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(photo by Bruce Bennett)

They say a playoffs series doesn’t begin until the home team loses a game. Well, thankfully, this series hasn’t started yet.

The Washington Capitals hosted the New York Rangers in the opening game of their first-round series and until the previous two years – which saw the Caps drop Game 1 – this time around the home team emerged victorious 2-1 in overtime.

After failing to score a goal against Montreal last year, forward/enigma Alexander Semin scored the overtime winner.

In addition to going goal-less in seven games against the Canadiens, Semin also failed to score in the previous seven-game series against Pittsburgh.

So Semin broke the slump at the best time possible, scoring a goal for the first time since he lit up – as luck would have it – the Rangers during the 2008-09 postseason.

The last time Semin scored a goal in a playoff game prior to last night was April 28, 2009 – also known as Game 7 of the Caps-Rangers series. (Random sidenote: for what it’s worth, Washington won that game 2-1 as well.)

Semin had gone 14 games and 67 straight shots without finding the back of the net, which is why I wrote before the playoffs even began that he, more than any other Caps player, needed to show up in order for this team to have a shot at an extended playoff run.

And for one night, he answered the call. If only someone could have seen this coming and predicted it before the game started.

Of course, Semin’s rifle of a shot never happens if not for veteran center Jason Arnott, who continues to be worth his weight in gold.

The man who goes out of his way to try and connect with a quirky loner like Semin feeds him the perfect pass and Good Sasha did the rest.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is absolutely one of the best in the world at his chosen profession, but he had no chance whatsoever to stop Semin’s perfectly-placed blast. He got caught drifting to his left too much and the shot blew by Henrik before he could even think about raising his blocker.

Best of all, Semin now has six goals in eight postseason games against Lundqvist, so maybe this is the psychological edge the Caps’ offense needs to get rolling in the playoffs.

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(photo by Mitchell Layton)

Sunday night I had the pleasure of seeing a phenomenal band called TV on the Radio perform live at the Ram’s Head in Baltimore.

They’re a great band who I’ve been a fan of for a while, but this was my first time experiencing them in person. And they didn’t disappoint.

They played for two hours and brought a crazy energy that the crowd fed off of from start to finish. By the time they played “Wolf Like Me,” the place went berserk.

At this point, I feel like it’s my civic duty to inform you that if you don’t see this band live before you die, you’re missing out.

Of course, not all people have the same musical tastes though, so what works for me might not work for you.

Washington Capitals players have been known to listen to everything from Russian techno to DJ Pauly D, but after learning what’s on the team’s playlist these days, I’m not sure TV on the Radio will be added to the rotation anytime soon.

You might have noticed that after the trade deadline, the Capitals caught fire – going 15-3-1 down the stretch and taking home the top seed in the Eastern Conference for a second-consecutive season.

Even though bodies kept dropping at a rapid pace due to injury forcing coach Bruce Boudreau to shuffle the lineup on a seemingly nightly basis, the Caps continued to find a way to win.

Some point to forward Jason Arnott – the savvy veteran who isn’t afraid to pull aside his new teammates if their play starts to slip on the ice – as a key to the Capitals’ recent hot streak.

He’s admitted he and Ovechkin have been regular dinner buddies so the Caps captain can pick Arnott’s brain regularly about what it takes to bring home the Stanley Cup.

He’s been credited as one of the few guys capable of getting through to enigmatic forward Alexander Semin.

Well, for better or for worse, you can add a third bullet to Arnott’s D.C. resume – he’s the guy who helped bring country music to the Caps locker room.

“I’d say 70 to 80 percent of the guys in this locker room listened to country at some point growing up,” said defenseman Karl Alzner. “In Canada, it’s big in the locker room – especially in the Ontario League and the Western League – we listened to it all the time. That was our pump-up music, you know?

“Well, some of the new guys who have come in are a little bit older and have some pull around the dressing room, so they threw it on and everyone likes it except for very few people,” Alzner continued.

It should come as no surprise that Alzner was referring to Ovechkin, who will never be confused for a country music fanatic.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

The Washington Capitals hosted the home finale of the regular season against the Florida Panthers Wednesday night and while they’re still fighting for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, it was nice to see the coaches take a “marathon” approach.

In theory, the Caps still have plenty to play for — specifically home-ice advantage all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. But coach Bruce Boudreau and friends opted to play the Panthers without the services of defensemen Mike Green, Tom Poti and Scott Hannan, as well as forwards Jason Arnott and Alexander Semin.

The fact that the Panthers have been doormats for most of the season and are barely NHL-caliber anymore after a fire sale at the trade deadline meant the Capitals were likely to win anyway, and they did 5-2.

But it’s commendable to see the Caps brain trust resting vital players down the stretch in hopes that these same contributors will play a key role in the postseason. Sure, the move could backfire and a shorthanded Capitals squad could drop a few spots in the standings, but the team has its collective eye on a larger prize.

And for that to happen, the big guns need to be well rested and ready to roll. Which transitions nicely into today’s topic of conversation.

Going back to the Caps roundtable earlier this week, in which we chatted with the best and brightest bloggers covering the Capitals, the most interesting question asked during the entire discussion was “Which non-goalie is most vital to an extended playoff run for the Caps?”

Center Nicklas Backstrom, rookie defenseman John Carlson and Hannan each received votes from our esteemed panel, with the two other bloggers opting to go with the captain, Alex Ovechkin. And while a case could absolutely be made for any of those individuals, no player is more vital to this team’s success than the enigma that is Alexander Semin.

And that statement alone should scare the hell out of everyone.

Look, I’d love to say this team’s success hinged on a player like Arnott or forward Mike Knuble, because both are veterans who know what it takes to win and, just as importantly, know what the Caps need/expect from them. They’re low maintenance guys who can be counted on when a game is in the deciding moments.

And then there’s Semin.

In the last five minutes of a tightly-contested game, no Caps fan can say with any certainty whether Semin will score the game-winning goal or take a mind-numbing penalty that ends up costing Washington any chance at victory.

Be honest; he’s even money for either scenario.

But if you take a look at the Capitals’ recent playoff history, this team only wins when Good Sasha shows up.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to have some of the best blogs dedicated to covering the Washington Capitals participate in a roundtable discussion on a variety of topics — ranging from summing up the regular season in one sentence to making bold postseason predictions.

And because I really enjoyed the insight each of these bloggers provided, I stayed out of it and refrained from sharing my perspective. But with the playoffs just days away, there are a few topics we covered that I want to focus a little extra attention on.

Today, I wanted to spotlight the second question from yesterday’s discussion which was:

Which Caps player has impressed you the most during the regular season? Why?

While there are several solid choices, including Michal Neuvirth, John Carlson, Karl Alzner and Scott Hannan (the names chosen during the roundtable), the player who has stood out most to me is rookie center Marcus Johansson.

While 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 67 games played might not be the most eye catching of stats, the 20-year-old earns my vote because of the way his season has played out. Early in the year he seemed like he might be on the verge of being overwhelmed by the speed and physicality of the NHL game. But as the season went on, Johansson appeared to find a groove.

The kid doesn’t take penalties (he’s got 10 minutes in the box all season), he’s been an important penalty killer when some of his teammates have failed to show the same level of discipline and best of all, when top center Nicklas Backstrom went down due to injury, Johansson stepped in and never missed a beat. In fact, I’d argue that when Johansson found himself on the top line with Alex Ovechkin, he played some of his best hockey all season long.

Before the all-star break, Johansson had six goals and six assists and was a -6 in 38 games. Since then, he’s scored seven goals with eight assists and is a +8 in 29 games. His shooting percentage is up nearly three percent and the two minutes of additional ice time a night show his coaches trust him.

So I caught up with Johansson before the Caps took off to face Toronto to chat with the youngster about his rookie season and here’s what he had to say.

It’s safe to say that most rookies seem to hit a wall at some point during their freshman season in the NHL, but you appear to be skating better and with more confidence as the season has played out. How are you able to avoid what’s happened to so many other rookies before you?

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Although the Washington Capitals are in Toronto this evening to take on the Maple Leafs, it’s safe to say that most D.C. sports fans have already turned their attention to the playoffs.

With three relatively meaningless games left in the regular season, the Capitals simply need to get as healthy as possible – especially on the blue line – if they’re going to finally make that postseason run that’s managed to elude this team thus far.

As the regular season comes to a close, I thought it would be fitting to reach out to some of the most respected Capitals blogs with 10 questions on the mind of every Caps fan.

Our panelists for this exercise are Neil Greenberg from Russian Machine Never Breaks, David Getz from Japers’ Rink, Dave Nichols from Caps News Network, Jack Anderson from Kings of Leonsis and the gaggle of writers from On Frozen Blog. So thanks to everyone for participating and here are the best answers from our impromptu roundtable.

1. How would you sum up the Washington Capitals’ 2010-11 regular season in one sentence?

JR: An 82-game preseason.

RMNB: The law of averages caught up to them.

OFB: Like a mediocre date: starts with a strong hello, slumps when the food is served and there’s forced conversation with a lack of energy/effort, but finally finishes on a positive note with some promise for the future.

2. Which Caps player has impressed you the most during the regular season? Why?

CNN: Michal Neuvirth. He’s shown he can handle the workload of being a starting goalie in the NHL.

KOL: Enough can’t be said about the young tandem of John Carlson and Karl Alzner. They have been rock solid with injuries hampering much of the remainder of defensive corps.

OFB: Scott Hannan. He is the player who has been forgotten this season. He plays like the team’s second best defenseman behind Dennis Wideman and looks like a solid leader.

3. In what seed will the Capitals finish the regular season?

CNN and KOL both believe the Caps will finish first. The rest of the gang voted for second place in the East.

4. Who would you like to see in round one? Why?

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