Game #26 Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes

Where: RBC Center, Raleigh, NC

When: November 30, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 6-6-0-0
Caps Game 26 Record: 14-15-3-0
All-Time vs. CAR: 28-16-7-3
Last Season vs. CAR: 3-5-0
Last Meeting: 11/24/07, WAS 5 CAR 2

This Year:
WAS Record: 8-15-2
Standings Points: 18
Division Rank: Tied 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/28/2007, WAS 1 FLA 2 (OT-SO)
Streak: Loss 2

CAR Record: 13-9-3
Standings Points: 29
Division Rank: 1^st
Conference Rank: 3^rd
Last Game: 11/28/2007, CAR 1 PHI 3
Streak: Loss 2

Game 1: 10/6/07, WAS 2 CAR 0
Game 2: 11/5/06, WAS 0 CAR 5
Game 3: 11/24/07, WAS 5 CAR 2

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 92 NYLANDER, 21 LAICH
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 25 KOZLOV, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 19 BACKSTROM, 53 LAING
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 3: 3 POTI, 23 JURCINA
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Carolina
Forward Line 1: 61 STILLMAN, 17 BRIND’AMOUR, 26 COLE
Forward Line 2: 13 WHITNEY, 12 STAAL, 11 WILLIAMS
Forward Line 3: 59 LAROSE, 8 CULLEN, 24 WALKER
Forward Line 4: 16 LADD, 19 LETOWSKI, 27 ADAMS
Defense Pair 1: 5 KABERLE, 6 HEDICAN
Defense Pair 2: 7 WALLIN, 42 GLEASON
Defense Pair 3: 22 COMMODORE, 2 WESLEY
Goalie: 30 WARD
Back-up Goalie: 47 GRAHME

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR, 17 CLARK (groin) DTD, 15 GORDON (undisclosed) Week-To-Week
Carolina – 22 COMMODORE (broken finger) DTD

Caps Milestones:
Michal Nylander will play his 100^th game as a Capital
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 5 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals will try repeating their success against the Canes from last Saturday. However, they will be without the services of Team Captain Chris Clark and Boyd Gordon. Both were injured in Wednesday’s shoot out loss to Florida. Alexander Semin also aggravated his ankle injury and questionable for tonight’s match up. In response to the injuries the Capitals have recalled Quintin Laing from the Hershey Bears. Since losing to the Caps the Canes lost on Wednesday to the Philadelphia Flyers. Look for the Caps to again try and control the pace of the game by getting the puck in the Carolina zone deep and try to force turnovers.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 Car 3.

Official Preview

Capitals 1 Panthers 2 (OT-SO)

The Capitals lost in an 11-round shoot out last night. The Caps and Panthers skated to a 1-1 tie after 65-minutes of play. Stephen Weiss beat Olie Kolzig to take a 4-3 advantage in the shoot out then Tomas Vokoun stopped Brian Pothier to end the game. The overall effort was there for the Caps who have now dropped 2 in a row after 2 straight wins. After a lack luster 1st period, the Caps had several chances including a shot off the post by Mike Green. The team now heads to Carolina for a game on Friday and then to Florida on Saturday to face these same Panthers.

Off Note:

• The shoot out was the first of the season for the Capitals. Scoring for the Caps was Victor Kozlov, Nicklas Backstrom, and Boyd Gordon. Both Chris Clark and Alexander Semin were unable to participate due to injuries.
• Chris Clark scored the lone goal for the Capitals. It was an unassisted goal as he intercepted a pass from Steve Montador at the Florida blue line and ripped a slap shot past the goaltender.
• The Caps out shot Florida 33-29 with Alex Ovechkin registering 11 of Washington's shots. The Panther won the face-off battle 31-24.
  
• Olie Kolzig was solid in net making 28 saves. The only goal came on a Florida power play.
• Special teams saw the Caps go 0-5 with the man advantage and the Panthers were 1-5.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats
Shoot Out Summary

Alex Ovechkin - All Heart

The following was copied from the HFBoards:

Thank you Ovechkin...from a Sabres fan.

---

My name is Shanna Westbrook and I'm a Buffalo Sabres fan. I live in the DC area though and am actually a Buffalo transplant. My husband is from DC and is a HUGE Caps fan. And through his affection for the Caps, he managed to turn my 7-year old daughter into a Caps fan as well. She loves Alex Ovechkin. My son, Parker, however is a Sabres fan like me. Anyway, we were in attendance at last nights Sabres-Capitals game and were lucky enough to meet Alex after the game. Well, under the circumstances, lucky isnt the correct word. Let me explain.
My daughter Lindsay was diagnosed not too long ago with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. It was ridiculously hard news to take since we never saw that particular diagnosis coming. Both of my children play youth hockey and have for years. At first it didnt slow her down much at all but now, thanks mostly to chemotherapy and other meds, she's so tired and sick all the time that she just cant play anymore. So to make up for the loss of hockey in her life (and it's a shame because she was so good at it) my husband has been taking her to Capitals games, and when she's too sick to go, we all watch the games on TV and it lifts her spirits tremendously. And ours too.
Now to make a boringly long story a little shorter, I'll get right to my point. My husband's business partner has a friend in upper Caps management and he arranged for Lindsay (and us too) to meet with Alex after the game last night as a surprise to Lindsay. My husband made up this ridiculous story for her when she questioned why we were still at the arena when the game had ended, lol. She's a smart girl but she never saw this coming. But when Alex and some other guy(I'm not sure who he was, public relations maybe, but he was informing Alex about Lindsays cancer) walked in the room her little jaw dropped and she just stared at him. He came over to talk to her (he called her sweetheart) and she was just speechless. Then all of a sudden she just started bawling, a little overwhelmed maybe. And what Alex did next was totally unexpected. I moved over to go comfort her and hopefully get her to talk to him but Alex beat me to it. He sat down on a bench and set her on his lap and just held her in his arms. I couldnt believe it. At that point, I started crying as well, lol. After she calmed down, they just started having a conversation like they've been best friends for years. She told him about how she plays,or played rather, hockey and he gave her a few tips, lol. She told him about how she had a chemo treatment that morning and she wasnt feeling too well and he gave her another hug. Then he taught her how to say "I love you" in Russian. That was...interesting lol. They just talked back and forth for a while. A lot longer than I thought actually. And before he left and we went home he gave her an address and told her she could write to him anytime she wanted and he'd make sure he'd get it. I think it may have been a fan club address or something. I cant imagine it'd be his personal address. He even gave her a "special" nickname: Lulu, lol. I asked him why Lulu, and he said because he likes that name, lol. He's a funny guy. And even with his semi-broken english(it's getting much better though) it was just an unbelievable night. I just wanted everyone to know what an AMAZING guy we have here in Washington. I've never had an experience quite like that one.

I would just like to say that our hopes and prayers go out to Lulu for a speedy a full recovery and I am very proud to have Alex on the Washington Capitals. He may be one of the best hockey players in the world but he is an even better person.

Capitals Milestones Reached So Far

Congratulations to the following Capitals who have achieved Capitals or Career milestones this season:

2007-2008 Season - Capitals Statistical Milestones
Player	Milestone	Number	Date
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	Points	200	10/6/07
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	Goals	100	10/12/07
GREEN, MIKE	Games	100	10/24/07
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	Shots on Goal	900	11/8/07
PETTINGER, MATT	Games	300	11/23/07
CLARK, CHRIS	Points	100	11/23/07
CLARK, CHRIS	PIM	200	11/23/07
BRASHEAR, DONALD	Games	100	11/24/07

2007-2008 Season – Career Statistical Milestones
Player	Milestone	Number	Date
POTI, TOM	Games	600	10/6/07
KOZLOV, VICTOR	Shots on Goal	1900	11/6/07
BRADLEY, MATT	PIM	300	11/15/07
POTI, TOM	Assists	200	11/23/07

Game #25 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When: November 28, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 4-8-2-0
Caps Game 25 Record: 12-18-2-0
All-Time vs. FLA: 32-28-9-5
Last Season vs. FLA: 3-3-2
Last Meeting: 11/19/07, WAS 3 FLA 4

This Year:
WAS Record: 8-15-1
Standings Points: 17
Division Rank: Tied 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/26/2007, WAS 1 BUF 3
Streak: Loss 1

FLA Record: 11-12-1
Standings Points: 23
Division Rank: 2^nd
Conference Rank: Tied 9^th
Last Game: 11/23/2007, FLA 3 NYR 2
Streak: Win 3

Game 1: 11/15/07, WAS 1 FLA 2
Game 2: 11/19/07, WAS 3 FLA 4

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 92 NYLANDER, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 18 PETTINGER, 25 KOZLOV, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 21 LAICH, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 19 BACKSTROM, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN,
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 3: 3 POTI, 23 JURCINA
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Florida
Forward Line 1: 10 BOOTH, 12 JOKINEN, 15 STUMPEL
Forward Line 2: 20 ZEDNIK, 9 WEISS, 16 HORTON
Forward Line 3: 18 PELTONEN, 54 KREPS, 14 DVORAK
Forward Line 4: 85 OLESZ, 11 CAMPBELL, 17 MURRAY
Defense Pair 1: 4 BOUWMEESTAR, 24 SALEI
Defense Pair 2: 5 ALLEN, 26 VAN RYN
Defense Pair 3: 22 CULLIMORE, 7 MONTADOR
Goalie: 29 VOKOUN
Back-up Goalie: 31 ANDERSON

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Florida – WELCH (shoulder) IR, 53 MCCLEAN (hand) DTD

Caps Milestones:
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 5 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
After a loss to Buffalo on Monday the Capitals will try to start a new winning streak against Florida tonight at the Phone Booth. The Capitals played hard but costly turnovers led to two Sabers goals and an inability to finish again held the Caps back. They get another crack at Florida who beat the Caps twice in the last 14 days on a pair of one goal decisions. If the Caps can keep the intensity they’ve had for the past three games they should be able to come away with some standings points in this one. Florida is on a modest 3-game winning streak and hasn’t played in 5 days. Lets hope the Verizon Center staff can get some control over the ice for tonight’s contest; It’s been an absolute embarrassment and if it doesn’t improve someone is going to get hurt. Look for another strong performance from Alex Ovechkin who has a 9-game point streak going and is second in the league in goals scored. In 18 lifetime games against Florida he has 9 goals and 13 assists for 22 points.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 FLA 3.

Official Preview

Capitals 1 Sabers 3

According to Interim Head Coach Bruce Boudreau in a winning streak the third win gets you over the hump, makes you believe you are going to win the next game. The Capitals couldn't quite get over the hump. A couple of mistakes by Michal Nylander and Tomas Fleischmann led directly to Buffalo goals last night. Nylander was snake bit all night. In the third period he had the puck behind Saber's goalie Ryan Miller and wasn't able to get it across the goal line. Moments later Alexander Semin set Nylander up with a nice pass from behind the net but Nylander was unable to get the puck past Miller. Alex Ovechkin had another highlight reel goal taking the puck from his own zone, racing down the left wing, passing the puck to himself through defender Brian Campbell's legs, shooting the puck on net, avoiding two more defenders and burying the rebound behind the goalie. The stop of the game went to Olie Kolzig who stopped Jochan Hecht on a rebound attempt. Hecht looked absolutely flabbergasted after his shot was snared by the diving Kolzig (see picture above). Hecht and Kolzig are good friends and play together on the German National Team. The Caps play again on Wednesday against Florida.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin's goal extended his consecutive points streak to 9 games. It also ties him with the late Gaetan Duchesne for 26th place on the Caps All-Time Points list with 225 points.
• This was the 6th consecutive game the Caps had 30 of more shots on goal. They out shot Buffalo 31-25.
• The Caps dominated the face-offs winning 40 of 66 draws.
• The Caps did not allow a power play goal for the second consecutive game.
• Steve Eminger recorded his first point of the season assisting on the Ovechkin goal.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Game #24 Washington Capitals vs. Buffalo Sabers

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When: November 26, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 4-4-4-1
Caps Game 24 Record: 16-12-4-0
All-Time vs. BUF: 32-73-15-1
Last Season vs. BUF: 1-3-0
Last Meeting: 10/13/07, WAS 3 BUF 7

This Year:
WAS Record: 8-14-1
Standings Points: 17
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/24/2007, WAS 5 CAR 2
Streak: Win 2

BUF Record: 10-10-1
Standings Points: 21
Division Rank: 4^th
Conference Rank: Tied 13^th
Last Game: 11/24/2007, BUF 3 MON 0
Streak: Win 4

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 25 KOZLOV, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 19 BACKSTROM, 21 LAICH
Defense Pair 1: 2 POTHIER, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 2: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 3: 4 ERSKINE, 23 JURCINA
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Buffalo
Forward Line 1: 26 VANEK, 55 HECHT, 21 STAFFORD
Forward Line 2: 41 MACARTHUR, 9 ROY, 29 POMINVILLE
Forward Line 3: 20 PAILLE, 19 CONNOLLY, 61 AFINOGENOV
Forward Line 4: 76 PETERS, 28 GAUSTAD, 12 KOTALIK
Defense Pair 1: 51 CAMPBELL, 10 TALLINDER
Defense Pair 2: 5 LYDMAN, 6 SPACEK
Defense Pair 3: 38 PAETSCH, 4 PRATT
Goalie: 30 MILLER
Back-up Goalie: 35 THIBAULT

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Buffalo – 21 Stafford (shoulder) DTD, 45 Kalinin (knee) IR, 27 Numminen (heart surgery) IR

Caps Milestones:
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 5 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since game 4 and will try to win their third in a row this evening against the Buffalo Sabers. The Sabers started the season slowly but have a 4-game win streak coming into this game. They defeated Montreal twice in a home and home series on Friday and Saturday. Look for the Caps to keep up the aggressive forecheck and try to keep the puck away from the highly skilled Buffalo forwards. The Caps power play has shown signs of life with 4 goals in the last two games. They will need all the goals they can get as the Sabers pasted the Caps 7-3 back in game 5 but the new coach has the Caps playing like a new team.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 BUF 3.

Official Preview

Capitals 5 Hurricanes 2

The Washington Capitals won their second consecutive game 5-2 over Carolina last night. The power play supplied 3 goals on 4 attempts and the penalty killers stopped all 3 Carolina chances. The team looks absolutely re energized and are playing with a belief that they can and will win. Head Coach Bruce Boudreau's attack style really seems to fit the character of this team. The players were absolutely flying last night. The key play, however, came just over a minute into the game when Olie Kolzig stopped a 2-on-0 breakaway. The play set the tone right off and minutes later Mike Green buried a shot shot to give the Caps a lead they wouldn't lose the rest of the night.

Of Note:

• Nicklas Backstrom had 2 assists on the night giving him 5 points in the last 2 games.
• Michal Nylander scored the game winning goal and had 2 assists for a 3-point night.
• Alex Ovechkin scored 2 goals. He now has 114 in his career and passed Calle Johansson and tied Ryan Walter at number 18 on the Caps All-Time Goals list.
• The Caps were out shot 37-34 and were out drawn 44-30 in the face-off dot
  
• Mike Green scored the opening goal on a power play for the second consecutive game.
• Donald Brashear played in his 100th game as a Capital.
  

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Game #23 Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When: November 24, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 3-9-2-0
Caps Game 23 Record: 10-15-6-1
All-Time vs. CAR: 27-16-7-3
Last Season vs. CAR: 3-5-0
Last Meeting: 11/5/07, WAS 0 CAR 5

This Year:
WAS Record: 7-14-1
Standings Points: 15
Division Rank: Tied 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/23/2007, WAS 4 PHI 3 (OT)
Streak: Win 1

CAR Record: 13-7-3
Standings Points: 29
Division Rank: 1^st
Conference Rank: 2^nd
Last Game: 11/23/2007, CAR 4 TAM 3
Streak: Win 1

Game 1: 10/6/07, WAS 2 CAR 0
Game 2: 11/5/07, WAS 0 CAR 5

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 25 KOZLOV, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 21 LAICH
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 19 BACKSTROM, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 3: 3 POTI, 23 JURCINA
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Carolina
Forward Line 1: 61 STILLMAN, 17 BRIND’AMOUR, 11 WILLIAMS
Forward Line 2: 13 WHITNEY, 12 STAAL, 51 HAMILTON
Forward Line 3: 59 LAROSE, 8 CULLEN, 19 LETOWSKI
Forward Line 4: 16 LADD, 18 BAYDA, 27 ADAMS
Defense Pair 1: 5 KABERLE, 6 HEDICAN
Defense Pair 2: 7 WALLIN, 42 GLEASON
Defense Pair 3: 22 COMMODORE, 2 WESLEY
Goalie: 30 WARD
Back-up Goalie: 47 GRAHME

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR, 28 SEMIN (ankle) DTD
Carolina – 26 COLE (neck) IR, 24 WALKER (torso) IR

Caps Milestones:
Donald Brashear will play his 100^th game as a Capital
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals will try to build on their success in Philly yesterday. Carolina is coming into Washington after escaping with a win over division rival Tampa yesterday. The Caps will try to pressure the Canes and take advantage of turnovers and attack on offense. This is a similar strategy used by the Canes so look for this game to be very high tempo and these two teams like to hit each other. There may be a lot of scoring in this one but I’m giving the edge to the Caps because they should have a bit more emotion.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 Car 3.

Official Preview

Capitals 4 Flyers 3 (OT)

The Capitals got what they wanted in Philly. Two points and the feeling of a win. The Caps jumped out to a 3-0 lead. A power play goal from Mike Green and strikes from Chris Clark and Donald Brashear. The Flyers made a game of it with 3 straight goals and the affair went to overtime. Then the birthday boy, Nicklas Backstrom, who turned 20 today, got the greatest present of the day. Alex Ovechkin took the puck down the right wing drawing two defenders who knocked the puck free. It floated to the high slot where Backstrom took the puck and out waited Philly goaltender Martin Biron and calmly shot the puck over the sprawled goalie to end the game. The goal capped a 3-point game for the rookie and ended the misery of the 5-game losing streak that had cost a coach his job. The Caps looked much more lively than they had in recent games and even when the Flyers came back they continued to fight until they finally finished the game. The team will try and continue that momentum tomorrow as they face the Carolina Hurricanes at home.

Of Note:

• Bruce Boudreau recorded his first victory as an NHL head coach after taking over for Glen Hanlon yesterday.
  
• Matt Pettinger played in his 300th career NHL game. He recorded 5 shots on goal.
• Tom Poti had 2 assists giving him 200 for his career.
• Chris Clark's goal was his 100th point as a Capital. That ranks him 56th on the Caps All-Time Points list. He also had 4 penalties for 19 minutes topping the 200 minute mark in penalties as a Cap.
• Backstrom's goal was the second of his career. It is also the game winner of his career. We need this guy to score more goals!
• Ovechkin was credited with an assist on the Backstrom goal giving him points in 7 consecutive games.
• The Caps out shot Philly 35-25 and won the face-off battle 34-29.
• The special teams were 1-3 on the power play and 6-7 on the penalty kill, including 1:45 of a 5-3 Philly advantage.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Game #22 Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia

When: November 23, 2007, 1:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 8-2-3-1
Caps Game 22 Record: 13-14-4-1
All-Time vs. PHI: 62-91-19-0
Last Season vs. PHI: 4-0-0
Last Meeting: 11/2/07, WAS 2 PHI 3

This Year:
WAS Record: 6-14-1
Standings Points: 13
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/21/2007, WAS 1 ATL 5
Streak: Loss 5

PHI Record: 12-7-1
Standings Points: 25
Division Rank: 2^nd
Conference Rank: 5^th
Last Game: 11/21/2007, PHI 6 CAR 3
Streak: Win 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 25 KOZLOV, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 19 BACKSTROM, 21 LAICH
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 3: 3 POTI, 4 ERSKINE
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Philadelphia
Forward Line 1: 19 HARTNELL, 18 RICHARDS, 9 UPSHALL
Forward Line 2: 32 COTE, 48 BRIERE, 15 LUPUL
Forward Line 3: 55 EAGER, 20 UMBERGER, 22 KNUBLE
Forward Line 4: 17 CARTER, 53 TOLPEKO, 24 KAPANEN
Defense Pair 1: 21 SMITH, 44 TIMONEN
Defense Pair 2: 28 KUKKONEN, 5 COBURN
Defense Pair 3: 8 FITZPATRICK, 6 JONES
Goalie: 43 BIRON
Back-up Goalie: 30 NIITTYMAKI

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Philadelphia – 2 HATCHER (knee) IR, 12 GAGNE (dizziness) IR, 3 RATHJE (hip/back) IR

Caps Milestones:
Matt Pettinger will play in his 300^th career NHL game
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Chris Clark needs 1 Points to reach 100 with the Capitals
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Tom Poti needs 2 Assists to reach 200 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals start a new era with Bruce Boudreau taking over as head coach. His uses an aggressive style to force opponents to turnover pucks and press the attack. After one practice will have to see how quickly the players pickup the new system. Look for the team to be a bit more lively this game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Brashear fight in the first period.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 2 PHI 4

Official Preview

Capitals Glen Hanlon Fired As Head Coach

From the Capitals Website,

"ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have relieved Glen Hanlon of his coaching duties and named Bruce Boudreau the team’s interim head coach, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Boudreau, 52, has coached championship teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL and is in his third year as the head coach of the Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate. He led the team to the Eastern Conference championship and the Calder Cup finals in each of his first two years in Hershey, winning the Calder Cup in 2006. Boudreau has compiled a 103-45-11-16 record with the Bears (a .666 winning percentage), including an AHL-best 51-17-6-6 record (.713) last season. Seven current members of the Capitals played for Boudreau with the Bears.

Boudreau becomes the 14th coach in Washington Capitals history. He will make his debut behind the Capitals’ bench tomorrow at Philadelphia (1 p.m., Comcast SportsNet, Talk Radio 3WT: 107.7 FM, 1500 AM, 820 AM).

Boudreau is in his ninth season as an AHL head coach, having compiled a 340-216-56-43 career record. He spent four years with the Manchester Monarchs and two years with the Lowell Lock Monsters before joining the Bears. Before ascending to the AHL, he was the head coach and director of hockey operations for the Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL), where he won the 1999 Kelly Cup championship.

After making his head-coaching debut in the Colonial Hockey League with the Muskegon Fury in 1992-93, Boudreau took over the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1993-94. The Komets advanced to the Turner Cup finals his first season at the controls, and Boudreau was named the 1993-94 IHL coach of the year.

Boudreau played parts of eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks, recording 70 points in 141 NHL games. A third-round pick of the Leafs in the 1975 NHL draft, Boudreau enjoyed one of the best seasons ever by a Canadian junior player during 1974-75. He picked up 165 points for the Toronto Marlboros, a Canadian Hockey League record until Wayne Gretzky surpassed the mark during the 1977-78 season.

An outstanding AHL player, Boudreau ranks 11th all-time in scoring in league history with 316 goals and 799 points. No AHL player in the 1980s notched more points than Boudreau, as he played for the New Brunswick Hawks, Baltimore Skipjacks, Nova Scotia Oilers, Springfield Indians and Newmarket Saints during that time. He won the 1987-88 John B. Sollenberger Trophy for leading the league in scoring, and was also a member of the 1992 Calder Cup champion Adirondack Red Wings.

No timetable has been set for naming a head coach beyond Boudreau’s interim status. The rest of the Capitals coaching staff will remain in place."

Capitals 1 Thrashers 5

Not much can be said about last night's performance. The Caps played well up until they scored the first goal. It was all downhill from there. Ilya Kovalchuk had a 4 point night and Toby Enstrom had 3 assists for the Thrashers who put the Caps away 5-1. Luckily, there is only one day to think about it or unlucky as the Caps play Philly on Friday.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin scored a power play goal. It was his 112th career goal tying him with Dino Ciccarelli for 20th on the Capitals All-Time Goal List.
  
• Thats all I have today. Enjoy your turkey and tomorrow is a new day.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Game #21 Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers

Where: Verizon Centre, Washington, DC

When: November 21, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 7-5-2-0
Caps Game 21 Record: 16-9-7-0
All-Time vs. ATL: 21-14-5-4
Last Season vs. ATL: 3-3-2
Last Meeting: 11/6/07, WAS 1 ATL 2 (OT)

This Year:
WAS Record: 6-13-1
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/19/07, WAS 3 FLA 4
Streak: Loss 4

ATL Record: 10-10-0
Division Rank: 3^rd
Conference Rank: Tied 9^th
Last Game: 11/19/07, ATL 4 TAM 3 (OT)
Streak: Win 3

Game 1: 10/5/07, WAS 3 ATL 1
Game 2: 11/6/07, WAS 1 ATL 2 (OT)

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 25 KOZLOV, 17 CLARK,
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 19 BACKSTROM, 21 LAICH
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 15 GORDON, 39 STECKEL
Defense Pair 1: 3 POTI, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 26 MORRISONN, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 3: 2 POTHIER, 4 ERSKINE
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Atlanta
Forward Line 1: 17 KOVALCHUK, 12 WHITE, 18 HOSSA
Forward Line 2: 13 KOZLOV, 11 PERRIN, 38 HAYDAR
Forward Line 3: 9 DUPUIS, 44 LITTLE, 27 THORBURN
Forward Line 4: 29 LARSEN, 16 HOLIK, 23 SLATER,
Defense Pair 1: 2 EXELBY, 22 KLEE
Defense Pair 2: 77 ZHITNIK, 28 HAVELID
Defense Pair 3: 39 ENSTROM, 7 POPOVICH
Goalie: 1 HEDBERG
Back-up Goalie: 33 PAVELEC

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Atlanta – 20 Rucchin (concussion) IR, 32 LEHTONEN (groin) IR

Caps Milestones:
Alexander Semin needs 3 Points to reach 100 for his career
Chris Clark needs 1 Points to reach 100 with the Capitals
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 6 Points to reach 100 for his career
Tom Poti needs 2 Assists to reach 200 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Capitals are mired in a 4 game losing streak and have won only 3 of their last 17 games. They take on the extremely hot Atlanta Thrashers who have won their last 4 games and got back to the .500 mark on Monday. I thought I saw a switch thrown in the 3^rd period of the Caps last game against Florida. It seemed like the team actually came to life. They believed they would score and they did. They put together a good period and hopefully it will carryover into tonight’s match up. I’m afraid to think what might happen if it doesn’t. Look for the Caps to be more aggressive around the net and try to put some goals on the board. Also look for the Alex and Alex show to make something happen. If they continue the play from Monday the Caps will win. That’s a bold statement for sure, but why not.

Joe’s prediction: Caps end streak, Caps 4 ATL 2

Official Preview

Capitals 3 Panthers 4

Another 1-goal loss as the Caps fall to the Panthers at the Phone Booth. After sleepwalking through the first two periods as the Caps have seemingly done for the past 16 games or so, something changed in the third period of last nights game. I'm not quite sure what it was but there seemed to be a belief that they could and would score. They had the Panthers reeling for most of the period and scored twice. Once by Alexander Semin at even strength and the other by Chris Clark on the power play. However, it was not enough to erase the deficit built over the previous two periods. We'll have to see if this will carry over into Wednesday's match with Atlanta, and I may be the only one who was actually encouraged by what I saw but let's hope that third period effort will continue.

Of Note:

• After missing 9 games with an ankle sprain, Alexander Semin scored his first goal of the year. He batted the puck out of mid-air past the Florida goaltender.
• Alex Ovechkin extended his most recent points streak to 5 games with an assist on the Clark power play goal.
• Michal Nylander recored 2 assists on the night.
• Brooks Laich has goals in back-to-back games. He scored a shorthanded goal, the second of the year for the Caps and the 4th of his his career.
• The Caps out shot Florida 30 to 26 but were out drawn in face-offs 31 to 24.
• The power play was 1 for 5 for the Caps, but they could not convert on a 5-on-3 in the second period. The PK did well stopping 3 Florida power play attempts.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Super Stats

Capitals Trade Sutherby to Anaheim Ducks

According to Dump and Chase, Brian Sutherby has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2009 2nd round draft pick.

Sutherby played in 5 games for the Capitals this season scoring 1 goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was taken by the Capitals in the 1st round, 26th overall, in the 2000 entry draft. He played parts of 6 seasons for the organization. He was a rough competitor and wore the Alternate Captain's "A" but with the depth at center there just didn't seem to be a place for him. He should fit in well with the Ducks who like to play a very physical style of hockey.

Sutherby's Capitals stats:
259 Games, 26 Goals, 35 Assists, 61 Points, 281 Penalty Minutes, -29 +/- Rating, 240 Shots on Goal, 1 Power Play Goal, 2 Shorthanded Goals, 158 Hits, 60 Takeaways, 50 Giveaways, 108 Blocked Shots, 73 Missed Shots, 1,022 Face-offs Won, 1,110 Face-Offs Lost, 0-1 in Shootout Attempts, 1 1st Star of the Game, and 3 3rd Stars of the Game.

Game #20 Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

Where: Verizon Centre, Washington, DC

When: November 19, 2007, 7:00 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 5-5-3-0
Caps Game 20 Record: 12-15-3-2
All-Time vs. FLA: 32-27-9-5
Last Season vs. FLA: 3-3-2
Last Meeting: 11/15/07, WAS 1 FLA 2

This Year:
WAS Record: 6-12-1
Standings Points: 13
Division Rank: 5^th
Conference Rank: 15^th
Last Game: 11/16/2007, WAS 2 TAM 5
Streak: Loss 3

FLA Record: 8-12-1
Standings Points: 17
Division Rank: 4^th
Conference Rank: 13^th
Last Game: 11/17/2007, FLA 1 CAR 2
Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 2: 43 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 25 KOZLOV
Forward Line 3: 18 PETTINGER, 15 GORDON, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 39 STECKEL 21 LAICH
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 4 ERSKINE
Defense Pair 2: 2 POTHIER, 55 SCHULTZ
Defense Pair 3: 52 GREEN, 3 POTI
Goalie: 37 KOLZIG
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Florida
Forward Line 1: 18 PELTONEN, 12 JOKINEN, 16 HORTON
Forward Line 2: 10 BOOTH, 15 STUMPEL, 14 DVORAK
Forward Line 3: 37 GLASS, 9 WEISS, 54 KREPS
Forward Line 4: 64 MEYER, 11 CAMPBELL
Defense Pair 1: 4 BOUWMEESTAR, 22 CULLIMORE
Defense Pair 2: 24 SALEI, 21 MURPHY
Defense Pair 3: 26 VAN RYN, 2 MEZEI, 7 MONTADOR
Goalie: 29 VOKOUN
Back-up Goalie: 31 ANDERSON

Injuries:
Washington – 14 FEHR (hip) IR
Florida – OLESZ (wrist) IR, WELCH (shoulder) IR, 53 MCCLEAN (hand) DTD, 21 MURPHY (shoulder) DTD

Caps Milestones:
Alexander Semin needs 4 Points to reach 100 for his career
Chris Clark needs 2 Points to reach 100 with the Capitals
Matt Pettinger needs 5 Points to reach 100 for his career
Brian Pothier needs 6 Points to reach 100 for his career
Tom Poti needs 2 Assists to reach 200 for his career
Michal Nylander needs 6 Goals to reach 200 for his career

Preview:
The Caps will again try and put their last game out of mind as they take on the Panthers in Florida. The hope is the return of Alexander Semin to the lineup will spark the offense. Semin will start on the third line with Matt Pettinger and Boyd Gordon. Florida comes in off a loss to Carolina and is trying to beat Washington for the second time in 5 days. Look for the Caps to continue to crash the net and throw a lot of shots at Tomas Vokoun. Watch for Semin to do something special, I think he’s going to have a big night.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 FLA 1.

Official Preview