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(photo by Julie Jacobson)

With apologies to the wildly-popular “Rock the Red” campaign, it seems only fitting that a Washington Capitals team of playoff virgins attempting to capture their first postseason series would get on track while sporting white jerseys.

Last night’s 4-0 thumping of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden was a much-needed shot of confidence to a Capitals team that had yet to play a complete game this postseason. In game one, the Caps’ offense looked sharp, but goalie Jose Theodore fell asleep at the wheel. Game two featured solid goaltending from rookie Simeon Varlamov, but Washington’s offense took the night off.

Folks started to wonder if this talented, but still very young roster, truly grasped what it takes to be successful when the Stanley Cup is on the line. So much so that on Pardon the Interruption Monday, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, two hockey experts in their own minds, openly compared Alex Ovechkin and the Caps to Tracy McGrady and the perennial underachieving Houston Rockets, who are simply unable to advance past round one of the playoffs.

Well, we doubt either Kornheiser or Wilbon actually tuned in last night, but if they did they saw the Capitals’ most inspired effort in recent memory. Backed by Varlamov’s 33-save effort and a three-point night from the enigma that is Alexander Semin, the Caps cruised to an easy victory in front of a sellout crowd in New York.

It seems that before they even arrived at the rink the Caps were in a feisty mood Monday. Ovechkin decided to play some head games with the Rangers and swung by to watch their morning practice (until he was asked to leave). Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau got in on the fun when he had his guys skate in one set of lines during pregame warm-ups and then switched everything around at the last minute to keep his opponent guessing.

Whatever they did worked to perfection, as the Caps came out with more intensity, grit and determination than the Rangers. Of course, sitting center Michael Nylander in favor of forward Donald Brashear never hurts a team looking to send a message, but we digress.

The Caps hustled, checked and played sound hockey from the opening faceoff. Semin had two point-blank quality scoring chances early and failed to convert either. But instead of getting rattled, the Capitals dug in even more and Semin ended up scoring two first-period goals anyway – both with a higher degree of difficulty than the two early “gimmies” he whiffed on.

After taking a 1-0 lead on Semin’s first goal of the night, the Caps got a huge break when Rangers forward Ryan Callahan missed a wide-open net in one of the rare moments when Varlamov looked human. Instead of “putting the biscuit in the basket,” Callahan’s shot rang off the post. Next thing you know the Capitals are breaking out the other way and Semin picked up his second goal of the night with just over eight minutes left in the second frame. Most importantly, both goals were scored during five-on-five play.

“It’s the luck of hockey and the luck of sport,” Boudreau told the media after the game. “Some guy hits a post on a great opportunity and you go down the other end and score. And instead of 1-1 you’ve got 2-0, and you’re team is going in after the first period with a lot of confidence.”

Forward Brooks Laich and defenseman Tom Poti each added powerplay goals as the Capitals solved Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvuist, for one night at least. The three stars of the game were, in order, Varlamov, Semin and defenseman John Erskine.

Let’s start with Varlamov, who posted the first shutout of his professional career. Through eight NHL games (including both the regular and postseason), Varlamov has gone 5-1-1 with a 1.75 goals against average and an astounding .935 save percentage. In two playoff games, Varlamov has stopped 56 of 57 shots he’s faced for an unheard of .982 save percentage. That, my friends, is called getting it done.

Semin, along with Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom, provided all the necessary offense Monday night. He finished with two goals and an assist and the “young guns” line of Semin-Ovechkin-Backstrom picked up eight points (two goals and six assists).

The final player whose effort needs to be highlighted is Erskine, who we lovingly refer to as “Dumb & Dumber” because of a resemblance to Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne character. Erskine, who may be the most unheralded player on the current roster, was magnificent Monday night. If nothing else, he flipped the script and beat Ranger agitator Sean Avery at his own game.

Avery makes a living by getting under his opponent’s skin and making them focus on everything but the game at hand. For one night, Erskine “out Avery-ed” Avery, who was so flustered throughout the game that while he was on the ice for a total of 16 minutes and 28 seconds, he managed to rack up 18 minutes in penalties – four minor infractions and a 10-minute misconduct. Not only did he take bad penalties, but he did so in the final two periods while the rest of the Rangers were playing catch up. He wasn’t the only reason the Rangers lost the game, but he certainly didn’t help their cause.

If this is the Capitals team that shows up again Wednesday night then Caps fans should feel confident that maybe – just maybe – this team is finally ready to walk down that aisle.

(AP photo)

There was a time, way back in the regular season, when the Washington Capitals would jump out to an early lead and then cruise to an easy victory. There was also a time when the Capitals were simply unbeatable at the Verizon Center.

Well, those days are gone.

Through two games the Capitals have outshot the New York Rangers 27 to 10 in the first period, and yet, have been outscored 1-0. In all, the Caps have outshot New York 70 to 45, but have been outscored 5-3 and have held a lead for just 1:09 total this series. That sobering statistic bears repeating – Washington has had a lead for just one minute and nine seconds through two games.

So what’s the problem? For starters, they have fallen back into an all-too-familiar rut of settling for long-range (i.e. – low percentage) shots. The Caps have fired an astounding 160 shots through the first two games. But not all shots are good shots. Of those, 70 have actually found their way on net. Rangers defenders have blocked 50 shots and the other 40 shots have simply been off target.

“A lot of our shots were coming from the outside, but rebounds were coming to spots where we should be, we just weren’t there to see it,” said Capitals defenseman Mike Green.

This should be fairly obvious at this point, but Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is too good to beat with fluke goals. If you don’t create traffic in front of him and attempt to screen Lundqvist, you’re not scoring. By placing a forward at the top of the goalie crease, you give yourself a chance of a deflection, rebound or Lundqvist simply not seeing the initial shot. Forward Brooks Laich does this. Unfortunately, he’s about it.

Regardless of who is in net for New York, the Capitals, as a team, need to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Forwards need to be more aggressive in the offensive zone (and not in the “Alexander Semin takes an ill-advised retaliation penalty” kind of way).

Fifty blocked shots says the Caps’ offense also needs to be less predictable. An extra head fake or deke move might freeze the Rangers’ defense long enough to get a better shot.

Even Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, who has done a masterful job at pushing all the right buttons during his two years in D.C. sounded agitated when asked about all of the Rangers’ blocked shots.

“Their defense is doing a helluva job, blocking us out,” he said. “We talk about getting to the net and going for rebounds. It’s not like we’re sitting there saying we’re going to take the shots on the side.”

The Capitals also need to understand this is still a team game. Green and Alex Ovechkin combined for 87 goals in the regular season, but have yet to recapture their magic. Both were pressing too much during game two and at times seemed to try and single-handedly win the game Saturday. Not coincidentally, they combined for zero goals and something like 16 turnovers.

Whether you’re the best player in the league or a minor-league call up the game remains the same. Take what your opponent gives you and work with your teammates. Create traffic. Don’t force high-risk passes. Remember that it’s still legal to score a goal during five-on-five situations.

None of this is “rocket surgery,” as Joe Theismann would say, but it all bears repeating as the Capitals find themselves on the brink of elimination after one of the most promising regular seasons in franchise history.

(photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The story of game two was rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov, he of just five career NHL starts. The 20-year-old got the nod over Jose Theodore, who looked pedestrian allowing four goals on 21 shots in a 4-3 game one loss to the New York Rangers.

Sure, Varlamov posted a 4-0-1 record with a 2.37 goals against average and a .913 save percentage during the regular season, but this is the playoffs. You make a move like this and it backfires and you’ve essentially guaranteed yourself a one and done for the postseason. Benching your only goalie with any sort of playoff experience removes the safety net. For better or worse, from this point on, your Stanley Cup fate is essentially tied to an unproven rookie.

Heading into his first-career playoff start, we loved the kid’s instincts, pure athleticism and the general X-factor Varlamov brings to a game, but let’s be honest – this was about as ballsy a move as Bruce Boudreau could humanly make. Could the kid live up to the supreme expectations? Did the move completely alienate Theodore? Whatever the case, this series became one of the biggest can’t-miss first-round matchups the moment Boudreau made the switch.

As we all know by now Rangers forwards Marcus Naslund and Ryan Callahan executed a two-on-one breakaway to perfection, beating defenseman Tom Poti and Varlamov with 12:16 left in the first period for the only goal of a day. Although Varlamov was sharp and showed no signs of a young goalie in over his head, the Caps now trail the Rangers two games to none as they head to New York.

Thanks to a Russian journalist who was willing to play translator, we (along with the rest of the media) were able to catch up with Varlamov in the locker room after his postseason debut.

What did you think of your first NHL playoff game?

“The first thing I thought was this was a very important game because you don’t want to go down 2-0 in the series,” Varlamov said. “Now it’s going to be very difficult for us to play in New York, but we’re ready for it.”

Did the long delay before the game started rattle you at all?

“Yeah, I was bothered by it frankly,” he said. “There was a bit of an incident down on the ice because the goal wasn’t fixed in properly and it kind of bothered me.”

Were you nervous at all?

“It’s normal for a goalie to be nervous before a game, so yeah I was,” Varlamov said. “But it’s not really that bad. It’s not like it was in Montreal before my NHL debut when my hands were shaking.”

Do you think you should continue to play?

“Well of course I want to play, it was my dream from childhood – it is not a secret,” Varlamov said. “Anybody who is on this team wants to play. We did play well both on offense and defense, we just couldn’t score and of course, [Rangers goalie Henrik] Lundqvist was great.”

Did Theodore say anything to you before the game?

“After the warm-up, he walked over to me and say ‘Don’t worry about it. I was 20-years-old when I play my first game, it was in Montreal. You know don’t worry about it, I think you’ll do fine,’” Varlamov said.

According to the Caps’ media relations department, Varlamov joined Jim Carey, Byron Dafoe and Bob Mason as the only rookie goalies to ever start a playoff game for Washington. Also, Varlamov became the 19th goalie in NHL history to make his playoff debut before his 21st birthday Saturday afternoon and stopped 23 of 24 shots (for a sparkling .958 save percentage).

Even though he only allowed one goal on the day, Saturday was the first regulation loss of Varlamov’s career. His combined regular season and playoff goals against average is 2.16 and he has a save percentage of .923. With numbers like, it’s easy to see why Boudreau would turn to the kid in such a high-stakes situation. Now, if only the offense could remember what it takes to light the lamp, the Caps just might have what it takes to become a legitimate contender.

(AP photo)

The Washington Capitals finished the regular season with 108 points, the most in franchise history. But that meant absolutely nothing to the New York Rangers, who came to the Verizon Center as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and stole game one, 4-3.

Capitals goalie Jose Theodore went 32-17-5 during the regular season, but came into the game with a pedestrian 19-26 career playoff record. To say all eyes were on him heading into the series would be a vast understatement.

The Rangers scored an average of just 2.44 goals per game during the regular season, third lowest in the league. And yet, their offense exploded for four goals on 21 shots – none of which were particularly impressive. Any questions on whether Theodore is a dependable goalie come playoff time remain unanswered.

“For playoff hockey, obviously, [I was] not good enough,” Theodore said. “They only had a couple of shots in the first, and after that, I tried to find a rhythm. I’m not happy with my game. I wasn’t good enough. But in the playoffs, you bounce back and that’s it – you have to turn the page. I’ve been around long enough that there’s really no excuse. When you’re out there, you have to be ready to make a couple of key saves and key moments, and tonight, that just wasn’t the case.”

One of the first questions Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau faced in his post-game press conference was essentially, “Theodore said he wasn’t good enough tonight. What do you say to that?”

“He’s right,” Boudreau said. “There’s times when you sit there and you can say that I didn’t make the save that was needed. But I’m sure he’s going to bounce back. He’s a professional and he’s played this game long enough. I’m sure he feels bad enough.”

So coach, did you consider making a switch in net – pulling Theodore in favor of your talented, but unproven backup Simeon Varlamov?

“Not during the game. They scored the fourth goal and there were seven minutes to go in the game. That’s not the time to put your backup goalie in. You never want to look like you are panicking and that’s what that would have looked like.”

What about for game two?

“There’s a chance anything can happen,” Boudreau said. “I said earlier, when you lose, you make changes. I’m not saying in goal, but there’s a possibility of changes in a couple of positions out there.”

While on the subject of possible changes for game two, may we humbly suggest that defenseman Jeff Schultz be scratched from the lineup. Longtime readers know our stance on Schultz – he’s got a big body and loads of potential, but he’s allergic to contact and as a wise man once said, “potential just means ain’t done shit yet.”

Watching Schultz get embarrassed by Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky on the eventual game winner just reinforced our belief that the 23-year-old defenseman is not ready for prime time. As Dubinsky skated down the wing Schultz crossed himself up while attempting to slow the speedy forward. Next thing you know, Schultz has tripped over his own feet and Dubinsky is celebrating a back breaking goal with just over eight minutes left to play.

We don’t want to make this just about Schultz. Truth be told he’s not the only reason the Capitals now trail the Rangers one game to none. But with the Caps already concerned about reliability issues with their goalie, the team would be wise to shore up the defense in front of whoever is in net. If that means sitting Schultz in favor of Brian Pothier or someone else, then so be it.

One final note, Theodore has gone 0-2 with a 5.00 goals against average and a .838 save percentage over the last two games. That’s bad. Add in the fact that the Florida Panthers and Rangers were 17th and 28th in scoring this season and that’s really bad. Theodore’s got two choices – he can either get it together now or spend his rapidly approaching offseason trying to figure out what the hell went wrong.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Yesterday we presented five reasons why the Washington Capitals could very well take home their first-ever Stanley Cup championship. Today we’re playing devil’s advocate, so here are five reasons why the Caps won’t win.

1. They’re a finesse team.

Alex Ovechkin hits anything and everything in his path. Brooks Laich crashes the net with reckless abandon. The rest of the roster? Not so much. This offense has the firepower to go toe-to-toe with anyone in hockey and when they’re clicking, this team scores some of the prettiest goals you’ve seen. But the funny thing about a high-risk, high-reward mentality is that whole “high-risk” part.

This is a team that would much rather make the highlight reel than dig in and get their hands dirty. The thing about the postseason is that brand of hockey rarely wins. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Capitals in the playoffs a year ago because they played ugly hockey. They used muscle, grit and determination to outlast the Caps. If things are going to be different this time around, then the home team needs to adapt and overcome. Just know that if the Capitals settle for long-range shots from the blue line and no one creates traffic in front of the net … well … it might be a short playoff run.

2. They take bad penalties at bad times.

First it was Alexander Semin. Then it was Shaone Morrisonn. Lately it’s been Sergei Fedorov. For whatever reason, someone on this team feels the need to take ill-advised penalties in pivotal moments of a game. Coach Bruce Boudreau has often referred to these hooking, holding and tripping calls as “lazy penalties” and has pleaded with his players to be smarter. Referees tend to put their whistles away and give more leeway to teams during the playoffs, but a safer bet for the Caps would be for players to hustle more and clutch and grab less.

3. Their defense is a work in progress.

Even with a healthy Tom Poti and Brian Pothier in the lineup the Capitals’ defense isn’t going to strike fear into any opponent. The Steel Curtain they are not. That’s why a team like the Florida Panthers, who had already been eliminated from the playoffs, can monkey stomp a Washington team 7-4 even though the Caps were trying to set a franchise record for most wins in a single season.

In fact, four different times this season the Capitals gave up seven goals in a game. That’s simply unacceptable. Mike Green (31 goals), is a rare breed – a defenseman who is capable of scoring every time he touches the puck. But while Green contributes both offensively and defensively, the rest of the defense should be squarely focused on their defensive responsibilities. Why? The 13 Caps’ defenders who aren’t named Mike Green scored a total of 14 goals this season. So stop trying to jump up in the play and be more responsible in your own end.

4. Their goaltending situation could be a problem.

A hot goalie can be the difference between playing in or watching the Stanley Cup Finals. History has proven that a mediocre team like the Anaheim Ducks can catch lightning in a bottle if a goalie like Jean-Sebastien Giguere gets into a groove, but teams never, we repeat – NEVER – win despite their goaltender in the playoffs.

Seemingly all season long there have been questions surrounding Caps goalie Jose Theodore. When he’s on, he looks great. When he’s off, it’s ugly. Theodore won 32 games for Washington this season, but the 32-year-old has the lowest numbers (2.87 goals against average and .900 save percentage) out of the eight starting goalies in the East Conference playoff race. Brent Johnson is injured and no one else in the mix has even appeared in the NHL postseason. For better or for worse this Capitals team will live or die with Theodore.

5. They lack a killer instinct.

The Caps finished with the fourth-best record in hockey, but how many times this season did they lose to a cellar dweller? Colorado. Atlanta. Phoenix. Toronto. Los Angeles. They were shut out twice against Columbus. True championship contenders show up with the same level of intensity against the doormats as they do against the league’s elite.

5b. They lack a true leader.

Because of his stellar play, Ovechkin leads by example. But the Capitals lack one guy who commands respect in the locker room and is willing to say, “Sit down, shut up and listen.” Boudreau is a first-rate coach, but sometimes that kind of talk needs to come from outside the coaching staff. When the Denver Nuggets had Allen Iverson they were a middle-of-the-road franchise that barely qualified as the eighth seed in Western Conference. Too many players with too many motives.

After a 1-2 start this season Denver traded Iverson for Chauncey Billups, who won a ring in 2004, and he immediately changed the complexion of that team. He refused to let his teammates “half ass” it and called out players when the situation dictated. Now, the Nuggets are 54-27 and will likely enter the playoffs as the second seed. While the Caps win more games than they lose, they could still use a Chauncey Billups on the roster.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

The Washington Capitals just completed arguably their most successful regular season in franchise history. They tied the franchise mark for wins with 50, racked up the most points ever in a single season and even managed to set a new attendance record – while the rest of the sports landscape is dealing with economic woes. There’s a lot to like about the Caps these days.

With that in mind, we’d like to present five reasons why this could very well be the year the Washington Capitals finally capture their first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

1. They have the best player on the planet.

We’ll start by stating the obvious – Alex Ovechkin is good. The all-star winger finished the regular season with 56 goals and 54 assists for 110 points in 79 games. The only reason the 23-year-old forward finished second in the scoring title race is because fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin, who finished with 113 points, played in three more games. Otherwise, Ovi would have easily taken home his second-consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer. That being said, Ovechkin did earn his second straight Maurice Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer and is one of only two active players to record three 50-goal seasons (along with Teemu Selanne). Oh, by the way, Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy are the only two other players in NHL history to record three 50-goal seasons in the first four years. Like we said – Ovechkin is good.

2. They have the best offensive defenseman in hockey.

Caps fans have known how talented defenseman Mike Green is for a while now, but this season was the official breakout campaign for 23-year-old blueliner. In 2007-08, Green scored 18 goals and 38 assists for 56 points in 82 games. One year later Green exploded for 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 points in just 68 games. Despite missing 14 games due to injury, Green finished with the most goals of any defenseman in hockey since 1992-93. Let’s not forget he set an NHL record by scoring a goal in eight consecutive games earlier this season. The most impressive stat in regards to Green? The Caps are 43-16-7 with him in the lineup and just 7-7-0 without him.

3. They have the firepower to compete with anyone.

The Capitals’ powerplay, led by Ovechkin, Green, center Nicklas Backstrom and wing Alexander Semin, finished second in the league (25.2 percent). Those four players each finished the season averaging more than a point per game and the offense as a whole was the third-best in hockey (averaging 3.27 goals per game). Speaking of powerplay goals, Ovechkin finished the season with 19. Green led all defenders with 18. Even Backstrom, who is primarily known for setting up his teammates, finished tied for eighth in powerplay goals. Opposing teams know its coming, they just can’t do much about it.

4. Their home ice truly is an advantage.

While the playing surface may be considered a sore subject with the players, no one can question the atmosphere at the Verizon Center for Caps games. The Capitals finished the season 29-9-3 and as previously mentioned, set a single-season attendance record, even in the face of this pitiful economy. There was a time, not too terribly long ago, when opposing fans outnumbered Caps fans. And while that still happens out at FedEx Field (just ask Redskins fans about the Steelers game), it’s simply not the case anymore for the Caps. Fans are lining up to “Rock the Red,” so much so that Ted Leonsis and friends are talking about having to start up a season ticket waiting list for the first time. Who thought we’d ever say that?

5. They have one of the best coaches in the game.

From Slapshot extra to minor-league journeyman to NHL coach of the year, Bruce Boudreau is easily the most loveable coach in D.C. sports since Joe Gibbs 1.0. Whether he’s coaching the best player in hockey or a minor-league call up, Boudreau always finds a way to connect with his players and get the best out of them. He knows when to push his players and when to back off, but he always holds his guys accountable. Since he took over the team, Boudreau’s Caps have gone 87-41-15. For that reason alone, you can never count out the Capitals.