Turning the corner?-The Hershey Bears welcomed the Manchester Monarchs into town last Saturday as well as 2 new players on their own roster. Zach Hamill and Mathieu Beaudoin were traded for Casey Wellman and Peter LeBlanc respectively. They certainly added some jump to the roster as the Bears put up a season high 44 shots and walked away with a great 2-1 team win with Philipp Grubauer racking up 22 saves. Sunday Dany Sabourin mirrored Grubauer’s great performance with a 37 save game. Unfortunately he did not get the win but an overtime loss. Captain Boyd Kane was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while on the bench with just over a minute to go in overtime. The Bears nearly stretched it to the shootout but lost on a shot just inside the left goal post at the 4:49 mark of OT. On Tuesday the Bears traveled to Cleveland to take on the Lake Erie Monsters and left with 2 points on a 3-2 shootout win.  Sabourin put up 31 saves and the PK went 7 for 7. Let’s hope the Bears can continue the movement towards putting points on the standings board after getting 5 of 6 in the last 3 games. Binghamton and Norfolk come to Giant Center this weekend. 2 wins against East Division foes would be most welcome about now.

Trade Deadline/Clear Day Changes-The new NHL 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement has made some changes in the AHL as well. The first change is the movement of the trade deadlines to April. The NHL deadline is April 3^rd, while the AHL deadline is now April 10^th. The AHL clubs used to have to release a Clear Day Roster which was in essence an AHL playoff roster. This used to happen a week after the NHL trade deadline and limited the NHL teams to 4 recalls till the end of the season. The new NHL CBA has eliminated the AHL Clear Day Roster. The AHL Playoff Roster will now be submitted at the end of the regular season. This will no longer limit the number of recalls by the NHL team. Hershey Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said, “It’s a total change in the process, and it probably should have been implemented years ago.” It will certainly give more flexibility to both leagues to make sure their players are where they want them. The concern I have is will the NHL clubs pad their roster with practice squad players, who could be helping the AHL team in their playoff run? Time will tell.

Penn State University vs Ohio University-The Penn State University Ice Hockey program has been turning heads all over the Northeast with their jump to NCAA D-I. February 1^st they came to Giant Center to host the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio jumped out to a quick one goal lead but then it was all Blue and White. 6,107 fans showed up to cheer on the PSU Icers. It seemed that all were veteran fans by the knowledge of the cheers from the opening faceoff on. The Lions added 2 goals in the first and 4 in the second to skate away victorious at 6-1 with a boisterous crowd cheering them on. I have a feeling this program will only grow and they are surprising many with the numbers they are putting up on the scoresheet and in the seats.   

Go Bears. 

Forever linked, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are going in different direactions...rapidly. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to take on the Penguins this evening as they continue to look for a boost in form.  The Capitals, having lost two in a row, most recently a 3-2 decision at the hands of the Leafs Tuesday are 2-7-1 on the season for five standings points; they are therefore dead last in the Southeast Divison, the Eastern Conference, and the entire National Hockey League.  The Penguins, riding a four-game winning streak, are 7-3-0 and on top of the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference.  This is the second game of three between these two clubs this season; the Penguins humbled the Capitals 6-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Coming off a win over the Islanders in which he made 32 saves, Marc-Andre Fleury seems almost a lock to start for Dan Bylsma’s Penguins.  Fleury has posted a 2.44 GAA and .907 save percentage on the season while starting six games and winning four of them.  On the injury front, the only injured member of the Penguins’ regular lineup is defenseman Matt Niskanen, who has an ankle injury and has not played in over a week.

Michal Neuvirth has been confirmed as the starter in nets for Adam Oates for the second consecutive game.  After making 18 saves on 21 shots against the Leafs, Neuvirth brings a .893 save percentage and 2.99 GAA into this contest through six starts.  Neuvirth has always played well against the Penguins and will look to continue that success in a tough barn.  Both forward Brooks Laich (groin) and defenseman Jack Hillen (shoulder) will be absent from the lineup once more, as they have been for almost all, if not all, of the season.  Blueliner John Erskine is also out for the game on suspension.  I wouldn’t bet on too many lineup changes, meaning that Roman Hamrlik and Mathieu Perreault would remain healthy scratches, but we will know for sure after the morning skate.

Puck drops 7:11-ish.  The game can be seen on Comcast SportsNet locally.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

The Washington Capitals dropped another game on Tuesday night, falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 inside Verizon Center.  The Leafs jumped out to a 2-0 lead off a pair of goals from offseason acquisition James van Riemsdyk and after Marcus Johansson cut the lead in half, Korbinian Holzer restored the two-goal cushion midway through the second period.  Mike Ribeiro, who continued to be great all over the ice, scored on a power play in the third to make it close, but the Caps could get no closer, and dropped to 2-7-1 on the season.  They are now dead last in the NHL with five standings points.  Some quick hits:

John Carlson looked better tonight.  The Capitals’ young defenseman, who has been on the ice for 21 of the 35 goals Washington has allowed this season, was more aggressive and assertive in his puck handing during this game and seemed to be gaining a bit of confidence.  He made a hilariously terrible error in the late stages that was wiped out by David Steckel missing an open net, but other than that, looked a lot better.  This was hopefully a turn around game for him.

Michal Neuvirth should get another crack at Toronto on Tuesday (Clydeorama).

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to Verizon Center on Tuesday night for a matchup between two struggling teams as Washington once again tries to regain their footing.  Coming off a 6-3 humbling at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday, Washington is 2-6-1 on the season; their five standings points place them last in both the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference.  Toronto, who have lost two in a row and hold a 4-5-0 mark for eight standings points, are fourth in the Northeast Division and 10^th in the Conference; their last game was a 4-1 setback at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes and Alexander Semin.  This is the two teams’ second meeting this season, Toronto came back from a 2-1 2^nd intermission deficit to beat the Capitals 3-2 two weeks ago.

Given that Toronto lost last night but still has a solid number one goalie in James Reimer, it is tough to predict a starter for Randy Carlye’s men this evening.  Reimer has been the better goalie in the early season, but backup Ben Scrivens has not played in a while and may get the net in a back-to-back situation.  On the injury front, Toronto is missing star winger Joffrey Lupul, who has a broken forearm.  Defensemen Carl Gunnarsson, who has a bad hip, has missed the Leafs’ last two games but may play.

Following Braden Holtby’s disastrous performance on Sunday, it seems logical that Michal Neuvirth will return to the goal for Adam Oates.  Neuvirth, who has been largely very good behind a porous defense this season, has a 2.97 GAA and .899 save percentage in his five starts.  Both defenseman Jack Hillen and forward Brooks Laich will be absent with shoulder and groin injuries, respectively, while rearguard John Erskine is still suspended for an elbow to Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds last Friday night.  Despite the loss to the Penguins Sunday, the rest of the linep will remain the same.  This means that Roman Hamrlik and Mathieu Perreault will be healthy scratches.

Puck drops 7:07-ish.  Check back later.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Alex Ovechkin had a secondary assist but once again made little impact on Sunday's game. (Yahoo!)

The Washington Capitals were spanked on home ice Sunday afternoon by the Pittsburgh Penguins, falling 6-3.  After falling behind twice, Washington tied the game twice before Pittsburgh pulled away with three goals in the second period, two of which came in a little over half a minute.  Tomas Vokoun, making his first start in Washington since being traded in June, was very good, despite one error, and proved to many that the Penguins have an excellent goaltending tandem.  With the loss, Washington is now 2-6-1 on the season and near the NHL basement.

As with all Penguins-Capitals affairs, this one got off to a blistering start, with Chris Kunitz and Mike Green trading goals in the first five minutes of the game.  Following the two early goals, the pace did not slow down at all, with more chances arriving for both teams.  Just before the midway mark of the period, Pittsburgh took the lead again with a Deryk Engelland slapshot that was deflected in front by Matt Cooke and found its way past Braden Holtby.  The frantic back and forth action continued with great chances for both teams, including a huge save on Sidney Crosby by Holtby in front.  The first period closed with the Penguins ahead, but both teams still pressing for more.

The Leafs score two 3rd period goals to ruin another solid Neuvirth performance. (CBC.ca)

The Washington Capitals fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night by a 3-2 score, their second consecutive loss in the province of Ontario by that scoreline.  Holding a 2-1 lead into the third period, Washington conceded two quick goals near the middle of the final frame and could not tie late.  The Capitals are now 1-5-1 on the young season and in the NHL’s basement.  Some notes from the defeat:

Michal Neuvirth be good, man.  His stats don’t exactly show it, but he’s the sole reason the Capitals have three standings points and even had a prayer in this one.   The young Czech made 37 saves Thursday, including some of the ten-bell variety.  He’s been making excellent saves on big time players when he’s been given the net as his own, and though he will probably get a break tomorrow, it won’t be his fault.  Good thing he wasn’t traded, as some suggested this summer.

If George McPhee isn’t exploring the idea of somehow getting rid of Alex Ovechkin, he should be.  Ovechkin scored a goal tonight, yes, but has yet to score and even-strength goal in seven games and his defense is deteriorating by the game.  On Toronto’s tying goal, he left the point man uncovered and allowed the pass that set up the goal to go through.  Then, late in the game, he skated circles (literally: http://ovi.ytmnd.com/) around the entire team, trying to do it all himself.  And he’s owed upwards of $9.5 million against the salary cap, which is coming down, into the next decade.  Ugh.

As JP of Japers’ Rink noted after the game, these last two games against the Senators and Leafs, Washington was 94-0-9 in regular season games when leading after two periods dating back to February 24, 2009.  Now they’re 0-2-0 in their last two games.  Eesh.

Nicklas Backstrom also needs to be better.  Four points in seven games is not what I expect from a franchise center, but he’s been good over the last season and half when healthy, so I am confident he will get back on track (providing his head and the rest of his body is indeed intact).  He’s been too good and consistent in his career, when healthy, not to.

Jeff Schultz and Tomas Kundratek were abused tonight.  I would expect to see Roman Hamrlik and Tom Poti back in the lineup against the powerful, but struggling, Flyers on Friday night.

Oh, then the Penguins come to town on Super Bowl Sunday.  Run.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Alex Ovechkin needs to produce for the Capitals to have a prayer this season. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in Toronto, Ontario this evening to take on the Maple Leafs in a critical matchup of Eastern Conference teams this evening.  The Capitals, who blew their last game in Ottawa despite leading 2-0, are 1-4-1 and have looked out of sync; they are fourth in the Southeast Division and 14^th in the Eastern Conference.  Toronto, who beat the Sabres on a last-second overtime goal from Matt Frattin on Tuesday, are 3-3, fourth in the Northeast Division, and ninth in the Conference.  This is a huge game for the Capitals as they look to prepare for the Flyers and Penguins on Friday and Sunday.

James Reimer is almost certain to start in goal for Randy Carlyle following his victorious performance in Buffalo, in which he made 29 saves.  Reimer, who started the season on the bench but has started the Leafs’ last four games, has posted a 3.04 GAA and .910 save percentage in those four games and been the backbone behind both Leafs wins he has played in.  On the injury front, the Capitals will catch a bit of break as star winger Joffrey Lupul is out for at least a few more weeks with a fractured forearm and will not play.  Fellow wing Clarke MacArthur is questionable with a finger injury; he did not play against the Sabres.

Despite a loss on Tuesday and a slight dip in form, Michal Neuvirth will get the start in goal for the fifth consecutive game.  Neuvirth has posted a 2.96 GAA and .889 save percenage this season, but like fellow goalie Braden Holtby, he has been better than his stats may indicate.  The Capitals will be missing both forward Brooks Laich and defenseman Jack Hillen this evening with suspected groin and shoulder ailments, respectively.  After a loss, a shift in the lineup seemed inevitable, and it will come in the form of Marcus Johansson entering for Mathieu Perreault.  Tom Poti and Roman Hamrlik remain scratched among defenders, meaning John Erskine and Jeff Schultz continue to get sweaters.

Puck drops 7:09-ish; no full recap from me tonight because of school commitments.  Check back for some brief analysis following the game if you are so inclined.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.

Heartbroken Bears-The Hershey Bears took to the ice last Friday against the St. John’s Ice Caps and it looked like the OT loss in the AHL Outdoor Classic had broken their heart. Head Coach Mark French questioned the team’s work ethic and emotion in the post game press conference. He mentioned he was tired of the visiting team minus Hershey’s goalies getting the stars of the game at Giant Center. The score ended up as a 3-1 loss but to those who watched the display it was a much wider gap in play. Even with the game still very much in reach at 2-1 in the third period, the urgency shown by the Bears was pretty uninspiring to say the least. Saturday the Bears faced the Binghamton Senators in New York for the final game before the AHL All Star break. The Bears certainly woke up for this game and put 40 shots on the board. Hershey played evenly back and forth with the first place team in the Division for the entire game. So much that, the score stayed knotted at 2 all the way through regulation and OT. A shootout was needed to determine the winner. Dany Sabourin had not seen a shootout yet this year and all 3 Senators tallied while all 3 Bears failed to hit the twine. A hard fought one point was all the Bears could take home. This weekend the Bears will host Manchester and Wilkes Barre/Scranton. Hopefully the Bears can find their mojo.

Photo Courtesy of Carl Minieri.

Zach Hamill-A trade of fan favorite Chris Bourque to his hometown Bruins organization this past summer brought Zach Hamill to Chocolatetown. Since then Zach has quietly been putting up some nice numbers on the scoresheet but I don’t think anyone is be surprised by this. Zach leads the team in shots on goal with 84 while posting 11 goals and 11 assists in 40 games played this season. He is also among the team leaders with a +8 rating. Zach gets plenty of time on the ice working both the PP and PK. Zach isn’t the flashy forward type but he sure gets to the right spot on the ice to make the play. He is young but his example on the ice is something for everyone to take heed of.  

Photo Courtesy of Just Sports Photography.

Game Promotions/Themes-The Hershey Bears are top notch when it comes to most things on and off the ice. I will have to say though that some of the game promotions they use are getting a little stale. This is not to say all of them need to go but a splash here and there of new blood would be nice.  I also feel that when we do have a themed night in Hershey that the in game experience lacks because it doesn’t reflect that promotion or theme. It is the same music/games/videos as any other night. Saturday I visited the Binghamton Senators and it turned out to be Star Wars Night. They were playing Star Wars music/videos, had over 20 people in costume to meet and take pictures with, selling lightsabers at $5 for charity, and even had Darth Vader do a ceremonial puck drop.  I understand Star Wars has a cult following and I am sure many die-hards were in the building but the theme really gave an added aura of excitement and fun to the game. I feel ideas such as this would help the overall experience at Giant Center. Giant Center giveaways have been pretty good, especially this year with the addition of the AHL Outdoor Classic snow globe. The uniqueness of the night ends at the door with the giveaway though. A “theme night” per say doesn’t have a ticket to a Giant Center game yet. I think if should. It might help sell some seats in the early part of the season when Giant Center isn’t typically sold out either. Just a suggestion for the box.

Go Bears. 

The Caps were put right back into the loss column by allowing an Ottawa comeback. (Yahoo)

The Washington Capitals suffered a bad loss on Tuesday night, falling to the Ottawa Senators by a 3-2 score at Scotiabank.  After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period off goals from Troy Brouwer and Matt Hendricks, the Capitals allowed three unanswered goals on away ice to fall back into the loss column following their first win if the year on Sunday.  The Capitals now have only three standings points and sit second to last in the Eastern Conference with three big games – against the Maple Leafs, Flyers, and Penguins – coming up in the next week.  It’s already gut check time because of the short schedule.

Forced to contend with an early penalty kill after only 90 seconds, the Capitals’ lowly shorthanded unit faced a test right out of the gates and stood tall with some help from Michal Neuvirth, who was making his fourth consecutive start.  Soon after, Washington had a power play taken away when Zack Smith and Nicklas Backstrom were called for minor penalties on the same play.  Following the expiration of the penalties, the Caps began to amp up the pressure on the Sens, forcing Craig Anderson to makes some big saves.  At 13:15 of the first period, however, Troy Brouwer gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead when he cashed in on a neutral zone turnover and a pass from Wojtek Wolski.  The Caps were unable to score on a power play right after their goal, but doubled their advantage in short order with a Jay Beagle tally on the short side.  A late period of four on four yielded nothing, and the frame closed with DC ahead by a deuce.

Michal Neuvirth brings a great run of form into tonight's game. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in Ottawa, Ontario this evening to take on the Senators in their sixth game of the 2013 campaign.  The Capitals, who are 1-3-1, picked up their first win of the season Sunday afternoon and are 4th in the Southeast Division and 14^th in the Eastern Conference with 3 standings points.  The Senators, who lost in a shootout to the Penguins on Sunday, are 3-1-1 in their five games and sit 2^nd in the Northeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference.  This is the first meeting between these two teams this season and is a big game for the Capitals coming off their first victory of the season.

Craig Anderson, who has been outstanding so far with a 0.74 GAA ands .975 save percentage in four starts, will get the call from Paul MacLean in the Ottawa net.  Anderson has always been tough on the Caps and they will need to get to him early in order to have a chance.  MacLean’s crew will be missing star center Jason Spezza, missing with an upper body injury, but captain Daniel Alfredsson will play despite a bout with an illness earlier this week.

Michal Neuvirth will receive his fourth consecutive start in the Washington net from Adam Oates this evening, following his excellent performance Sunday.  Neuvirth has posted a 2.92 GAA and .889 save percentage so far on the young season, but has been almost exclusively responsible for the Caps’ three standings points with his excellent play in the goal.  On the injury front, defenseman Jack Hillen is out with an upper body injury.  Forward Brooks Laich, who has yet to play this season with what is believed to be a groin injury, is on the trip but will not play.  In terms of the lineup, after a win on Sunday I would not expect changes, and Marcus Johansson, Tom Poti and Roman Hamrlik are still scratched.

Puck drops 7:37-ish.  The game can be seen on Comcast SportsNet locally.

Harry Hawkings is a college student credentialed to cover the Capitals for RtR.  Follow him on Twitter here for all your news needs this season.