"One game like that does not a season make." David Steckel, on the team's encouraging defensive effort in the third period.

THE RESULT: Playing what Matt Bradley called "playoff-style hockey" in the third period, the Washington Capitals held on to a precious one-goal lead and defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-2, before an announced sellout crowd at Verizon Center.

All the tickets might have been sold, but there were just enough empty seats -- and Buffalo fans -- to give the building an less-than-raucous aura for the mid-week affair.

The Capitals won their seventh straight game at home and improved to an NHL best 14-4-1 on the season.

As has been the case so often in this recent stretch of winning hockey, the Capitals jumped out to an early lead, controlling the play against a game, but undermanned, Sabres squad. Washington got a five-on-three power play goal and two tallies from the energy line, and looked comfortably strong for most of the first half of the game.

Then, at 12:07 of the second, cracks in the armor showed.

Derek Roy (wouldn't he look good in Red come trade deadline) flipped a shot past Michal Neuvirth with Mike Green in the box and just 48 seconds later, Jordan Leopold snapped an even-strength wrist shot past the screened goalie, cutting the lead to 3-2 and sending shivers down every Caps spine.

Neuvirth then faced a barrage of shots and, frankly, was lucky the score was not worse. He looked unsure on a couple of stops, and at least twice Buffalo shooters missed wide open nets.

But the Caps regrouped, killing an Alex Ovechkin delay-of-game penalty without a shot on goal, and seemed to gain momentum from the big kill.

In the third, the Capitals really buckled down and clogged the defensive zone. It was probably the best concentrated 20-minute defensive effort the team has put forth all season long. Buffalo got 10 shots on goal in the frame, but Neuvirth was up to the task.

Coach Bruce Boudreau spoke about his young netminder's strength in the final frame. "I think, for him, it's his experience having to go through two championship rounds in the playoffs [for AHL Hershey]. He knows when to really buckle down and he's protected the lead for us really good this year."

"He's growing up right before your eyes."

Boudreau said his team never panicked and he didn't give some big motivational speech between the second and third periods.

"I told them to stay the course because they were doing a really good job."

On a night Boudreau picked to play around with his forward combinations, the Capitals best line this evening was the one composed of grinders: Jason Chimera, David Steckel and Matt Bradley. Both Bradley and Steckel scored, with Chimera providing the primary assist to both. The plays were similar as well, with Chimera feeding a cutting teammate in the slot from behind the Buffalo net.

Bradley actually led the team in shots with five, ahead of Alexes Ovechkin and Semin by one each.

"When we try to be fancy and do things we shouldn't, that's when we get in trouble," Bradley said. "We're just playing a simple game. That's what we did tonight."

Steckel spoke of the chemistry on the newly-formed line. "Chimmer got in there and made some great plays and Brads and I just kind of mucked it up and we were in the right spots. If you do the right stuff and are working hard, it's easy to play together."

Boudreau offered praise for the trio. "They were really good I thought tonight. It's the first quarter of the season and you're trying to find things that are really gonna click that you'll leave them there. So we're doing a little bit of experimenting with the lines."

Steckel -- who was awarded tonight's hard hat -- echoed his coaches words on the Caps' effort, and perhaps made the best observation of the season: "With the exception of the two minutes in the second period, we played really well. We talked about it before the game and we came out and executed it. We need to build off it. One game like that does not a season make."

Indeed.  But it's a good place to start.

THE GOOD: Not enough can be said about how well the 25-39-10 line played. They were far and away the best line on the ice for either team, and really controlled the puck in the offensive zone, cycling and looking for opportune scoring chances.

Michal Neuvirth was strong again, except for those few moments in the second period. He turned away 31 shots - including all 10 in the third period – to improve to 12-3-0 on the season.

THE BAD: Eric Fehr was invisible. He had the least amount of ice time (14 shifts for 10:55) and was minus-one, managing just two shots on goal. No hits. No takeaways.

THE UGLY: Not really all that ugly, but I was not a big fan of the reconfigured lines tonight. Marcus Johansson is just not ready to center Ovechkin and Mike Knuble. He looked tenative with the puck on several occasions, once opting to pass backward from inside the faceoff circle with an open lane to the net.

THE STATS:  Backstrom (6) from Semin (11) and Laich (8) PP at 12:31 of 1st.  Bradley (2) from Chimera (4) and Alzner (2) at 17:04 of 1st.  Steckel (3) from Chimera (5) and Bradley (4) at 2:45 of 2nd. Semin (14) unassisted EN at 19:56 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME: At Atlanta Thrashers Friday at 7:30 pm.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Michal Neuvirth.  Despite a shaky two minutes in the second, he was a stone wall in the third when the Caps needed him to be.

2.  Jason Chimera.  Both passes were things of beauty.

1.  Matt Bradley.  Goal and assist.  Led the team in shots and was very strong on the forecheck all night.

CAPS NOTES: Alexander Semin scored an empty netter with four seconds left in regulation and added an assist on Nicklas Backstrom’s first period power-play goal to extended his point streak to nine games (nine goals, eight assists) and surpassing Alex Ovechkin for the longest streak by a Capital this season (eight games). Washington improved to 11-1-1 when Semin registers at least a point and 10-0-0 when he scores a goal.

Backstrom scored his sixth goal of the year on a two-man advantage with 7:29 remaining in the first period. Backstrom, who is riding a four-game point streak (two goals, five assists), has collected 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 19 games this season.

Washington upped their record to 10-0-0 when scoring a power play goal.  For the season, the Caps rank seventh in the NHL at 21.9 percent.

Buffalo Sabres (7-9-3-17, 4th NE) v. Washington Capitals (13-4-1-27, 1st SE)

7:00 pm, Verizon Center, Washington DC

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The Washington Capitals, winners of eight of their last ten games, look to avenge one of those losses, a 3-2 OT loss to the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night in Buffalo.  The defeat snapped a season-high six-game win streak for the Caps.

The Caps got right back to their winning ways, knocking off Atlanta at home on Sunday, extending a six-game home winning streak, and the Caps hope that streak doesn't suffer the same fate as the last one did.

The Sabres have won four of their last five games, all of which required extra time. 

Buffalo is led, as always, by their goaltender Ryan Miller.  The U.S. Olympic goalie returned two games ago from a hip injury which caused him to miss six games.  He picked up right where he left off, making 23 saves against the Caps and 36 saves in a 4-3 OT win against Vancouver Monday night.

Derek Roy paces the Sabres offense, with eight goals and 13 assists (+6), placing him tied for seventh in the league in scoring.

Coach Bruce Boudreau has toyed with his lines the last several games, and if this morning's skate is any indication, he plans to again tonight.  Rookie center Marcus Johansson was between Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble on the top line, with Nicklas Backstrom centering Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich.

Semin has an eight-game point streak entering tonight, the third-longest active streak in the league (Nicklas Lidstrom, Justin Williams) and tied with Alex Ovechkin for the longest by a Capital this season.

Tom Poti did not skate this morning as he continues to rehab a nagging lower body injury, and Tomas Fleischmann and D. J. King stayed out for extra skating, indicating they would be healthy scrathes.  Of Fleischmann sitting, Boudreau told reporters after practice, "It's his turn."

The Caps have averaged more than four goals per game over their last 11 contests, but have surrendered three or more in six of seven games since.

__________________________________________________

LEADERS

BUF:  C Derek Roy (8-13-21, +6), LW Thomas Vanek (6-7-13, -3), G Ryan Miller (5-5-2, 2.64, .906)

WAS:  LW Alex Ovechkin (10-15-25, +6), LW Alexander Semin (13-10-23, +9), G Michal Neuvirth (11-3-0, 2.60, .910)

INJURIES

BUF:  D Craig Rivet (Flu-QUE), RW Patrick Kaleta (UBI-QUE)

WAS:  D Tom Poti (LBI-OUT)

STATS

BUF:  GF/G:  2.58 (22);  GA/G: 3.16 (24th)  PP: 10.8% (28th)  PK: 78.1% (23)  FO: 47.9% (27th)

WAS: GF/G 3.61 (1st);  GA/G: 2.61 (12th)  PP: 21.9% (7th)  PK: 84.2% (12th)  FO: 50.7% (12th)

The Washington Capitals' 6-4 win over the division rival Atlanta Thrashers Sunday, fueled by John Erskine's mustache, gave the Caps a nine-point lead in the division and three-point leads over Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles for the President's Trophy.

Washington Capitals celebrate one of their 13 wins. (C.Nichols)

Washington owns a 13-4-1 record after 18 games.  No team in hockey has more wins.  Only Detroit, St. Louis and L.A. have fewer regulation losses.  The Caps are 9-1-0 at home and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

The Caps far and away lead the lead in goals scored with 66 (and goals per game at 3.61).  The next closest is Philly at 58.  Yet, only ten teams in the league have allowed fewer goals.  Their power play, penalty kill and faceoff percentages all rank in the top third in the NHL.

So why is everyone is so concerned about this team?

Are the expectations for the Washington Capitals so high this season that they simply can't be the best team in the league? 

Apparently so.  The frustration felt after last season's early departure from the playoffs has seated so deeply that the Caps must dominate every game, every period, every shift, or in the minds of some they will be destined to come up as disappointing and empty as they did at the end of last season.

This team is young, talented and motivated.  They are coached by smart, dedicated, and passionate coaches.  They are managed by a shrewd businessman that is conservative by nature but willing to address needs -- within a calculated game plan.  And they are owned by one of the most transparent, active and fan-oriented owners in all of sports.

What's not to like?

Are there flaws in the roster?  Probably.  Are there occasional lapses in attention?  Perhaps.

But it looks more and more every day that one of this season's biggest mysteries, the starting goalie position, isn't really one of the problems.  Yes, Michal Neuvirth may look a little tired lately, but other than that he's been spectacular.  While not as gifted athletically as Semyon Varlamov, he is technically and positionally superior to the oft-injured Russian keeper.

Nagging injuries to Tom Poti and Boyd Gordon have kept the Capitals from icing their best squad for most of the season, yet they succeed.  Every team has injury problems, but the Caps farm system is so deep they've been able to weather -- and even flourish on occasion -- even when veterans miss ice time.

And the Caps have gotten out to the best start in hockey this season standings-wise while their two best players, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, are still really trying to get into a groove.  Yes, they both are in the Top 8 in the league in scoring (along with Alexander Semin), a nod to their unbelievable skill level.  But watching them play, I think everyone gets a sense that they just aren't quite clicking at full speed yet.

Woe to the rest of the league when that happens.

Not the least in factors, but the Caps have done all that they have so far this season while breaking rookies in at goalie, second-line center and the second defensive pairing.

Should this organization he held to loftier standards?  Of course.  It's especially glaring when the Caps don't play their best, as was the case in the the second periods at Buffalo and again Sunday against Atlanta.  But every game is the opponent's Super Bowl when they play the Caps, and there are going to be occasions where the Caps get outplayed.  The other team is still trying too.

So when you read accounts of the Caps failing to dominate, being accused of taking games, periods, or shifts off, and of players struggling, keep in mind that the level of play they are achieving so far is good enough to qualify them as the best team in the NHL at the moment, and that the weight of high expectations seems to be affecting the media, bloggers and fans more than it is the team.

Remember, it took Wayne Gretzky and Glen Sather until the end of thier sixth season in the league to win a Stanley Cup.  Their Edmonton Oilers teams then won four of the next five.

“It wasn’t anything special. I was just going out there and playing like I do every other game. [The] Most important thing is for the team to win and that’s what happened tonight.” -- Alexander Semin (translated by Dmitry Chesnokov)

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals extended win streak to six games in front of the 69th consecutive sellout crowd at Verizon Center on Thursday night with a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tom Poti returned to the ice after missing eight games and scored the Capitals first goal of the night.  “He’s a good player and a veteran in this league that’s been successful. It’s nice to have him back because we’re young back there {on defense}” said Coach Bruce Boudreau.

There is no question whether the Ovechkin/Backstrom/Semin line is working.  Coach Bruce Boudreau talked about Alex Semin to the media after the game, "I think he likes playing with Alex {Alex Ovechkin} and Nicky {Backstrom}. I think they can play. They’re interchangeable.”

Alexander Semin continues to be red hot. Semin got this second hat trick in just nine games and leads the Caps with twelve goals for the reason.

Tampa Bay Lightning Captain Vincent Lecavalier missed a shift in the first period and the Comcast camera caught his fingers taped together on his right hand, however, remained in the game.  Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher explained, "Vinny was playing so good the last four games. He was playing great. He got two posts in the first period. That’s the story of his four games. He could’ve had three points every game. Just real bad luck for him. I feel for him. He’s worked so hard – taken care of so many small details. He’s been a real leader on our team. He’s grinding it out. He’s been outstanding for us.”

Goalie Michal Neuvirth struggled in the first period and had several rebounds and a couple of lucky breaks when the puck hit the post, however, he settled down and made key saves when it mattered. He stopped 38 out of the 41 shots made by the Bolts. "He's been really good for us," Backstrom said. "We needed it. Hopefully he can continue playing the way he does and we can keep scoring too."

Nicklas Backstrom continued to discuss the play of the Caps. “The first period wasn’t so good. We didn’t work hard enough, but we worked ourselves back into the game and we finished it [the game] off strong. We have to find a way to start games better. Hopefully it will be the next game.”

Boyd Gordon only played 1:42 after suffering a lower-body injury early in the first period. Coach Bruce Boudreau wasn't sure when the injury occurred but that it could have been when Gordon collided with Matt Smaby on an icing call. "He said he's had this before, the same type of injury and it's usually a week," Boudreau told media after the game. "I don't know when it happened but I think that might be it."

Check out the Movember progress here.

INTERESTING NOTES AND STATS FROM CAPS: 

• Nicklas Backstrom recorded his 200th career NHL assist on Tom Poti’s goal in the second period. He also added four assists and now has 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) in the last six games.
• Tonight’s game featured two of the top three scorers in the NHL in Steven Stamkos (26 points) and Alex Ovechkin (23). Ovechkin registered a goal and two assists while Stamkos scored his league leading 14th goal of the season and added an assist. Ovechkin has points in eight straight games (5 goals, 10 assists) and has at least a point in 11 of the Capitals’ 12 victories this season.
• With Semin (12 goals) and Ovechkin (9), the Capitals are the only team in the NHL with two nine-goals scorers. The duo has combined for eight goals and 20 points in the past five games.
• Poti, who missed eight games with an injury, scored for the first time since Mar. 8, 2010 (19 games).
• Mike Knuble, who snapped a 13-game goal-less drought on Tuesday against the New York Rangers, scored his third goal of the season at 7:51 of the second period.
• The Capitals have won six straight games overall and five in a row at Verizon Center. It’s the fourth straight season that the Capitals have had a winning streak of at least five games after going five seasons with one. Bruce Boudreau has 10 five-game winning streaks in his NHL head coaching tenure.
• After scoring two goals in the second period, the Capitals have now outscored their opponents 25-10 in the middle stanza this season. During the Caps six-game winning streak, Washington has outscored their opponents 31-17 with 17 of the 31 goals coming in the second period.
• Brooks Laich, who recorded an assist on Knuble’s goal in the second period and leads the NHL with a plus-13 rating, has collected seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in the last six games.
• Washington leads the league with nine wins (9-3-0) when allowing the first goal of the game (.750).
• The Capitals are 8-0-0 when Semin scores a goal and 7-0-0 when the team records a power play goal.
• The Caps have won for the first time on a Thursday night (1-2-0) and now have registered wins during every day of the week.
• Capitals radio play-by-play voice Steve Kolbe called his 1,000th career NHL game tonight.

“We wanted to score on the power play, more for me on the confidence of the power play and it won us the game so it worked out. I thought we were pretty patient and showed a lot of good restraint today. We didn’t retaliate and that was good.” -- Coach Bruce Boudreau

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals ended the Philadelphia Flyers sixth game winning streak in front of the 68th consecutive sellout crowd at Verizon Center on Sunday night.  The game went to overtime and Mike Green scored the winning power play goal to give the Caps their tenth win of the season with the 3-2 victory over the Flyers.

A couple of changes in the standings. The Washington Capitals are now on top in the Eastern Conference for the first time this season and Alex Semin is now the team leader in goals with nine.

Braden Holtby got the nod tonight for his first NHL start.  Getting a start is big, however, starting against a rival on a hot streak is even bigger.  Holtby seemed to handle the pressure well. “It’s definitely huge, but on a team like this, if a goalie just kind of gives the team a chance to win, they usually are going to pull through some goals. It definitely gave me a lot of confidence coming in.”

Holtby gave up his first NHL goal to Nikolay Zherdev in the first period. “I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, that they were going to score on me. I came into the game hoping for a victory and I knew I wasn’t going to get a shutout in my first game. [I] Came in and just tried to get the victory and work my way up.”

Coming into this game, the Flyers and Caps had basically the same record at 9-4-1 and 9-4-0 respectively.  The Caps may have had a small advantage in that they were off on Saturday night while the Flyers played and the fatigue showed on the ice. Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger said, “Not our best hockey, but there was a lot of stuff we did well and a lot of stuff we can work on. To get three points out of four is pretty good.”

Eric Fehr scored his third goal of the season and the first of the night for the Caps that went to the upper right-hand corner of the net. John Erskine and Tyler Sloan were credited as the helpers. "We expect that third line to be able to chip in" said Coach Boudreau. "When Eric is shooting and scoring, it certainly makes a big difference."

The Flyers had three times as many penalty minutes than the Caps, however, it wasn't until the middle of the third period that the Caps took advantage of the power play.  Nicklas Backstrom picked up an Alex Ovechkin rebound and passed to Alex Semin who easily got the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky. The goal was Semin's ninth of the season and the fourth game in a row in which he scored.

Neither team scored in the third period.  The Flyers O'Donnell took a boarding penalty at the end of the third while tied up at two so it was 5-on-3 for 18.1 of third period since Pronger was still serving his time for double-minor high sticking penalty.  This meant more power play time in overtime for the Capitals.

It only took twenty-nine seconds for Mike Green to score the winning power play goal assisted by Backstrom and Mike Knuble. "Everything felt stable out there," Green said. "It felt composed and there was no panic. In the past we've got into situations where we panicked and there was confusion and I think tonight we were pretty stable."

The Capitals have four games in the next week. Neuvrith and Holtby may each get a few starts with the grueling schedule ahead, especially now that Boudreau is comfortable with Holtby in front of the net. “In the first two periods I thought he looked a little nervous, but once they started getting some shots in the third period I thought he made a great game-saving save there in that flurry, moving from side to side. So, I think he handled himself overall really well for his first complete game.”

“We’re in the mix. Not saying we’re better or worse, but we’re in the mix that we can compete against the better teams" said Boudreau. "Next week is no different… this whole league is good.”

We saved the bad news for last (well, hopefully it is not serious).  Coach Bruce Boudreau announced in post-game presser that Brooks Laich is out with "upper body injury." Brooks wanted to play, but doctors kept him out as a precaution.

INTERESTING NOTES AND STATS FROM CAPS: 

• The Capitals won their fourth straight game and improved to 5-0 in overtime games this season. The win lifts Washington into a tie with Philadelphia atop the Eastern Conference and snapped the Flyers’ six-game winning streak.
• Mike Green, tonight’s first star, scored his fourth goal of the season 29 seconds into the overtime session and is currently riding a four-game goal scoring streak and a five-game point streak (four goals, four assists). The Capitals are 4-0-0 when Green registers a goal.
• The overtime goal was the fifth of Green’s career, tied for second in Capitals history with Peter Bondra and Kelly Miller. Only Alex Ovechkin (8) has more career overtime goals for the Capitals.
• Braden Holtby, in his first NHL start, became the third straight Caps’ goaltender to start his career 2-0-0. He turned away 25 shots, including all eight he faced in the third.
• Tonight's goaltenders are the two youngest to start games in the NHL this season (Holtby, 21, and Sergei Bobrovsky, 22).
• Eric Fehr opened the scoring for the Caps and recorded his third goal of the season with 2:31 left in the first period. Fehr has scored all of his six points (three goals, three assists) this season at Verizon Center. The Capitals improved to 3-0-0 when Fehr scores a goal and 5-0-0 when he registers a point.
• Alexander Semin scored his team-high ninth goal of the year – a power-play goal - at 8:54 into the second period. Semin extended his goal and point streak to four games (four goals, three assists), his best since notching his career-best six-game goal streak from Feb. 26 to Mar. 8, 2009. The Capitals are 7-0-0 when Semin scores a goal and 6-0-0 when the team records a power play goal.
• Alex Ovechkin extended his point streak to six games (four goals, six assists) when he assisted on Semin’s tally in the second period. Ovechkin has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) through 14 games to lead the team and is now tied for sixth in Caps history with 547 career points in 410 GP (matching Mike Ridley).
• With Semin’s nine goals and Ovechkin’s eight, the Capitals are the only team in the league with two eight-plus goal scorers. The duo has combined for eight goals and 16 points in the past four games.
• David Steckel was 80% at the faceoff dot tonight, winning eight of the 10 faceoffs he took.
• Semin recorded a game-high seven shots on goal tonight.
• Green skated a game-high 30:26 in ice time tonight, the fourth time this year he has surpassed 30 minutes of ice time.
• Washington posted a 3-0-0 record during this homestand, and is now 7-1-0 at Verizon Center – the best home record in the NHL (through the end of tonight’s game).
• The Capitals have won five straight overtime games for the second time under head coach Bruce Boudreau (also won six in a row from Jan. 5 to Feb. 10, 2008).

NEXT GAME: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at NY Rangers

Philadelphia Flyers (9-4-1-14, 1st AE) v.

Washington Capitals (9-4-0-14, 1st SE)

5:00 pm  Verizon Center, Washington DC

_______________________________________________________________

The Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals are evenly matched on paper and add in the long-time rivarly, Sunday early evening should prove to be a great game in America's Hockey Capital.

After Saturday morning practice, Eric Fehr said, "It's one of our biggest rivalries for sure and both teams are pretty hot right now so its looking like its going to be an intense game."

Flyers center Danny Briere is eligible to be back on the ice on Sunday after serving a three game suspension by the NHL for a hit he made on the Islanders' Frans Nielsen last Saturday's game.

"It's tough to match their physical play so we have to do what we do best, that's all," stated Coach Bruce Boudreau.

Washington's defense was strong on Friday and will need to repeat that performance, however, extend to a full sixty minutes.  Tyler Sloan added, "Having Mike in the lineup obviously exudes confidence in all of us."

It is expected that Michal Neuvirth will be in the net for the Caps. 

Tonight's matchup, the first of four with the Flyers, should be an exciting. 

Center Marcus Johansson was assigned to Hershey and will playing in Charlotte on Sunday.

___________________________________________________

LEADERS

PHI:  RW Claude Giroux (7-7-14, +2), LW Ville Leino (2-9-11, +5), G Sergi Bobrovsky (7-2-0, 2.23, 234, .921)

WAS:   LW Alex Ovechkin (8-9-17, +2), Alexander Semin (6-5-11, +5), G Michal Neuvirth (8-3-3, 2.41, 287, .914)

INJURIES

PHI:  D Matt Walker (Hip), RW Ian Laperrier (Concussion), C Michael Leighton (Lower back strain)

WAS:  D Tom Poti (LBI-OUT), C Marcus Johansson (hip-QUE), G Semyon Varlamov (groin-QUE)

STATS

PHI: GF/G: 3.07 (3rd); GA/G: 2.21 (23rd); PP: 18.5% (11th); PK: 87.3% (7th)

WAS:  GF/G: 3.31 (4th); GA/G: 2.46 (19th); PP: 18.4% (12th); PK: 86.2% (10th)

**Quotes in this story were pulled from various sources, including NHL.com and AP

From Caps Press Release:

The Washington Capitals have assigned center Marcus Johansson to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Johansson (YO-hahn-son), 20, has a goal in six games for the Capitals this season. He missed the last six games due to injury but took warm-ups with the team last night and has been cleared for game action. He will join Hershey in Charlotte for the Bears’ game there on Sunday.

The 6’0”, 197-pound center was Washington’s first selection, 24th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

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