Game #75 Recap: Caps 0 Ottawa 2

Things just didn't in Washington's favor at all on Friday. To begin with, Michal Neuvirth was scheduled to start in goal but got sick and couldn't go so Semyon Varlamov got his first start and action since coming off the injured list. The rust was evident on Varlamov as gave gave up a few too many rebounds but he played well enough. In the first period the Capitals thought they were going to get an extended power play when Matt Hendricks had his face cut open by an Ottawa high stick but apparently the officials didn't see what really happened as the Senators' player was sent to the box only to be pulled out and no call was made on the play. Throughout the game the Capitals just looked off. I don't know if too many things were going against them but they just couldn't connect. One of the things going against them was Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson. He was definitely hot as the Caps had some really good scoring chances, especially on the power play, only to be foiled by Anderson. The second period saw another call go against the Caps. A centering pass in front of Varlamov appeared to be kicked towards the net. Varly made the initial save but the Ottawa player continued into the crease and the puck again struck his skate as he crashed into Varlamov with the puck landing inside the net. It took 3 minutes of review time but the goal stood and the Caps were down 1-0. After that point the Caps really couldn't get anything going. The Sens went up 2-0 early in the third and went into lock down mode. The Caps put 12 shots on net in the third period but no real quality chances. Late in the third Matt Bradley made what looked to be a good open ice hit in the Ottawa zone. His shoulder on shoulder hit sent the Ottawa player hard into the boards and Bradley was given an inexplicable boarding call. On top of that, Zack Smith instigated a fight with Bradley which ended with Bradley's head being cut open as the two players fell to the ice. In the end the Caps pulled the goalie but couldn't dent the twine on this night. Good thing for them they get a chance to rebound tonight with a game in Montreal.

Of Note:

• Brooks Laich was all over the place in the game. He recorded 7 shots on goal along with 3 hits and 1 blocked shot.
• The Capitals were obliterated in the face-off dot. They won only 19 draws while losing 32. Boyd Gordon was the only bright spot winning 8 of 15 while Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson combined to win only 8 of 30.
• Varlamov took his 9th loss of the season stopping 21 of 23 shots but did appear to get better as the game went along with several acrobatic saves.
• The Caps penalty killer continued their string of excellent work as they killed off all three Ottawa extra-man advantages. The power play, however, failed to score on their three attempts.
• The Caps are still playing without the services of Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin, Jason Arnott, and Tom Poti. 

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game Highlights:

Game #75 Preview: Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

Where: Scotiabank Place, Ottawa Ontario

When:  March 25, 2011, 7:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 12-4-2-1

Caps Game 74 Record: 14-16-2-2

All-Time vs. OTT: 34-28-5-3

All-Time at OTT: 14-17-1-2

Last Season vs. OTT: 1-1-2

Last Meeting: 1/18/11, WAS 2 PHI 3 (OT)

Season Series: 3-0-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 43-21-10

Standings Points: 96

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 2nd

Last Game: 3/22/11, WAS 5 PHI 4 (OT-SO)

Streak: Won 2

OTT Record: 28-37-9

Standings Points: 65

Division Rank: 5th

Conference Rank: 15th    

Last Game: 3/24/11, OTT 2 NYR 1 (OT-SO)

Streak: Won 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 21 LAICH, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 2: 18 STURM, 90 JOHANSSON, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 83 BEAGLE, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 6 WIDEMAN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 23 HANNAN, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Ottawa

Forward Line 1: 52 GREENING, 19 SPEZZA, 16 BUTLER

Forward Line 2: 38 CONDRA, 26 SHANNON, 10 SVATOS

Forward Line 3: 71 FOLIGNO, 15 SMITH, 25 NEIL

Forward Line 4: 49 LESSARD, 18 WINCHESTER, 43 WICK

Defense Pair 1: 4 PHILLIPS, 5 LEE

Defense Pair 2: 17 KUBA, 46 WIERCIOCH

Defense Pair 3: 36 HALE, 65 KARLSSON

Goalie: 41 ANDERSON

Back-up Goalie: 31 MCELHINNEY

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, (upper body) IR, 52 GREEN (head) IR, 8 OVECHKIN (undisclosed) DTD, 44 ARNOTT (undisclosed) DTD

OTT – LECLAIRE (lowing body) IR, MICHALEK (broken foot) IR, GONCHAR (concussion) IR, REGIN (shoulder) IR, ALFREDSSON (back) IR, CARKNER (knee) IR

Caps Milestones:

Jason Arnott needs 2 goals to reach 400 in his career.

Jason Chimera needs 4 goals to reach 100 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 2 goals to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

With a shootout victory over the first place Philadelphia Flyer the Capitals captured a spot in the post season for the fourth consecutive season. With several of their top players on the injured list the Caps are looking for the rest of the team to step up. And one player that has been doing just that has been Mike Knuble. He’s definitely not flashy but the big winger has racked up 6 points in the last 2 games. In Ottawa they will face a team that has absolutely nothing to lose and have been pulling of upsets left and right. They are a young bunch and the key for the Capitals is to get on the scoreboard early and make the Sens realize they are playing the number two team in the Eastern Conference. Look for a very fast pace early with lots of physical play. Watch for Alexander Semin to exert his presents in this game. His shootout winner in Philly was a thing of beauty and I see him building confidence off of it. I think the Caps will pull away in the second period and cruise to a win.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 OTT 2

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Game #46 Preview: Ottawa Senators at Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When:  January 16, 2011, 3:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 5-6-4-0

Caps Game 46 Record: 15-14-5-1

All-Time vs. OTT: 33-28-5-3

All-Time at home vs. OTT: 19-11-4-1

Last Season vs. OTT: 1-1-2

Last Meeting: 12/19/10, WAS 3 OTT 2

Season Series: 2-0-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 24-14-7

Standings Points: 55

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 6th

Last Game: 1/14/11, WAS 2 VAN 4

Streak: Loss 3

OTT Record: 17-22-6

Standings Points: 40

Division Rank: 5th

Conference Rank: 13th    

Last Game: 1/14/11, OTT 2 CAL 3

Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 2: 25 CHIMERA, 90 JOHANSSON, 83 BEAGLE

Forward Line 3: 21 LAICH, 85 PERRAULT, 39 STECKEL

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 15 GORDON, 17 KING

Defense Pair 1: 52 GREEN, 23 HANNAN

Defense Pair 2: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

Back-up Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Ottawa

Forward Line 1: 9 MICHALEK, 12 FISHER, 11 ALFREDSSON

Forward Line 2: 71 FOLIGNO, 37 LOCKE, 26 SHANNON

Forward Line 3: 73 RUUTU, 22 KELLY, 25 NEIL

Forward Line 4: 15 SMITH, 18 WINCHESTER, 13 REGIN

Defense Pair 1: 4 PHILLIPS, 65 KARLSSON

Defense Pair 2: 55 GONCHAR, 14 CAMPOLI

Defense Pair 3: 17 KUBA, 39 CARKNER

Goalie: 30 ELLIOT

Back-up Goalie: 40 LEHNER

Injuries:

Washington – 3 POTI (upper body) IR, 17 KING (undisclosed) IR, 10 BRADLEY (broken finger) IR, 28 SEMIN (hip) DTD, 14 FEHR (upper body) DTD

OTT – 19 SPEZZA (knee) IR, 27 KOVALEV (ankle) IR, 33 LECLAIRE (lower body) IR

Caps Milestones:

Nicklas Backstrom needs 2 points to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

Washington will try to rebound from three straight losses with an afternoon game against the Ottawa Senators. The Caps are suffering from a power outage on the power play with just 2 goals on the man advantage in their last 8 games. The prolonged scoring slumps of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich are most evident on the power play. The boys just don’t seem to have the confidence in their play so they are over passing and trying to make the perfect play. Luckily it is only halfway through the season and these things can be worked out. However, they are going to need to start picking it up sooner rather than later. With their most current loss they have dropped to 6^th place in the Eastern Conference with 9^th place just 7 points behind. Look for a big effort from the Capitals against the Senators as the team needs the two points and a boost to their collective confidence. Look for Nicklas Backstrom to continue his strong play from last game. I get the feeling he is going to connect with Ovie for a couple in this one.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 OTT 2

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Game #35 Recap: Caps 3 Ottawa 2

The Capitals Win! From the reaction of the players on the ice following the game you would have thought they had won something big. In a way, I think they have. In the overall scheme of things, none of this will matter but hopefully the experience has taught the team that the final result is all that matters. The Caps tried to give away the game in the first period once again when they went down 2-0 in the first 15 minutes. Washington rallied at the end of the period and scored a goal in the last minute only to have it disallowed as the replay showed the puck entered the net a couple tenths of a second after the horn sounded. In the second the Caps came out flying. They finally started making their own bounces. Mathieu Perrault scored the Capitals first goal after the puck deflected of Brooks Laich at the top of the crease to Perrault, who was in perfect position at the side of the net. The Second goal came off some hard work along the wall. Alex Ovechkin flicked the puck out of the right wing corner to Eric Fehr who slide the puck under the Ottawa goalie to tie the score. With the Capitals on the power play, Perrault again parked at the side of the net connected on almost the exact same play as his first goal. The puck defected through the front of the crease where Andrew Gordon was banging away and Perrault cashed in with the eventual game winner. The Caps, in an effort to make things harder, gave the Senators 4 power attempts after taking the one goal lead. The penalty killer were up to the task and the Capitals broke their 8-game losing streak with a 3-2 come from behind win.

Of Note:

• Mattieu Perrault returned to action after missing Saturday's game with the flu. It was his second 2 goal performance of the year.
• Eric Fehr played on the number one line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. He was all over the place and picked up 1 goal, 1 assist and led all shooters with 7 shots on goal.
• The Caps 3 goals came from a combined distance of less than 10 feet from the goal line. That is called crashing the net.
• Ovechkin, Brooks Laich, and Mike Knuble each had 1 assist on the night.
• Michael Nuevirth stopped 22 of 24 shots and came up big in the third to collect his 13th win of the year.
• After being bounced from the top spot in the SE Division, this win puts the Capitals back into first place.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #35 Preview: Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

Where: Scotibank Place, Ottawa, ON

When:  December 19, 2010 7:30 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 4-11-2-0

Caps Game 35 Record: 16-14-5-0

All-Time vs. OTT: 32-28-5-3

All-Time at OTT: 13-17-1-2

Last Season vs. OTT: 1-1-2

Last Meeting: 10/11/10, WAS 3 OTT 2

Season Series vs. OTT 1-0-0

This Year:

WAS Record: 18-12-4

Standings Points: 40

Division Rank: 3rd

Conference Rank: 7th

Last Game: 12/18/10, WAS 2 BOS 3

Streak: Loss 8

OTT Record: 14-16-4

Standings Points: 32

Division Rank: 3rd

Conference Rank: 10th    

Last Game: 12/17/10, OTT 5 COL 6 (OT)

Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 85 PERRAULT, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 90 JOHANSSON, 83 BEAGLE

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 52 GREEN, 27 ALZNER

Defense Pair 2: 3 POTI, 74 CARLSON

Defense Pair 3: 23 HANNAN, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 1 VARLAMOV

OTT

Forward Line 1: 71 FOLIGNO, 12 FISHER, 11 ALFREDSSON

Forward Line 2: 9 MICHALEK, 19 SPEZZA, 27 KOVALEV

Forward Line 3: 73 RUUTU, 22 KELLY, 25 NEIL

Forward Line 4: 13 REGIN, 18 WINCHESTER, 26 SHANNON

Defense Pair 1: 17 KUBA, 55 GONCHAR

Defense Pair 2: 4 PHILLIPS, 65 KARLSSON

Defense Pair 3: 14 CAMPOLI, 5 LEE

Goalie: 33 LECLAIR

Back-up Goalie: 30 ELLIOT

Injuries:

Washington – 55 SCHULTZ (broken thumb) IR, 89 SLOAN (hip flexor) IR, 15 GORDON (lower body) IR, 17 KING (undisclosed) IR, 28 SEMIN (lower body) DTD

OTT – 39 CARKNER (leg) DTD

Caps Milestones:

Jason Chimera needs 1 point to reach 200 in his career.

Mike Knuble needs 5 points to reach 500 in his career.

Nicklas Backstrom needs 8 points to reach 300 in his career.

Preview:

After a disappointing first period in Boston the Caps could not dig their way out of the deficit. Washington needs to start better in Ottawa if they want to break out of their now 8-game losing skid. The team looked tight and tentative and that allowed Boston to stick it to them at the start. The good news was that the Caps fought back and controlled most of the rest of the game. Unfortunately they could only manage to get part of the way back. Going forward they need to just relax and go out a fight from the opening puck drop. Ottawa is playing some good hickey right now so don’t expect a rollover from them either. I am expecting another dog fight of a game with the Caps back in the win column.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 OTT 1

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Game #3 Recap: Caps 3 Senators 2 (OT)

(Technorati claim token YPY8SFVUVSVX)

The Capitals got all they could handle from the Ottawa Senators last night. In a hard fought game it was Alex Ovechkin who came through for the home team. With 31 seconds remaining in overtime the Capitals captain got the puck on the right wing side, made a subtle little move on the defenseman, and fired the puck 5-hole for the win. Now, I'm sure the Senators goalie wants that one back as he had a solid effort going up to that point but the game was over. On the other end, Michael Nuevirth had another stellar effort in net for the caps, including  a double pad save effort near the end of regulation.

The Capitals opened the scoring in the first when Brooks Laich feed Alexander Semin, who standing all alone on the right side of the crease. Semin roofed his first goal of the season. I don't know how that kid can lift the puck so high in such tight quarters, but I guess that's why he gets the big bucks. The Senators replied with a nice deflection goal from in close. The Caps regained the lead on a nice passing play from Boyd Gordon to Matt Hendricks to Eric Fehr. The Senators tied it up halfway through the third on a great individual effort by Ryan Shannon. The two teams played a furious pace to the end of the game setting up Ovechkin for the OT heroics.

Of Note:

• Eric Fehr had a heck of a game. In addition to scoring the Caps second goal, he assisted on the first goal and led the team with 4 shots on goal. For his effort he was awarded the game's #1 star.
• John Erskine had a rough game but picked up 2 penalty minutes to give him 300 in his Capitals career.
• Alexander Semin scored the 149th goal of his Capitals career. He is tied with Kevin Hatcher for 12th place on the Capitals all-time goal scoring list.
• Michael Nuevirth stopped 29 of 31 shots for his second win of the season. He seems to be gaining in confidence over the last three games.
• Alex Ovechkin now has 2 game-winning goals on the season and 43 in his career.
• Jeff Shultz was +1.
• Mike Green didn't show up on the score sheet but the kid is playing some serious defense. A nice effort last night earned him the games 2nd star.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #3 Preview: Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When:  October 11, 2010 7:00 PM

History:           

Caps Record on this Date: 6-10-2-0

Caps Game 3 Record: 11-16-6-2

All-Time vs. OTT: 31-28-5-3

All-Time Home vs. OTT: 18-11-4-1

Last Season vs. OTT: 1-1-2

Last Meeting: 3/30/10, WAS 4 OTT 5 (OT)

This Year:

WAS Record: 1-1-0

Standings Points: 2

Division Rank: 3rd

Conference Rank: 6th      

Last Game: 10/9/10, WAS 7 NJ 2

Streak: Win 1

OTT Record: 0-2-0

Standings Points: 0

Division Rank: 5th

Conference Rank: 15th    

Last Game: 10/9/10, OTT 1 TOR 5

Streak: Loss 2

Probable Line-Ups:     

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 22 KNUBLE

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 14 FLEISCHMANN, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 25 CHIMERA, 90 JOHANSSON, 16 FEHR

Forward Line 4: 26 HENDRICKS, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 55 SCHULTZ, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 3 POTI, 4 ERSKINE

Defense Pair 3: 27 ALZNER, 74 CARLSON

Goalie: 30 NEUVIRTH

Back-up Goalie: 35 SABOURIN

OTT

Forward Line 1: 9 MICHALEK, 19 SPEZZA, 11 ALFREDSSON

Forward Line 2: 73 RUUTU, 13 REGIN, 27 KOVALEV

Forward Line 3: 71 FOLIGNO, 22 KELLY, 25 NEIL

Forward Line 4: 15 SMITH, 12 FISHER, 18 WINCHESTER

Defense Pair 1: 65 KARLSSON, 14 CAMPOLI

Defense Pair 2: 4 PHILLIPS, 55 GONCHAR

Defense Pair 3: 39 CARKNER, 5 LEE

Goalie: 33 LECLAIR

Back-up Goalie: 30 ELLIOTT

Injuries:

Washington – 1 VALAMOV (groin) DTD

OTT – 17 KUBA (broken leg) IR

Caps Milestones:

Nicklas Backstrom needs 11 assists to reach 200 in his career.

Brooks Laich needs 9 points to reach 200 in his career.

John Erskine needs 2 penalty minute to reach 300 with the Capitals.

Preview:

The Caps returned to their winning ways with an impressive 7-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils Saturday night. Washington will play their third game in four nights against the Ottawa Senators. The big question for the Caps is will who will start in net? Michael Nuevirth played two solid games Friday and Saturday and Semyon Varlamov is still a bit gimpy with groin issues. So Head Coach Bruce Boudreau may go with career backup Dany Sabourin who signed with the Caps this past offseason. The Sens are winless in two games this season but gave the Caps fits last season including two overtime game winners. Ottawa added former Capital Sergei Gonchar to the defense corps and will look to use their speed against the Caps. Look for a fast, gritty game with lots of hitting. The key for the Caps is keeping to their team systems as the action may be wide open. If the Capitals resist the urge to improvise I think they will run away with the game but the Sens are capable of throwing Washington off their game. However, I think the Caps will have too much firepower for the Senator to handle.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 5 OTT 2

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Game #30 Recap - Capitals 5 Senators 1

The Capitals are starting heal but the injury situation became quite chaotic yesterday when goalie Jose Theodore went down with a hip flexor in the morning skate. The Capitals farm team was in transit from San Antonio to Houston and it would not be until 4pm until the backup goalie Simeon Varlomov could leave Texas. In steps Capitals web producer and Capitals Report co-host Brett Leonhardt to fill in as backup goalie until Varlomov arrived. As for starting goalie Brent Johnson, we was feeling pretty good stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced in the 5-1 Caps victory. Mike Green and Sergei Fedorov returned to the lineup each recording 3 points apiece. Alex Ovechkin and Niclaks Backstrom also recorded multiple point nights. It was good to see the Caps regulars back on the ice.

Of Note:

• Alex Ovechkin scored goals #179 and #180 in his career. His next goal will tie him with Dale Hunter and Michal Pivonka for 8th on the Capitals All-Time Goal Scoring list.
• Alexander Semin scored the first goal of the game on a sweet move to net and has points in both games he's played since returning from injury.
• Tom Poti and Matt Bradley each had a assist. For Bradley it was his 100th career point in the NHL.
• The Caps scored on 3 of 7 power plays and held Ottawa scoreless on their 4 chances.
• In the last 10 games the Caps have averaged 3.00 goals per game and limited their opponents to 2.30 goals per game. Not bad considering the number of players the Caps have used during that span.
• Brooks Laich scored his 2nd game-winner of the season.
  

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Event Summary

Game #11 Recap - Capitals 1 Senators 2

The Capitals were defeated with 40-seconds left in overtime. In a game where Capitals Goalie Brent Johnson stopped 42 of 44 shots the Caps couldn't seem to generate quality scoring chances. With that being said the team just looks a little off. I have a feeling that soon things will start clicking for this team. This was a tough game for the Caps but they still managed a point in the standings.

Of Note:

• Tomas Fleischmann scored his 4th goal of the season with assists from Alexander Semin and Michael Nylander.
• Semin's assist gives him 154 points in his career. He is now tied with Geoff Courtnall for 38th on the Caps All-Time Points list.
• The Caps killed off all 5 Ottawa power plays including a 1:57 of 5-on-3 advantage. The Caps failed to score on their 1 and only power play attempt.
• Sergei Fedorov reached the 800 penalty minute milestone.
• In his first game back, Alex Ovechkin had 4 shots on goal. He moved ahead of Sylvain Cote into 9th place on the Caps All-Time Shots on Goal List with 1,308.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #11 Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators

Where: Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, Ontario

When: November 4, 2008, 7:30 PM

History:
Caps Record on this Date: 8-4-0-0
Caps Game 11 Record: 10-18-5-0
All-Time vs. OTT: 28-26-5-0
All-Time At OTT: 13-15-1-0
Last Season vs. OTT: 4-0-0
Last Meeting: 1/15/08, WAS 4 OTT 2

This Year:
WAS Record: 5-4-1
Standings Points: 11
Division Rank: 2nd
Conference Rank: 9th
Last Game: 11/1/08, WAS 0 BUF 5
Streak: Loss 1

OTT Record: 4-5-2
Standings Points: 10
Division Rank: 5th
Conference Rank: 12th
Last Game: 11/1/08, OTT 2 TAM 3 (OT-SO)
Streak: Loss 1

Probable Line-Ups:
Washington
Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 25 KOZLOV
Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 91 FEDOROV, 28 SEMIN
Forward Line 3: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 17 CLARK
Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 15 GORDON, 10 BRADLEY
Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN
Defense Pair 2: 55 SCHULTZ, 3 POTI
Defense Pair 3: 23 JURCINA, 4 ERSKINE
Goalie: 60 THEODORE
Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Ottawa
Forward Line 1: 15 HEATLEY, 19 SPEZZA, 11 ALFREDSSON
Forward Line 2: 20 VERMETTE, 22 KELLY, 10 DONOVAN
Forward Line 3: 73 RUUTU, 12 FISHER, 18 WINCHESTER
Forward Line 4: 71 FOLIGNO, 5 SCHUBERT, 25 NEIL
Defense Pair 1: 24 VOLCHENKOV, 4 PHILLIPS
Defense Pair 2: 17 KUBA, 21 SMITH
Defense Pair 3: 45 PICARD, 2 RICHARDSON
Goalie: 31 AULD
Back-up Goalie: 29 GERBER

Injuries:
Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 26 MORRISONN (undisclosed) DTD
Ottawa – none

Caps Milestones:
Victor Kozlov needs 1 point to reach 500 in his career.
Matt Bradley needs 4 points to reach 100 in his career.
Sergei Fedorov needs 1 penalty minutes to reach 800 in his career.
Sergei Fedorov needs 3 shots on goal to reach 3,900 in his career.

Preview:
After an embarrassing effort in Buffalo the team was put though a workout and a half. Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was not very happy with the team’s performance and let them know it. Hopefully the rebuke has the intended effect as the team heads to Ottawa to face the Senators. Good news for the team as Alex Ovechkin has returned from Russia and Shaone Morrisonn’s injury from last game is not as bad as first thought and both should be able play in Ottawa. Look for the Caps to be flying around in Ottawa with a strong forecheck. The defense has to be better and look for Ovechkin to take command of the game in the early going. The Caps went 4-0-0 against Ottawa last season so the Sens will be ready. It should be a physical match up and close on the scoreboard.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 OTT 2

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