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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has yet to name his starting goalie heading into the playoffs.

While D.C. awaits a formal announcement, let us spoil the surprise – unless something shocking happens in the next few days, goalie Jose Theodore will be in net for the Capitals in their opening-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.

All season long, Theodore has been the Caps most steady and reliable option in net. Heading into the final year of his contract, Caps fans thought that Theodore would be relegated to back-up by either Semyon Varlamov or Michal Neuvirth, but that hasn’t been the case.

Theodore beat out the highly-touted duo by a large margin, going 30-7-7 this season, with a 2.81 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. While Neuvirth and Varlamov have both been prone to the occasional bad outings and/or soft goals, Theodore has been rock-solid seemingly all season long.

By now you’ve heard that Theodore has gone an insane 20-0-3 over his last 24 starts. Well, please allow us to journey back to just before this improbable streak began in an attempt to put everything in perspective for you.

Neuvirth started in net for the Caps’ 7-4 loss to Tampa Bay, Jan. 12. He was far from spectacular on this day, and pulled from the game after allowing four goals in just 15 shots (which averages out to 12 goals against average and a meager .733 save percentage).

Theodore was thrust into action and put up solid numbers considering just how well everything was clicking for the Lightning that day (Tampa Bay was firing on all cylanders that day, going four for seven on the powerplay). Theodore allowed three goals on 21 shots through two periods in mop-up duty, but was tagged with the loss.

We bring this up, not to dwell on the negative, but to point out that this was the only regulation defeat Theodore suffered in 2010. The 33-year-old has a sparkling 21-1-3 record with a 2.42 goals against average and a .920 save percentage since New Year’s Day.

If the record doesn’t win you over because you’re convinced any goalie would win on a high-powered offensive-juggernaut like the Caps, then let us make one more case for Theodore: since that loss to the Lightning, he’s been nearly unbeatable when the game is on the line. Theodore has given up just nine goals on 229 shots in the third period since Jan. 13.

We’re not sure what the official hockey-critic definition of clutch is, but a statistic like that would seem to clearly indicate that Theodore falls into that category. Anyone who can’t see that should probably watch less hockey and spend more time watching Jimmy Fallon or Jay Leno.

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(photo by Francois Lacasse)

When you think about it, it had to be the Montreal Canadiens.

As this year’s Washington Capitals attempt to go where no other team in franchise history has gone before, it’s fitting that they have to start that journey against the most-storied team the NHL has to offer.

The Caps are looking to hoist the Cup for the first time, so why not go through the grand daddy of them all – a tradition-laden Montreal franchise that has sipped from Lord Stanley’s Cup 24 times?

The Canadiens were founded in 1909 and have been a part of more than 140 playoff series, but this will be the first time they square off against the Capitals in the postseason. Old school versus new school. A Montreal team that has done, seen and won it all battling a Capitals squad attempting to rewrite a franchise history littered with playoff disappointment.

And if nothing else, this is the team that gave Washington Rod Langway and Craig Laughlin … in the same trade. A Hall of Famer and the guy who made it socially acceptable to put a biscuit in a basket. The least the Caps can do to say thank you is invite the Habs to town for a first-ever postseason bout.

About those Canadiens, here’s what you need to know about Montreal heading into this first-round matchup:

– Montreal has been ravaged by injuries, with 259 games lost due to injury this season.
– The Habs scored 217 goals for and allowed 223 goals against. Ottawa is the only other team to qualify for the playoffs that allowed more goals than they’ve scored this season.
– Center Tomas Plekanec led the team with 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points. With those numbers, Plekanec would have finished fifth on the Caps in points.
– Montreal had three 20 goal scorers. Washington had seven (and Mike Green finished with one short, with 19 goals for the year).
– Defenseman Andrei Markov led Montreal with a plus 11, which would have put him tied with defenseman John Carlson for 13th best on the Caps.
– Their season highlight was a six-game winning streak. They also had a five-game losing streak and a six-game winless streak this year.
– The Canadiens, you might remember, were the team to finally put an end to the Caps’ franchise-record 14-game winning streak.
– Montreal is limping into the playoffs, going just 3-4-3 in their final 10 games of the regular season.

Now, a quick refresher for those joining the bandwagon a little late:

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(photo by Justin K. Aller)

As far as the regular season goes, the Washington Capitals have nothing left to play for. They’ve achieved every goal they set their sights on, including winning their division, the Eastern Conference and even claiming the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy.

Sure, Caps players could continue to elevate many of the career highs they’ve set this season, but personal achievements and accolades aren’t a priority. The only mission coach Bruce Boudreau and his players have during the final stretch of games is to get healthy and focused for what we all hope is a lengthy playoff push.

And yet, the Capitals keep on winning. In back-to-back games this week, they beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 Monday in a possible first-round playoff preview and then the following night the Caps put together a 60-minute clinic against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3.

No one would fault them if Boudreau opted to “pull a Colts” and rest his starters for the final week of the regular season. Players like defenseman Mike Green and forward Eric Belanger have enjoyed a few days of rest to recover from nagging injuries, but otherwise, the Capitals continue to play games with the same intensity and mindset that’s enabled them to rewrite the franchise record for wins in a season.

The Bruins game was a tightly-contested affair against a team who has yet to qualify for the postseason. With much more on the line, Boston was clearly the aggressor in the early stages. They outshot the Capitals 12 in the opening frame and scored what could have been a backbreaking goal with just 1.6 second left in the first period.

The Capitals were able to shrug off the goal and other dicey moments – like the tripping penalty forward Brooks Laich took with five minutes left in regulation – to claim victory in overtime. In poetic fashion, Laich was able to redeem himself by scoring the game-winning goal in the first minute of overtime while Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman, the player he was whistled for tripping, was in the penalty box.

The game had much more meaning for Boston than the Capitals, and yet, they figured since they had to be there anyways, they might as well go out and win the game.

The following night, the Caps traveled to Pittsburgh to take on Sidney Crosby and friends. The Penguins, like the Bruins, are still fighting for postseason positioning. They’re hoping to lock up the second seed in the East, so again, the Capitals were playing an opponent who needed to win the game more than they did. Add in the rivalry factor and, oh by the way, Washington’s 3-0 record against the Penguins this season and it was a safe bet this game was going to be a good one.

And it was … so long as you’re a Caps fan. Washington light the lamp three times in the second period and cruised to an easy win against the Stanley Cup champs.

This game was important to one member of the Capitals – goalie Semyon Varlamov, who hadn’t faced Pittsburgh since his Game 7 meltdown in the second-round of the playoff last season. Varlamov made 26 saves in the win and was good, but not great.

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(photo by Nick Wass)

The Washington Capitals weren’t spectacular in their 2-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers Thursday night, but that’s okay.

After dropping three-straight games, the Capitals were in dire need of a performance like this. They needed 60 full minutes of skating and maximum effort. They needed guys giving it their all on both ends of the rink and doing the little things that ultimately make a difference. Most importantly, they needed to play better defensively to lessen the burden on their goalies and give them a fighting chance.

Add it all up and the Caps ended the evening with 50 wins for the second-consecutive season, marking the first time in franchise history the team has accomplished that feat.

Sure, a good chunk of those wins came at the expense of the mediocre Southeast Division, but it’s not like Washington asked the league to over-expand and break up the good old Patrick Division. They can only play who the NHL lines them up against. But we digress.

Here’s why this is a game Caps fans should savor: this ugly victory was exactly what it takes to win in the playoffs.

“The first two periods were kind of boring, a lot of whistles and not a lot happening,” said forward Matt Bradley, who scored the game-winning goal. “But those are the kinds of games that [coach] Bruce [Boudreau] has talked about us being mentally tough, waiting it out and not making any stupid moves and our breaks would come. And that happened in the third period. I was lucky enough to get one.”

The Capitals might play one of the most aesthetically pleasing styles hockey has to offer, but things change in the postseason. Goals are harder to come by and the smallest error can come back to haunt you. Al Pacino might even say it’s a game of inches and when you add them all up … nevermind. Back to our original point, this Caps-Thrashers matchup felt exactly like a playoff game.

And it’s fitting, because Atlanta very well might be their first-round opponent. Philadelphia, Montreal and Boston are currently sitting sixth through eighth in the Eastern Conference with 82 points apiece, while the Thrashers are just two points back with 80 points. One of those four teams will square off with the Capitals in round one. Caps fans should hope it’s Atlanta.

Prior to Thursday night, the Capitals were 4-0 against the Thrashers while outscoring them 22-10 this season. Simply put, there wasn’t a better team to see on the schedule than Atlanta.

The Capitals were also happy to see the return of Brooks Laich, who has missed the last few games after taking “friendly fire” when a John Carlson slapshot rang off the goalpost in practice and struck the forward in the face. Laich returned to action and skated on the second line with Alexander Semin and Mathieu Perreault, one of the more intriguing lines Boudreau has concocted this season.

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(photo by Nick Wass)

No one wants to see the Washington Capitals lose three games in a row. Fans also can’t be pleased watching the Capitals sputter out of the gate and fall behind yet again in the first period.

While supremely talented, this Caps team has shown a tendency to get outworked and out-hustled in the early stages of recent games (they’ve been outscored nine to one in the first frame of their last three games).

However, if there is a silver lining to all of this, it’s that this streak is happening now and not in a couple weeks. Once the playoffs start, there is no margin for error. If the Capitals stroll into the postseason thinking everyone is just going to roll over as they cruise to the Stanley Cup, they’ll be brought back to reality sooner than anyone around town cares to think about.

Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators will give coach Bruce Boudreau and his staff plenty to focus on. There’s tons of film from the last three games to show carelessness by Capitals players on both sides of the rink.

We’ve got poor decision making and ill-advised penalties in the offensive zone combined with defensemen getting caught out of position and giving up odd-man rushes far too frequently. Add in a few softies courtesy of the team’s suddenly vulnerable goaltending and the Caps begin to feel more like Goliath looking past David rather than the powerhouse we’ve all come to know and love.

“Maybe we are not ready for the first period,” said center Nicklas Backstrom. “We have to. I remember the playoffs last year, we weren’t ready the first two games. We have to get ready now and play a good 60 minutes. We haven’t played a good 60 minutes in a while.”

That’s one thing we can all agree on.

“We didn’t come out ready to play and it hurt us in the end,” said defenseman Tom Poti after the Senators game, although to be fair, the quote could apply to pretty much every game the Capitals have played over the last week.

As surprising as it may sound, the Caps would be wise to take a page from Ottawa, even if they’re currently 21 points behind them in the standings.

“At this time of year, not only do you want to win games, but you want to feel good about how you’re playing too,” said Senators forward Jason Spezza, who had two goals and two assists against Washington. “Confidence is huge this time of year, and there’s a big difference between the win and the loss and how the mood is in the room the next day.”

It’s one thing to say a sneaky Carolina Hurricanes team caught the Capitals off guard in a 3-2 shootout win or that the Caps have always failed to play well in the early stages of a mid-day matinee matchup, which is why they fell 5-3 to the Calgary Flames. But for a third consecutive game, the Capitals looked like they had just rolled out of bed minutes before the puck dropped and were steamrolled by a hungrier opponent.

Looking at the bigger picture, this game marked the 10th time in 18 games that a Capitals game went to overtime, meaning Washington has just five wins in regulation during that span.

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(photo by Nick Wass)

With a chance to clinch the first regular-season Eastern Conference title in franchise history with a victory over the struggling Calgary Flames, the Washington Capitals fell flat.

Later in the evening the Capitals backed into the conference title, thanks to a New Jersey loss, but that was merely a consolation prize after the team’s lackluster effort against an inferior opponent.

It’s long been known that this Caps squad struggles with matinee matchups, thanks to a young roster that prefers to sleep in, but the opening period was about as ugly a 20 minutes as anything we’ve seen in recent history.

Capitals goalie Jose Theodore saw his day end prematurely through little fault of his own. His defense was nowhere to be found in the opening frame and before Theodore knew what was happening, he had been lifted after the Flames scored on three of their first 10 shots. Barely 10 minutes into the game, Theodore was headed for the showers and the Caps were effectively done.

“We didn’t have any energy – it looked like we were skating in quicksand,” said Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. “Their sense of urgency was so tremendous. They had got called out by [Flames general manager Darryl Sutter] yesterday and had gotten embarrassed pretty well in Boston. So we knew they were going to come out. But we just didn’t meet their push and for the first time in a long time it looked like [Theodore] was struggling a little bit.”

With Semyon Varlamov in net the Capitals didn’t fare much better in their own end. It was 4-0 after the first and the Flames cruised to an easy 5-3 win, handing Washington a rare home loss in regulation.

“We didn’t start the game well,” said Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. “We knew they would come at us hard. Still, we didn’t give up. In the second and third period we had more chances. It was kind of a tough situation. They’re a team that needs points for the playoffs. We knew they’d come at us hard and we were not ready.”

Which brings us to our second point.

When the horn finally sounded and the first period mercifully came to an end, the home team headed to the locker room while the Verizon Center crowd showed their disapproval with a chorus of boos. We fully admit that the Caps came out flat and looked about as bad as possible in the early stages of this game, but hearing jeers and even mock cheers from Caps fans was definitely a shock to the system.

This team is accomplishing feats no other team in this franchise’s 35-year history has matched and folks were ready to turn their back after a predictable sluggish start? We’re not talking about the Redskins going 4-12 or the Nationals losing another 100 games. We’re talking about a team with a 27-5-4 record at home, which is tops in the NHL.

With a second-period tally, Ovechkin now has 46 goals and 100 points on the season. While Ovechkin has a knack for making the extraordinary look ordinary, reaching 100 points in four of his first five seasons is a big deal. That’s the kind of accomplishment that only elite players with names like Gretzky and Lemieux have achieved.

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