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