(photo by Bruce Bennett)

Earlier in the week, I wrote about the Washington Capitals having a tough decision to make when defenseman Dennis Wideman returns from injury.

The fact is, the team will have seven highly qualified defenders and only six spots in the lineup, so someone is going to have to sit for the good of the team.

After looking at the likely candidates, I came to the conclusion that the odd-man out would likely be defenseman John Erskine and since then it seems that some Caps fans have taken that to mean I don’t like Erskine or don’t want to see him in the lineup.

None of that is true, of course. I actually think he’s somebody who has worked hard to improve his game during his time in Washington and he’s exactly the type of gritty, sandpaper guy a team largely comprised of finesse players needs.

Coming off the heels of his stellar first-round series against the New York Rangers, I had the chance to catch up with Erskine and, as always, he was all smiles as we chatted about standing up to agitators, Wideman’s return and more.

“I think my game played well against the Rangers,” Erskine said. “They come hard at you and they play physical and both teams play solid defensively, so I guess it played right into my style of game. I love doing the hard hits and getting hit. That’s my kind of game.”

I would like to go back to one particular moment in the series, if that’s okay with you. When the Rangers scored a goal with time running out in Game 5 you basically got pummeled from behind. How do you not turn around and try to open up a can of whoop-ass on someone when that happens?

(Laughs.) “I tried,” Erskine admitted. “I tried and I got tackled by someone else. I think emotions were flying pretty high at the end there, especially with us knocking them out. There were a couple cheapshots at the end, but it’s all in good fun.”

I guess different people cope in different ways. Rangers players, it seems, opted to throw a temper tantrums when their season was over.

“Yeah, but we sent them home and we’re going on to the next round,” he said. “We’ve been in that position when you get beat out and I know it’s not a good feeling.”

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

There are a lot of takeaways — both positives and negatives — for the Washington Capitals after their opening-round series against the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

On the plus side, Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth looked to be in complete control throughout the five-games series and seems poised for yet another successful postseason in North America.

The defense as a whole continues to excel as the Capitals prove they’ve happily embraced the new defensively responsible philosophy.

Washington was also able to seize control of this series faster than any other time since coach Bruce Boudreau took over, which was a nice change of pace.

On the flip side, no one is sure how seriously veteran forward Mike Knuble’s hand injury is or when he’ll be back in the lineup.

The head of defenseman Mike Green continues to be targeted by opposing teams as he recovers after missing 22 games earlier this season to a concussion.

And while the double overtime comeback made for great theater, the guys in that locker room should know better than to play with fire by sleepwalking through the first 40 minutes of a game like that. More times than not, that lack of effort is what sends teams home early in the playoffs.

But for my money, the two biggest subplots after the first round of action are centers Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson — two gentlemen from the same country who share the same position.

One played out of his mind in his first taste of the NHL’s postseason, while the other has yet to make his impact on the stat sheet.

Johansson, a 20-year-old rookie, continues to impress every time he hits the ice. After a slow start to his rookie campaign, the Landskrona, Sweden native finished the regular season with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 67 games.

Good, but not great.

In the playoffs though, the speedy Swede has stepped up his game – with two goals and two assists for four points in five games.

If there is such thing as a “rookie wall,” he hasn’t been introduced to it yet. And if he’s supposed to be cracking under the pressure of his for NHL postseason, no one’s told MoJo yet.

“I’m enjoying every minute out there,” Johansson said. “It’s been a lot of fun, especially when we’re winning games. I think if we continue to play like this in the playoffs, we’re going to be okay in the long run.

“I’m playing with good players all the time and getting a lot of ice time,” he continued. “The more you play, the more comfortable you get.”

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(photo by Mitchell Layton)

Another day, another series goes seven games.

Admit it; it’s a good time to be a fan of the Washington Capitals.

While teams like Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Buffalo give everything they’ve got in hopes of living to see another day, the Caps are enjoying an NHL rarity – a bye week.

All of the bumps and bruises accumulated during the first-round series against the New York Rangers have extra time to heal, coaches get additional time to break down film of what’s working and what needs more attention and everyone involved gets to recharge their battery, so to speak.

Best of all, a player like defenseman Dennis Wideman, who suffered a leg hematoma and compartment syndrome March 29, gets a few extra days to try and work his way back into the lineup.

Wideman, an offensive-minded defenseman who excels on the powerplay, was acquired by general manager George McPhee at the trade deadline specifically to bolster Washington’s depth at the blue line.

But that plan was put into jeopardy when Wideman suffered a knee-to-thigh hit from Carolina forward Tuomo Ruutu and suddenly no one was sure just how long the 28-year-old was going to be sidelined.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Wideman was able to practice in full pads Monday for the first time since the injury. There’s still no timetable for his return, although Wideman is confident he’ll play again this postseason.

When Wideman is ready to return though, Caps coach Bruce Boudreau is going to be faced with one of those “good problems to have.”

With seven healthy defenseman and only six slots in the lineup, Boudreau will be faced with a tough decision – especially after his Capitals allowed just eight goals in five games against the Rangers.

As I noted yesterday, rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth deserves a ton of credit for the Caps stellar play in the defensive zone, but he’s not the only reason Washington was able to dispatch a team in five games for the first time in 13 years.

Through the weekend, the Capitals led the league in blocked shots with 104 as defensemen have sacrificed their body for the good of the team.

What once sounded like lip service as folks struggled to explain a sudden lack of scoring now looks like sound strategy as the Capitals are finally playing the same punishing brand of playoff hockey critics have lamented over since Boudreau’s arrival.

The defensive rotation is playing so well these days that Boudreau all but admitted there’s little chance of veteran blue liner Tom Poti returning to action this season. But Wideman is a different story.

McPhee and company didn’t give away a prospect and a third-round pick so the guy could wear a suit and sit next to D.J. King and the other “healthy scratches” on game day. Wideman has one year left on his current deal at $3.9 million, and you can bet he’ll be back on the ice as soon as he’s medically cleared.

So the question becomes: which defenseman will be forced out of the lineup when Wideman returns?

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(photo by Mitchell Layton)

When it comes to professional sports – especially in the postseason – nothing is more important than steady goaltending.

Not a quarterback. Not a closer. Not a point guard.

Simply put, without a reliable goalie in net, there’s little reason for hope.

Just look at high seeds like the Philadelphia Flyers, who have used three different netminders in their six playoff games, and the Vancouver Canucks, who have used multiple backstops in three-straight games.

Those highly-touted teams know they’re playing with fire for as long as they continue to play “goalie roulette,” but they have little choice because none of the five combined goalies in play have done anything to distance themselves from the rest of the pack.

In related news, both the Flyers and the Canucks are now facing must-win Game 7 scenarios in the opening round of the playoffs.

All of which is why fans of the Washington Capitals should be thanking their lucky stars that for the first time in recent history, the Caps don’t have to worry about a goalie controversy in the postseason.

Whether we’re talking about a sentimental favorite like Olaf Kolzig versus deadline acquisition Christobal Huet or veteran Jose Theodore versus upstart rookie Semyon Varlamov, it seems that for as long as Bruce Boudreau has been in town, the Capitals have yet to have a sure-fire top goaltender.

Until now.

During the regular season, Caps fans saw plenty of the team’s talented trio of youngsters – Varlamov, Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth – but it’s safe to say that the debate has officially been settled.

Neuvirth, who has already won two championships in the American Hockey League and one in the Ontario Hockey League, was tabbed Washington’s starter after being the team’s most consistent option throughout the regular season.

It was a pleasant surprise when the 23-year-old rookie went 27-12-4 with a 2.45 goals against average and a .914 save percentage during the regular season.

Against the New York Rangers though, Neuvirth was able to elevate his game to another level.

In his first playoff series, Neuvirth allowed just eight goals in five games – with a goals against average of 1.38 and a .946 save percentage. Both of which are tops in the NHL.

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(photo by Bruce Bennett)

“Anytime you pass the first overtime, you’ve got a chance for history in the making” — ESPN’s Steve Levy, on April 24, 1996

Gather ’round, boys and girls. It’s story time.

Back in 1996, I had just graduated from basic training in the U.S. Army and was sent off to the Defense Information School, located at Fort George G. Meade, Md., to learn how to be a photojournalist.

It was just like being at college … well … if college had camouflage uniforms and drill sergeants.

The Washington Capitals were hosting the hated Pittsburgh Penguins in a tightly-contested playoff series just 18 miles down the road and I had a free ticket … if I could get there.

Anyone familiar with the movie Full Metal Jacket knows that drill sergeants aren’t the most sympathetic of folks, but apparently I caught a bit of a break.

This particular game was held on Wednesday, April 24, 1996, and although curfew was 9:30 p.m., I somehow talked my drill sergeant into letting me stay out a little bit later so I could attend the game.

My buddy Teddy and I took our seats up in the nosebleeds at the old U.S. Air Arena, and when the puck dropped we had no clue what we were in for.

After 60 minutes, the Caps and Pens were deadlocked at 2-2.

Twenty more minutes of action and the game was still tied.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second overtime period either.

Ditto for triple overtime.

And then it finally happened.

With just 44 seconds left in the fourth overtime, Penguins forward Petr Nedved beat Caps goalie Olaf Kolzig to mercifully end the longest night of my life, 3-2.

It took more than 79 minutes of overtime, but a victor finally emerged.

No one remembers that Olie the Goalie made 62 saves that night. Or that Mario Lemieux was ejected from that game late in the second period for trying to start a fight. Or that Peter Bondra and Michal Pivonka scored for Washington.

No, history only remembers Joe Juneau failing to convert on the first-ever penalty shot awarded in overtime and Nedved made the Caps pay for it.

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(photo by Mitchell Layton)

If this is the year the Washington Capitals are able to finally to reach their true potential and make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, just know that there’s a good chance all of this was set in motion 13 years ago.

Back in ‘98, coincidentally, the same year the Caps made their only appearance in the Finals, two franchises not located in our nation’s capital agreed to a trade that could have a lasting impact locally.

On January 4, 1998, the Edmonton Oilers traded Jason Arnott, along with defenseman Bryan Muir, to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin. And the rest, as they say, is history.

While Muir, Guerin and Zelepukin don’t really factor into this story, the same cannot be said about the fourth player in that trade.

After four and a half tumultuous seasons in Edmonton, a 23-year-old Arnott was suddenly faced with the prospect of starting all over with a new franchise in a new town.

Fortunately for him, one guy went out of his way to ensure Arnott had the smoothest transition possible – Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens.

“Scotty was a huge influence when I got there,” Arnott said. “I lived with him for two and a half months and got to know how he was as a person and how he was family wise. I was single at the time, so I got real close with his family and learned a lot about nutrition, eating better and taking care of myself.

“And then, just watching him on the ice,” he continued. “He wasn’t real vocal in the dressing room, but he led by example on the ice every night. That’s why he was one of the best.”

Old school Caps fans no doubt remember Stevens, who anchored the blue line in D.C. from 1983-90. And in the interest of full disclosure, Scott Stevens is my all-time favorite player not named Al Iafrate.

Needless to say, Arnott thinks about as highly of the Kitchener, Ontario native as I do.

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(photo by Scott Levy)

With a little extra time built in the schedule before the puck drops for Game 4 Wednesday night, I had the chance to go back and watch Game 3 over again.

The one thing that continues to stand out about Saturday’s game is the fact that the Washington Capitals really allowed the New York Rangers to dictate play.

The Rangers, playing at home for the first time this series, were the aggressor – initiating contact, finishing checks and embracing a physical brand of hockey that is rewarded in the postseason. It should therefore come as no surprise that New York won, 3-2.

If that wasn’t enough, the Rangers also tried to do anything and everything they could to get under the opposition’s skin.

Guys like Sean Avery and Brandon Prust took liberties (or, to put it more bluntly, cheapshots) at Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth whenever they were nearby – to the point that Prust slashed Neuvirth when the two crossed paths at center ice during a stoppage in play.

And moments before captain Alex Ovechkin scored a second-period goal, Rangers defenseman Marc Staal appeared to go headhunting on Caps defenseman Mike Green.

Sure, the referees called a total of 12 penalties in Game 3 (eight on Washington; four on New York), but the fact is each of these instances went unnoticed. Well, not by everyone.

“I think after every time that there was a scrum in front of our net or something in front of our net, they were hitting our goalie,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau of the Rangers. “[The officials] kept warning them not to do it, not to do it. They kept doing it and nothing was done, so they kept doing it. It’s pretty simple.”

What bothers me most is, while the Capitals were sent to the penalty box eight times, most of the infractions were the type of lazy stick penalties usually reserved for “Bad Sasha.”

“We took way too many penalties,” said defenseman Karl Alzner. “We definitely can’t be doing that. You can understand the hard-working penalties, but we took a few that were from behind, hooking and stuff like that, and you just can’t do that.”

In the second period alone, Caps players were penalized for holding, crosschecking and hooking twice. In related news, the Rangers pitiful powerplay scored for just the second time in 38 chances over the last 12 games.

“You can’t take dumb penalties,” said forward Jason Chimera. “It’s the playoffs, and you’ve got to skate to catch up with a guy instead of using your stick.”

My point is, if the Capitals are going to take a penalty, I’d much rather it be for defending their goalie or protecting a fallen teammate (especially Green, who New York appears to be targeting because he just came back from a concussion).

Look, I’m not advocating being goaded into taking bad penalties. I’m just saying, matching the Rangers’ physical play and showing them you’re not going to back down is much preferable than seeing Nicklas Backstrom whistled for tripping.

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