The Capitals were defeated by the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 last night. The team looked out of sync from the blue line out. The injuries to Tom Poti and John Erskine forced Sergei Fodorov to the back line once again and Tyler Sloan played in his 2nd career NHL game. So with a rookie and a forward playing defense the Caps found it very tough to get any sustained pressure in the Phoenix zone. On the bright side, they did score a power play goal. Too bad that was the extent of the offense. The Caps look to rebound on Saturday in Dallas.

Of Note:

• Brooks Laich scored the only goal for the Caps on a second period power play. Alexander Semin made a sweet toe drag pass to set up Laich. Nicklas Backstrom got the secondary assist.
• Jose Theodore had his best performance as a Capital. He stopped 32 of 34 shots and looked much more comfortable in net.
• The Caps killed off all 4 Phoenix Power play opportunities raising their penalty killing percentage to 77.5%.
• Alex Ovechkin had 7 shots on goal in the game. He now has 1,300 in his career.
  

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #7 Washington Capitals at Phoenix Coyotes

Where: Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix, AZ

When: October 23, 2008, 10:00 PM

History:

Caps Record on this Date: 5-7-4-0

Caps Game 7 Record: 9-19-5-0

All-Time vs. PHO: 5-6-4-1

All-Time At PHO: 2-3-2-0

Last Season vs. PHO: Did not play

Last Meeting: 1/1/07, WAS 2 PHO 3

This Year:

WAS Record: 3-2-1

Standings Points: 7

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 7th

Last Game: 10/21/08, WAS 1 CAL 2

Streak: Loss 2

PHO Record: 2-3-0

Standings Points: 4

Division Rank: 4th

Conference Rank: 14th

Last Game: 10/18/08, PHO 1 MON 4

Streak: Loss 3

Probable Line-Ups:

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 91 FEDOROV, 17 CLARK

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 10 BRADLEY

Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON/16 FEHR

Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 55 SCHULTZ, 89 SLOAN

Defense Pair 3: 23 JURCINA, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 60 THEODORE

Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Phoenix

Forward Line 1: 13 CARCILLO, 12 JOKINEN, 19 DOAN

Forward Line 2: 89 BOEDKER, 91 TURRIS, 88 MUELLER

Forward Line 3: 34 WINNIK, 11 HANZAL, 41 TIKHONOV

Forward Line 4: 17 FEDORUK, 28 REINPRECHT, 16 MCGRATTAN

Defense Pair 1: 55 JOVANOVSKI, 53 MORRIS

Defense Pair 2: 4 MICHALEK, 44 SAUER

Defense Pair 3: 3 YANDLE, 21 HALE

Goalie: 30 BRYZGALOV

Back-up Goalie: 32 TELLQVIST

Injuries:

Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 25 KOZLOV (leg) DTD, 3 POTI (groin) DTD

Phoenix – 26 PERRAULT (concussion) IR, 24 AHNELOV (broken finger) IR

Caps Milestones:

Victor Kozlov needs 3 points to reach 500 in his career.

Matt Bradley needs 4 points to reach 100 in his career.

Michael Nylander needs 5 shots on goal to reach 1,600 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 7 shots on goal to reach 1,300 in his career.

Preview:

The second stop on the Caps three game road trip is in Phoenix. This is the first visit for the Caps since Alex Ovechkin scored “The Goal” back in 2006. The Caps bring with them a two game losing streak and an ineffective power play. They squandered a 9-minute power play in Tuesday’s game with Calgary and the team could never get on track afterwards. Look for the Caps to simplify on the man advantage and try to get pucks and traffic to the net. Phoenix is young team that no one can take lightly. The Caps need to start fast and not let them in the game. Watch for a step up by Chris Clark or Brooks Laich in the high traffic areas. The Caps will be held close but take this one by a goal.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 3 PHO 2

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Game #6 Recap - Capitals 1 Flames 2

The Capitals came out with a good start in Calgary. Jose Theodore made a couple of good saves early and Sergei Fedorov scored a goal to give the Caps a 1-0 lead. The play was fast and physical and then Tyler Sloan, in his NHL debut, absolutely destroyed the Flames Daymond Langkow with an open ice hit. The Flames Rene Bourque took issue with the clean hit and was given 9-minutes in penalties for his display of thuggery. This is when the tires came off the Caps' bus. The Caps had just scoring chance in the 9-minute power play. The Caps then paraded themselves to the box taking 10 minor penalties. The Flames had four 2-man advantages in the game and they finally got to Theodore with 2 goals early in the second period. With the constant penalty killing and an excellent performance for the Flame goalie the Caps could never get back on track. The Caps now head to Phoenix for a game on Thursday.

Of Note:

• Sergei Fedorov scored the 473rd goal of his career. He is now tied with Alexander Mogilny for the most career NHL goals scored by a Russian-born player.
• Alex Ovechkin and Jeff Schultz assisted on Fedorov's goal.
• Jose Theodore was awarded the 3rd Star of the game for his effort. He stopped 26 of 28 shots against.
• Tyler Sloan had 2 hits, 1 giveaway, 1 blocked shot, 2 PIMs, and a plus-1 rating in his debut. He is also the first player in Capitals history to wear the #89 jersey in a regular season game.
  

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary

Game #6 Washington Capitals at Calgary Flames

Where: Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary Alberta

When: October 21, 2008, 9:30 PM

History:

Caps Record on this Date: 1-8-3-0

Caps Game 6 Record: 10-17-4-2

All-Time vs. CAL: 26-22-9-0

All-Time At CAL: 7-14-6-0

Last Season vs. CAL: 1-0-0

Last Meeting: 3/12/08, WAS 3 CAL 2

This Year:

WAS Record: 3-1-1

Standings Points: 7

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 3rd

Last Game: 10/18/08, WAS 3 NJ 4 (OT-SO)

Streak: Loss 1

CAL Record: 1-3-1

Standings Points: 3

Division Rank: 5th

Conference Rank: 14th

Last Game: 10/18/08, CAL 2 EDM 2

Streak: Loss 2

Probable Line-Ups:

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 91 FEDOROV, 17 CLARK

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 19 BACKSTROM, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 92 NYLANDER, 10 BRADLEY

Forward Line 4: 87 BRASHEAR, 39 STECKEL, 15 GORDON/16 FEHR

Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 55 SCHULTZ, 89 SLOAN

Defense Pair 3: 23 JURCINA, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 60 THEODORE

Back-up Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Calgary

Forward Line 1: 12 IGINLA, 22 LANGKOW, 7 BERTUZZI

Forward Line 2: 13 CAMMALLERI, 18 LOMBARDI, 17 BOURQUE

Forward Line 3: 20 GLENCROSS, 24 CONROY, 25 MOSS

Forward Line 4: 27 ROY, 19 PRIMEAU, 16 BOYD

Defense Pair 1: 3 PHANEUF, 4 VANDERMEER

Defense Pair 2: 6 SARICH, 28 REGEHR

Defense Pair 3: 5 GIORDANO, 33 AUCOIN

Goalie: 34 KIPRUSOFF

Back-up Goalie: 1 MCELHINNY

Injuries:

Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 25 KOZLOV (leg) DTD, 3 POTI (groin) DTD

Calgary – 44 WARRENER (shoulder) IR, 38 LALANDE (ankle) IR, 67 BALDWIN IR

Caps Milestones:

Victor Kozlov needs 3 points to reach 500 in his career.

Matt Bradley needs 4 points to reach 100 in his career.

Michael Nylander needs 7 shots on goal to reach 1,600 in his career.

Alex Ovechkin needs 11 shots on goal to reach 1,300 in his career.

Preview:

The Caps travel to Calgary to take on the Flames in the first game of a 3-game western road trip. The Caps have been hurt by injuries in the early going and have recalled Tyler Sloan from Hershey to fill in on defense while Tom Poti recovers from a groin strain. Donald Brashear is expected to be back in the lineup possibly tonight. Head Coach Bruce Boudreau is trying to get chemistry going with the forwards by moving Sergei Fedorov to the top line with Alex Ovechkin. He’s put Backstrom on the Alexander Semin line who is scoring regardless of who’s at center. The Russian winger is currently 2^nd in the NHL in goals scored and points. Calgary has had a tough start to the season but in their 5 games they have only played 3 teams, VAN, EDM, and COL. The Caps need to be careful as the Flames need a win and will come out flying in this one. Look for the Caps to press the attack and get a more consistent first period effort. The Caps have shown that they are never out of any game, but they need to learn that teams are gunning for them from the get go and that putting some points on the board in the first will take the fight out of the opposition, case and point Vancouver. Watch for improvement on the power play. The Caps have to simplify their system and get pucks to the net where Brooks Laich and Chris Clark can do their thing. I think the Caps weather the storm in the first and win this one going away.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 4 CAL 2

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Game #5 Recap - Capitals 3 Devils 4 (OT-SO)

Alexander Semin continued his hot streak but his two goal effort was not enough as the Devils defeated the Caps in an overtime shootout. The Capitals have played well 5-on-5 all season but the special teams continued to be a challenge for the team. The Caps converted on 1 of 8 power play attempts. The lone goal came on 1 of 2 5-on-3 advantages. The penalty killed looked a bit better but still allowed 1 goal on 4 attempts.

Brent Johnson played a good game in net stopping 34 of 37 shots. In the shootout he gave up one goal on two attempts while Martin Brodeur stopped Michael Nylander, Semin and Alex Ovechkin for the win.

Of Note:

• Semin had his 3rd consecutive 2-point game and is tied for the NHL points lead with 10 and is second in goals with 6.
• Mike Green scored his 4th goal of the season. All his goals have come on the power play.
• Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich assisted on the Green tally. It was Ovechkin's first assist of the season. In 250 games Ovechkin has 313 points.
• The defense was very active in the offence along with Green's goal Segrei Fedorov, Shaone Morrisonn, John Erskine and Jeff Schultz had assists in the game.

Official Recap
Game Summary
Event Summary
Shootout Summary

Game #5 New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals

Where: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

When: October 18, 2008, 7:00 PM

History:

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

Caps Game 5 Record: 7-25-1-0

All-Time vs. NJ: 70-55-8-6

All-Time At Home vs. NJ: 41-22-4-3

Last Season vs. NJ: 2-1-1

Last Meeting: 2/29/08, WAS 4 NJ 0

This Year:

WAS Record: 3-1-0

Standings Points: 6

Division Rank: 1st

Conference Rank: 3rd

Last Game: 10/16/08, WAS 4 PIT 3

Streak: Win 3

NJ Record: 3-1-0

Standings Points: 6

Division Rank: 2nd

Conference Rank: 5th

Last Game: 10/16/08, NJ 1 ATL 0

Streak: Win 1

Probable Line-Ups:

Washington

Forward Line 1: 8 OVECHKIN, 19 BACKSTROM, 17 CLARK

Forward Line 2: 21 LAICH, 92 NYLANDER, 28 SEMIN

Forward Line 3: 14 FLEISCHMANN, 15 GORDON, 14 FEHR

Forward Line 4:56 BOURQUE, 39 STECKEL, 10 BRADLEY

Defense Pair 1: 26 MORRISONN, 52 GREEN

Defense Pair 2: 91 FEDOROV, 23 JURCINA

Defense Pair 3: 55 SCHULTZ, 4 ERSKINE

Goalie: 1 JOHNSON

Back-up Goalie: 60 THEODORE

New Jersey

Forward Line 1: 26 ELIAS, 12 ROLSTON, 15 LANGENBRUNNER

Forward Line 2: 9 PARISE, 11 MADDEN, 14 GIONTA

Forward Line 3: 20 PANDOLFO, 19 ZAJAC, 8 ZUBRUS

Forward Line 4: 17 RUPP, 16 HOLIK, 23 CLARKSON

Defense Pair 1: 7 MARTIN, 5 WHITE

Defense Pair 2: 29 ODUYA, 24 SALVADOR

Defense Pair 3: 27 MOTTAU, 28 SALMELA

Goalie: 30 BRODEUR

Back-up Goalie: 1 WEEKES

Injuries:

Washington – 2 POTHIER (concussion) IR, 25 KOZLOV (leg) DTD, 3 POTI (groin) DTD, 87 BRASHEAR (hand) DTD

New Jersey – 21 TALLACKSON (irregular heartbeat) IR

Caps Milestones:

Victor Kozlov needs 3 points to reach 500 in his career.

Matt Bradley needs 4 points to reach 100 in his career.

Preview:

In tonight’s matchup the Caps face the New Jersey Devils. VS. Commentator Keith Jones’ picked the Devils to make the Stanley Cup Final so this will be another big test for the Caps. In the last two games the Caps have lost 3 players to injury. These injuries have forced the Caps to move Sergei Fedorov to the blue line where he will be paired with Milan Jurcina. Fedorov has performed extremely well on the back end and is tied for 3^rd in the NHL with a +/- rating of plus-5. Chris Clark will again on the first line and Chris Bourque has been recalled from Hershey to play in place of Donald Brashear. The Capitals will start Brent Johnson in goal and want to get a consistent effort between the pipes. Look for the Caps to improve on their special teams play. The Caps gave up 3 power play goals in their last game. They also failed to convert on 4 of their own power plays. The Caps currently rank 9^th in the NHL on the power play (21%) and 26^th in the league on the penalty kill (70.6%). Watch for another strong outing from Alexander Semin who has 8 points in 4 games this season. Semin has recorded points in every game to start this season. This should be a close match but the Caps, ranked 2^nd in the NHL in goals/game (4.25), have a lot of fire power up front to overcome the Devils.

Joe’s prediction: Caps 4 NJ 3

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