DCist (Free subscription) | 11/21/2009
Young Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth found himself looking into the back of his net one too many times Friday night in a 3-2 loss. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez) The Washington Capitals scored first, but the Montreal Canadiens scored more and won 3-2 on Friday night at the Verizon Center. The Caps' Eric Fehr netted the only goal of the first period for either team, but the Canadiens had twice as many...
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 11/21/2009
Penguins -Dan Bylsma ( above ) and Senators defenseman Matt Carkner are BFFs (PG+). -The Penguins presented public address announcer John Barbero, who is dealing with brain cancer, with a Stanley Cup ring . Barbero is away from the team while he deals with his illness (PG+). -The Penguins are good people: -Chris Davis' overtime goal gave the Wheeling Nailers a 3-2 win against the Elmira Jackals ....
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009
Based on the morning skate, it looks like Jose Theodore will get the nod in net tonight at BankAtlantic Center against the suddenly surging Panthers. There will also be a change on the Caps' blue line, with John Erskine coming out and Brian Pothier going back in. "He had three weeks off," Coach Bruce Boudreau said of Erskine. "I'm sure he's not 100-percent. Players want to play so bad,...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
If the last time we did this we covered the forwards, then we are left with the defensemen and goaltenders. How did they do in their respective first ten-game segments? Brian Pothier For Pothier, the difference in this year’s first ten games versus last year’s is being in the lineup. Last year at this time, Pothier’s career was still in doubt in the aftermath of a concussion suffered...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009
I'm going to be tied up with some reporting and writing this afternoon, but I wanted to share a few updates on the injured/ill Caps: *Coach Bruce Boudreau said the team will likely have to call up two forwards for tomorrow's game in Atlanta because Alexander Semin is "touch and go" with an illness and Boyd Gordon is still battling a sore back. Both players, though, are going on the road trip....
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/19/2009
Practice has started and both goaltender Jose Theodore and center Boyd Gordon, who missed Saturday's game against Nashville are back on the ice at KCI. Theodore was bothered by back spasms that forced him to leave the game against San Jose. I'll check up on Theodore's status after practice, but it's definitely a good sign that he was able to return today as the team hoped. With three days of practice...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
Practice just began here at KCI and goalie Jose Theodore and center Boyd Gordon are not skating. Theodore is suffering from back spasms, which flared up last night in the first period after he reached for a loose puck. Theodore's status for tomorrow's game is uncertain, but given that he's not practicing, it seems possible that he'll miss tomorrow's game against the Predators and the Caps will have...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/15/2009
Center Keith Aucoin has been recalled from Hershey and is on the ice for the morning skate. I have to imagine that he's here just in case Boyd Gordon cannot play. Gordon, however, is on the ice right now. John Erskine, meantime, has been placed on IR with an injured hand he suffered while blocking a shot in the second period against the Devils. Erskine will have to miss the next two games before he...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
Tom Poti and Boyd Gordon have returned to practice this morning. But John Erskine, who suffered an upper body injury in the second period Monday, still is not skating with his teammates. The big defenseman skated on his own before practice, but that likely means he's out for tomorrow's game against the Sharks. The forward combos, meantime, look the same as yesterday. The D-pairings, however, will likely...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/13/2009
Practice is underway here at KCI and there are a few players who are not skating. Defensemen John Erskine and Tom Poti and center Boyd Gordon are not on the ice. Erskine, of course, left last night's 3-2 loss to the Devils after getting hurt early in the second period and Poti appeared to be in pain late. I'm not sure what's wrong with Gordon yet. One other notable development: Coach Bruce Boudreau,...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/12/2009
Jose Theodore will get his third consecutive start tonight against Martin Brodeur and the Devils. Based on the morning skate, the forward lines will look the same and the scratches will be Jeff Schultz, Tyler Sloan and Michael Nylander. *Coach Bruce Boudreau praised Theodore for his overall play this season and is impressed with his focus. *The D-pairings will be Shaone Morrisonn-Mike Green, Tom Poti-Milan...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
Look, let’s be up front about this. Bruce Boudreau doesn’t need some hack at a keyboard coming to his defense. He’s an Jack Adams Award winner, and the last time we looked, the only hardware we had was the four trophies the Alex Ovechkin bobblehead on our desk is holding. Boudreau forgot more about hockey stirring his morning coffee than we’re ever likely to know. But here’s...
The Washington Times (Free subscription) | 10/08/2009
No defenseman is going to play more than 700 NHL games, as Tom Poti has, or nearly 300, as John Erskine has, without having a bad night every now and then. Poti and Erskine were on the ice for five of Philadelphia's goals in the Washington Capitals' 6-5 overtime loss Tuesday night, but how much they were to blame was debatable at practice Wednesday. More important, how defensemen are able to move forward...
Capitals Insider (Free subscription) | 10/07/2009
Practice just wrapped up here at KCI and I've got a few notes and quotes to share: *Today's session was short but pretty intense for the day after a road game. A lot of the 50-minute practice focused on defensive positioning in front the Caps' net. Anyone who watched last night's game in Philly, knows it wasn't so good, especially for the Tom Poti-John Erskine pairing. The tandem was on the ice for...
The Peerless Prognosticator (Free subscription) | 10/07/2009
Did we miss six months? Did a whole regular season get played while we weren’t looking, and we went right to the playoffs? Because that’s what it looked like this evening as the Caps and Flyers traded Rocky-Apollo haymakers for 60-plus minutes in South Philly. The Flyers emerged with the overtime win, 6-5. It was a wacky game that one could evaluate very differently depending on from what...
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