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.

Alex Ovechkin finally gets off the schneid. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals became the final team in the National Hockey League to win a game Sunday afternoon, defeating the Buffalo Sabres by a 3-2 margin inside Verizon Center.  Getting goals from Joel Ward, John Erskine, and Alex Ovechkin, the Caps came back from an early 1-0 hole by scoring three unanswered goals.  The Sabres drew within one late, but 22 saves, many of them big, from Michal Neuvirth kept them at bay and won Adam Oates his first game as a head coach.

As has been a common thread in their games so far, the Capitals were awarded the first power play of the evening after less than a minute, but another futile effort with the man advantage kept Washington from opening the scoring for the first time this season.  The next eight minutes were characterized by chances for both teams until the Sabres capitalized just past the ten-minute mark.  Taking advantage of another John Carlson turnover in the neutral zone, Tyler Ennis streaked in and shoved a backhander through Michal Neuvirth on the ice surface.  Desperate to gain some footing after another bad start, the Capitals came back hard and almost tied the game three minutes later when Nicklas Backstrom rang the iron from the top of the left circle. 

Washington would get their equalizer soon after as Joel Ward cleaned up a rebound in front following a dominant shift from his line.  Washington continued to buzz around Ryan Miller’s net after the goal, but lost that momentum when John Erskine took a tripping call late in the period with 30 seconds left.  They killed off the initial 30 seconds on the minor before the period ended.

Photo by the Washington Post

When the Washington Capitals hired Adam Oates this July, it was a clear sign from management and ownership that the team was going to distance itself from the system that Dale Hunter had brought to the team.  To many, it meant the possible renaissance of an offensive system that could help to rejuvenate Alex Ovechkin and play to strength of the roster while at the same time keep a sense of responsibility in Washington’s own zone.

After four games, it has been neither.

The Capitals are 0-3-1 after four games, and have led for less than three minutes total across those four games.  Only a big third period on Friday night against the Devils earned the Capitals a point and kept them from remaining the only team in the NHL without any standings points.  They are taking dumb penalties and playing poorly on the penalty kill.  It has been rough sledding, and it might be a while before it gets sighnificantly better.

No matter who the Capitals hired as their next head coach, there was going to an adjustment period, especially with a week-long training camp.  Three very different systems in 15 months is hard, even for professional hockey players.  Even teams that are established as elite, like the Flyers and Rangers, are struggling.  Hell, the defending Stanley Cup Champions have zero wins.

Other teams in the NHL with the same predicament as the Capitals, like Edmonton and Montreal, are doing better than the Capitals, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy.  Nor are they doing it without one of their best defensive forwards, penalty killers, and leaders.  This was always going to take time.

Brooks Laich won't be playing, but the Caps need him badly. (Clydeorama)

The Washington Capitals are in Newark, New Jersey this evening to take on the Devils as they try to rebound from their very poor start and get their first win of the season.  Washington is 0-3-0 on the campaign so far, allowing 14 goals while scoring only four.  The Devils, who shut out the Flyers for a 3-0 win in their last game, are 2-0 on the season and are rested having been at home for over four days.  This is a big one for the Capitals as they must stop the bleeding and get a win under their belt before a game Sunday against the hot Sabres.

Martin Brodeur will start in net for the Devils, just as he has in both prior Devils games this season.  The ageless wonder has allowed one goal in two games and has a .977 GAA on the campaign and has always played the Capitals tough with the exception of a few games two seasons ago.  On the injury front, the Devils are missing center Adam Henrique, who has a thumb injury and has yet to make his season debut.  Other than that, coach Peter DeBoer will field a full lineup.

After another uninspiring performance from a Washington netminder, this time Michal Neuvirth, on Thursday, expect Braden Holtby to get the call in nets from Adam Oates.  Holtby has allowed ten goals in two starts so far this season and while in no way is the slow start the goaltending’s issue, Washington does need its young tandem, especially Holtby, to play better.  Both Brooks Laich (lower body) and Jack Hillen (upper body) are out and will not play.  After another very poor game in all facets Thursday, the lineup is anyone’s guess; I would still wager that John Erskine is still sitting Friday.

Puck drops 7:07-ish.  The game can be seen locally on Comcast SportsNet.

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.

Capital Blue Cross AHL Outdoor Classic-The showcase event of the AHL this year was held this past weekend in Hersheypark Stadium just across the parking lot from the Ice Palace and Hersheypark Arena where the Hershey B’ars/Bears had played from 1932 to 2002. Over 2 years of planning had gone into building an outdoor rink at Hersheypark Stadium. Saturday the Hershey Alumni played the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Alumni before Sunday’s regular season matchup between the Bears and Pens. The Bears would strike first in the second period but the Baby Pens tied the game and scored on a breakaway on OT to steal the game at 2-1. The game result was the only thing that went wrong for the Bears faithful all weekend long through a great series of events provided by Hershey.  The Bears have games Friday vs St. John’s at home and Saturday vs Binghamton at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena to help the team move on from Sunday’s loss on the big stage. 17,311 packed the stadium with an international audience watching on television in HD.

The Hershey Bears take to the ice at the 2013 Capital Blue Cross AHL Outdoor Classic. Photo Courtesy of Old Barn Hockey Show.

Tomas Kundratek-A whirlwind of a week in Kundy’s world as he was selected to the AHL Eastern All Stars on Thursday night during the Bears family skate on the outdoor rink. Then on Sunday, Kundratek scored the only Bears goal of the AHL Outdoor Classic on a slapshot in the second period. This goal is his team leading 13^th of the year and a new AHL career high for goals. His 26 points this year are also an AHL career best. Monday threw a wrench into his All Star plans as he was called up to the Washington Capitals to fill in for an injured Jack Hillen. Hillen is listed as week to week, so Hershey will most likely need another AHL All Star representative. I am sure Kundratek isn’t crying over it. UPDATE: Jeff Taffe will be headed to the AHL All Star game in Kundratek’s absence.

Second Season-With the start of the NHL and the number of call ups that have accompanied it, the AHL and ECHL might as well start over again. The playoffs this year might as well be called third season. The rosters of so many teams have been picked up, shaken about, and placed in the washing machine for a tumble or two. The Hershey Bears will really only lose Holtby along with other recalls due to injuries. Capitals injuries will play a crucial role in the Bears season with so many NHL games in such a compressed time period and an improper length of time to prepare and rest. Hershey will hope to fair better against other AHL teams the second half of the year with many of them incurring multiple roster losses due to the NHL lockout ending.

Red Rockers, Becca and Michelle M., stop for a photo with Rock the Brock at Giant Center. Photo Courtesy of Old Barn Hockey Show.

Red Rockers-The Red Rockers and Slapshot visited the Giant Center on January 12^th. Red Rockers, Becca and Michelle M., found me in the elevator and we had a great conversation about how the Red Rockers are great community ambassadors for the Washington Capitals and hockey.  They were extremely kind and mentioned they were readers here as well. They were certainly mobbed and loved by all the Hershey fans that caught sight of them on the concourse with their Capitals giveaway goodies. Slapshot was also entertaining to the crowd and seemed to pair better with the more energetic Coco introduced this year. With how conservative Hershey is, I still wonder if we will ever see a cheer group in Chocolatetown for the Bears.

Go Bears.