Dan O'Rourke ruled on the interference.

It's an unfortunate ending to a tough, tight hockey game.

The Capitals brought a four-game winning streak into this one, just as Dallas had.  Both teams played like they were defending a streak, playing close to the vest, tough checking hockey all night.  The big difference?  Well, there were two.

First, Dallas was awarded five power plays to Washington's three.  Both teams scored on the power play, with Mike Ribiero tallying on the second of consecutive calls against the Caps in the middle of the second period, and Mike Knuble ramming home a perfect pass from Mike Green mid-way through the third.

The second difference was the Stars second goal, scored just 20 seconds after the Caps tied things up in the third.

On the play, Dallas tough guy Brandon Segal collected a pass from Brenden Morrow and lofted it toward the Capitals goal.  Goalie Michal Neuvirth went down into a butterfly even though the shot came from the top of the right wing circle, and he waived at it with his blocker. 

He whiffed, and the puck went over his shoulder and into the net.

Neuvirth dropped his head, knowing that was a shot he must knock down.  Replays showed that defenseman Karl Alzner tipped the shot, but it was still so far out that Neuvy should have made the stop.  It was a rare mistake from a young goalie that carried the Caps through October and early November.

THE GOOD:  The Capitals dominated the latter stages of the third period, flying around the Dallas zone and getting all sorts of shots on net.  Too bad it took until then for them to really get going against a tough Dallas team.

THE BAD:  In a one goal game, one mistake can doom you, and Michal Neuvirth's misplay on Dallas' second goal in one he will tell you he should have 100 times out of 100.

THE UGLY:  The waived goal.  Essentially, this rule allows defenders to run into their own goalies and prohibit goals from being scored.  It's a lousy rule.  Either an offensive player is guilty of a penalty, or it's incidental contact.  It's ridiculous that the play is not reviewable.

THE STATS:  Mike Knuble (4) from Mike Green (9) and Eric Fehr (6) at 10:18 of 3rd.   (PP).

NEXT GAME:  Saturday at 7:00 pm against Atlanta Thrashers at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Alex Ovechkin.  He did everything but score.  Five shots, three hits, all over the ice.  Stood up for Marcus Johansson when he got run at the end of the second period.

2. Eric Fehr.  He was engaged a night after he was transparent. Four shots on goal, another five blocked and four misses and an assist on the lone goal.

1. Mike Knuble.  The lone goal scorer has been playing better lately, and you get the feeling he's just about getting ready to burst.  The tally was a great shot off a great pass.

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals got down early behind a shaky rookie backup goalie and never recovered, cruising throughout the game and falling to the homestanding Atlanta Thrashers 5-0, before an annouced 11,115 at Phillips Arena.  There were perhaps half that in attendance.

It was the first time the Capitals (14-5-1) had been shut out since Dec. 9, 2009, to Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres.

Braden Holtby, making his second start of the season, lasted just 9:27, allowing three pretty bad goals in succession.  The youngster faced just five shots before being yanked by Coach Bruce Boudreau.

Holtby was screened on the first goal, a wrist shot from Ben Eager from the right wing circle that went across the crease and beat him stick-side. On the second goal, he misplayed a loose puck above the crease from his stomach and Nik Antorpov pushed a backhander into the empty goal.

Just 15 seconds later, Evander Kane flung a puck toward the Caps goal from just above the goal line that Holtby never saw and it went right between his legs for the Thrashers third goal.  That's all that Boudreau needed to see.

Things didn't really get much better after Michal Neuvirth (29 saves on 31 shots) entered.  He was solid in net, but the damage had already been done.  The Caps were outshot 36-29 and, for the most part, looked fairly uninterested after the score became 3-0.

Things were much better on the other end of the ice, as Ondrej Pavelec stopeed all 29 shots he faced.  Pavelec was also the beneficiary of three Capitals shots ringing off goal posts.

And there was injury to go along with the insult.  Mike Green took a hard shot into the boards and missed several shifts, and Mike Knuble took an Eric Fehr shot to his face, drawing much blood.  He never returned to the game and Boudreau said Knuble would be "out a while" with the injury.

There just isn't much more to say about this one.  The Caps were outplayed and out-hustled, and I'm sure it will be a quiet flight home tonight after Boudreau gets the screaming out of his system in the lockerroom.

It's a quick turnaround for a team that laid an egg this evening, with the Philadelphia Flyers already in D.C. awaiting the team with the best record in the league to return home for Saturday night's main event.  Hopefully, the Caps got all their suck out of the way tonight and find some of the Fury for their worthy opponent.

Cause they sure didn't have any tonight.

THE GOOD:  Hmm.  Michal Neuvirth made 29 saves in the relief effort.  Mike Green had four shots on goal.  I guess that's it.

THE BAD:  Braden Holtby.  He looked shaky and nervous.  It's just one game, but even from the look on his face for the pre-game skate he just didn't "look" right.

THE UGLY:  Tyler Sloan.  He was on the ice for all of Atlanta's first four goals.  This team can't get Tom Poti back quickly enough.

THE STATS:  No goals.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center against the Philadelphia Flyers.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  John Carlson and Karl Alzner.  Both players were even on a night the Caps gave up five goals.

2.  Nicklas Backstrom.  Only had one shot on goal, but was one of few players that had spring in his step.

1.  Michael Neuvirth.  He continued his strong season, but this was certainly a night Boudreau would have liked to rest him with the big match-up tomorrow.

THE RESULT:  The Caps have been waiting for a game like this.

Shaking off a sluggish first period, the Washington Capitals scored six times in the second stanza, en route to routing the Calgary Flames 7-2, before 19,289 in the Saddledome on Hockey Night in Canada.

The Caps (7-4-0-14) shook the rust off their power play, scoring three straight man-advantage goals, erasing a 2-0 first period defecit that could have been even larger were it not for the continued stellar play of rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth.

But Washington's skaters finally were able to take the pressure off Neuvirth (27 saves on 29 shots), continuing to light the lamp after finally taking the lead.

Coach Bruce Boudreau changed his lines around again tonight, moving Alexander Semin up to the top line, and the change paid dividends.  All three forwards had at least one goal, with Alex Ovechkin scoring twice in a span of 12 seconds, just two seconds longer than Stephen Leach needed to set the Caps record for fastest two goals from one player, 20 years ago next month.

Defenseman Mike Green had his best game of the season, with his first goal and two assists.  He played more of his game and was not as tentative as he has been since returning to the line up three games ago from his shoulder injury.

It was clearly his most complete game of the season.

Even fourth line grinders Matt Bradley and David Steckel got into the act.  Bradley got credit for a goal when Calgary defenseman Cory Sarich knocked the puck off Bradley's stick into his own net, and Steckel was awarded a penalty shot on a short-handed breakaway when he was hauled down from defenseman Mark Giordano. 

Steckel buried it for his first goal of the year off the normally Mikka Kiprusoff (21 saves on 27 shots).

It wasn't all offense for the Capitals, though it was nice to see all the goals.  The penalty kill was perfect again, going six-for-six a man down.

The slow first period, where the Caps were outshot 16-8, kept this one from being called a "60-minute" game, something that so far has escaped the Capitals this season.  But the speed and efficiency of Washington's goal-scoring prowess in the second period was impressive to watch. 

The last couple of games it's been tough to watch the Caps hit posts and fire wide and generally look uninterested and unimaginitive.  Funny how one 20 minute burst of domination can change your outlook on a team.  This is what we expected to see out of the Capitals this season. 

Hopefully this dominant display woke something up in every player that wears the Capitals logo on their chest.

THE GOOD:  Scoring six goals in a period is big, but seeing the power play convert three opportunities, including scoring on a 5-on-3 and the resulting 5-on-4 12 seconds later has to be a relief to all of American's Hcokey Capital.

THE BAD:  Six more minor penalties.  They didn't come back to haunt the Caps, but they are really playing with fire relying on the kill to continue it's stellar play.

THE UGLY:  The only real ugly was the Caps' start, getting down by two goals again -- and it could have been more.  Last season the first period was a strong suit for the Caps, but so far in this campaign the opening 20 minutes have been nothing but trouble.  Thankfully Neuvirth was up to the task once again.

THE STATS:  Nicklas Backstrom (4) from Mike Green (3) and Brooks Laich (3) at 15:22 of 1st (PP).  Alex Ovechkin (6) from Green (4) and Backstrom (4) at 3:43 of 2nd (PP).  Ovechkin (7) from Alexander Semin (4) and Jason Chimera (2) at 3:55 of 2nd (PP).  Green (1) from Semin (4) and Backstrom (5) at 10:28 of 2nd.  Matt Bradley (unassisted) at 10:41 of 2nd.  Semin (6) from Ovechkin (6) and Backstrom (6) at 13:33 of 2nd.  David Steckel (penalty shot) at 18:23 of 2nd.

NEXT GAME:  Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 pm against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Verizon Center.

CAPS NOTES:  Boyd Gordon returned to the lineup.  He took a delay of game penalty and skated 25 shifts for 16:28 TOI, including 5:09 shorthanded.  Eric Fehr and Mattieau Perrault were healthy scratches.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Nicklas Backstrom.  Goal and three assists.  Super Swede has his best game of the season.

2.  Mike Green.  First goal of the season and two helpers.  Starting to look like he feels better.

1.  Alex Ovechkin.  Two power play goals when the contest was still in doubt and a helper on Semin's marker.

"You can't play ten minutes in this league and hope to win a game." Coach Bruce Boudreau, on his team's performance in a 2-1 loss to the Wild.

THE RESULT:  One team looked rested, in the middle of a five-game homestand.  They had a game plan; forcing shots to the outside, clogging up the neutral zone, and relying on a steady if unspectacular goalie.

The other team looked like they played the previous night on the road, in a different time zone.  They looked like they took a two and a half hour plane ride and got to bed around 3:00 am.  And they looked like they knew that 24 hours later they would be in a third time zone in a different country.

Looking back at the Washington Capitals 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, the Caps should consider themselves the beating wasn't worse.  The loss drops the Caps' record at the Xcel Energy Center to 0-5-1 all-time.

The things that have plagued the Caps all season long continued to trouble them in this one as well.  Poor and sloppy passing through the neutral zone.  Forwards skating in one-on-three.  No one willing to do the hard work in the crease.  And players losing individual defensive battles along the boards.

And the team's best player -- it's captain -- once again had a mostly frustrating evening, getting four shots on goal, but also getting four blocked, as defensemen continue to press him hard as he enters the offensive zone as he carries the puck instead of laying back, not allowing themselves to become a screen. 

And when the Great Eight does manage to get a shot through the D-man, it's still far enough out for the goalie to find it.

Not until 18:24 of the third, as the panicked Capitals played 6-on-5, was Alex Ovechkin able to get space and sneak a puck into the opposition net, cutting the deficit to 2-1.  Unfortunately, he and his teammates could not find the equalizer, having started their energized play much, much too late.

Ovechkin was very blunt in his assessment of the game.  "We didn't shoot the puck. We didn't hit their guys. We didn't finish our shots," he said.

No truer words have been spoken.

The most recent goalie to look like Patrick Roy against the Caps was Niklas Backstrom of Finland.  He played well shutting out the Caps until a minute and a half left in the game, but was not tested often, facing just 22 shots.  His mates blocked an additional 15 shots, and the Caps misfired on 18, including Alexander Semin's clear breakaway early in the third period.

Backstrom's best was a lunging, back-door glove save on his name-twin, Nicklas Backstrom of Sweden, with just 5.8 second remaining.

Continuing the theme of the season, the hard-luck loser tonight was Michal Neuvirth, who once again was stellar -- if not tested very hard either -- stopping 15 of the 17 shots thrown his way.

These Capitals are struggling to put two good period together right now, let alone two straight games.  As well as they played Wednesday night in Carolina, finally putting together 60 minutes of hockey, it has to be especially deflating to Coach Bruce Boudreau and his staff to see that effort mimicked by their slow, lumbering performance against Minnesota.

Boudreau was especially expressive after the game with the media.

"It was a really disappointing effort, I thought, from our team for about about 50 minutes," Boudreau said.  "You can't play ten minutes in this league and hope to win a game."

Asked about the team's struggles, particularly in the first periods, Boudreau said, "I haven't changed too much of the way my philosophy as far as getting them ready for the game.   I don't know.  I don't know what it is."

"It looked like we were in quicksand.  We weren't moving the puck, we couldn't handle the puck... I'm not buying any of this excuse about being fatigued -- emotionally or physically."

"I'm not very happy with what happened."

No one is.

"We know what makes this team successful, and it isn't going diagonal passes through the neutral zone.  We got a big, strong team, big forwards, and our success has been winning the battles below the circles.  That's what we did last night so successfully and tonight we decided we wanted to be fancy."

"You can't be fancy in this league."

The coach seems to have a handle on the general problems plaguing his team.  Let's see if he can figure out how to fix them.

THE GOOD:  Neuvirth.  He's the only thing this team can depend on right now.

THE BAD:  Alexander Semin.  One shot on goal.  Three blocked.  Four misses.  The Enigma strikes again.

THE UGLY:  The Power Play.  0-for-2.  Rinse and repeat.  And one night after having a dominant faceoff record, in this one they won just 48 percent of the draws.  Five more minor penalties, including a terrible giveaway-interference by Tyler Sloan in the first.  Please get well soon, Tom Poti.

THE STATS:  Alex Ovechkin (5) from Mike Green (2) at 18:24 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday night at Calgary Flames at 10:00 pm eastern.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Mike Knuble.  He was instrumental in the penalty kill and had five shots on goal, though most came from the top of the circle entering the zone -- but that's exactly how the Caps got a goal against Carolina, when Backstrom followed up a big shot by driving to the net.

2.  Jason Chimera.  He had a goal waived off after the referee rule he pushed Backstrom into the net.  He also rang two posts and brought what little speed was on display for the Caps.

1.  Michal Neuvirth.  Maybe we need to retire the three stars until they start playing better.